When Racism is worst than the a-wordism at Gallaudet University

As I said before, I believe that the charges of "avdism" (the a-wordism) on campus of Gallaudet University as being “rampant” or even “prevalent” are nothing more than shrill than fact. Are there examples of a-wordism on campus? Sure. Rampant? Hardly. Considering that this IS Gallaudet University where students come in from the outside world full of discrimination (or very little depending where you came from) and even oppression in many cases on a campus full of deaf and hard of hearing students, faculty and staff who are equal in every way. Including the equitable and free communication for all which is desirable though this not quite the case considering the "rampant" act of marginalizing students who don't sign very well or prefer to speak and/or use their hearing aids. But that's for later.

What we have here is a marginalization against students or people of color on the campus of Gallaudet for years. Even back in 1989 when I addressed this to IKJ and a group of people in my speech regarding the diversity problem and marginalization. Today, I have said ever since May 2006 the “Unity for Whom” question because I’ve the seen what the atmosphere was like then and compare that to now which has changed little except there's more awareness. The people of color is still pretty much the same, ratio-wise, a plus 90% mostly white as it was 18 years ago when I started at Gallaudet as a freshman on January 1988.

Kristi Merriweather pointed out in her observation when she wrote a blog piece in DeafDC called "A Fictitious Protest for Fictitious Reasons."  She made several salient points on how the recent protest marginalized students of color just because they are in the minority. Healing cannot be done unless we do the "mea culpa" part (it means "my fault") in acknowledging our role, somehow, somewhere, that have made what we are today and where are with Gallaudet University, which is an institution first that serve all deaf and hard of hearing people who may want to be a student someday. Approximately 20% of the people who took the "mea culpa" poll believed that we are all at fault somehow for this protest mess, while the rest of those who voted continue to assign blame at others except for themselves. I said my "mea culpa" many moons ago.

The first step as I said is the "mea culpa" and Noah Beckman finally took the correct step in doing so yesterday in his interview with Newsweek.

Will you write a letter?

Oh, absolutely. I’m guilty of being oppressive and part of that is taking ownership and responsibility. Back in May, when I told a specific group of people that they couldn’t speak in front of the student body [during the initial protests against Fernandes]. It was the black group of students who wanted to speak. …That wasn’t the best decision I’ve ever made, so I’m definitely guilty of that oppression. At the time my thinking was that I didn’t want to have a message that was confusing.

Many students of color objected to the whole selection process, not just the appointment of Fernandes. Did they get much help from the other protesters?

The white students didn’t do anything to support students of color and work together. [The black students] wrote a very powerful letter, and the board didn’t respond, and the SBG didn’t support them in this process. That must’ve been in November or December—awhile back. So with that, I think the racial differences were clear on our campus. I was guilty of that racist behavior, and it’s not something I’m proud of. So, I think the healing process along those lines is critical. I’ve learned so much since May and with this process, to have a higher level of sensitivity to the various groups on campus, to have respect for students of color and increase the sense of unity.

The uproar started when the final three presidential candidates were announced. Gallaudet’s students of color were concerned that a white candidate with only a master’s degree was included, while a well-respected black candidate, Dr. Glenn Anderson, was eliminated. At the time, some white students said Gallaudet wasn’t ready for a black president. Do you think they were right?

I’d like to say no, but there are some groups of people, small groups of people that have that attitude. It exists on our campus, sadly enough. We’re definitely more than happy to see any qualified individual, person of color or not. The most important thing is to have a person right attitude and the right sense of respect for Gallaudet and who we are as deaf students and in the deaf community, more than anything else.

Racism on campus of Gallaudet University has always been the case and many were constantly side-lined just because they're the minority population. Like many others who were or are also marginalized or pushed aside just because they are different and want to see things to ensure that they, too, are seen as equal participants and receive the same equal communication regardless of background or communication preferences. So, until we hear more "mea culpas" this healing won't go anywhere.

You probably know who those people are.

A Poll. Another Fine Mess. Who is at fault?

Another nice mess we've gotten ourselves into.

Who's fault was this in making a fine mess in this protest? 1. Dr. Jane K. Fernandes!! 2. I. King Jordan!! 3. The Board of Trustees! 4. Administrators!! 5. All of number 1, 2, 3 and 4!! 6. Protesters!! 7. We're all at fault!! 8. Nobody at fault!! Free polls from Pollhost.com

"Mea culpa is the answer to greater understanding."

ACTA Acts

From ACTA today, 13 hours ago.

As protestors continue to oppose the appointment of Jane K. Fernandes to the post of president of Gallaudet University, Gallaudet's Board of Trustees will convene a special meeting today to assess the fractious and rapidly deteriorating situation at the school. There is disagreement about whether opposition to Fernandes centers on her perceived "lack of leadership skills" (which appears to be a euphemistic way of criticizing her for not being as warm and fuzzy as some would like; one critic complained that Fernandes does not smile enough), or on her vexed position vis a vis deaf identity politics (Fernandes did not learn to sign until her twenties, and she is perceived by separatists as too accepting of "assimilationist" approaches to deafness such as cochlear implants, better hearing aids, and genetic research).

Whatever the reasons behind the anger that has led to over 100 arrests on the Gallaudet campus, has caused the campus to be shut down for several days, and has issued in a faculty vote in which professors overwhelmingly called for Fernandes' resignation or removal, the bottom line is that it is up to the Board to appoint the president. While students and faculty surely have the right to express their views regarding Fernandes' appointment, they do not have the right to make or unmake the appointment themselves, nor do they have the right to interfere so severely with the daily operations of the university that the place is compelled to shut down out of concern for people's safety.

On Friday, ACTA weighed in on the governance fiasco that is unfolding at Gallaudet:
GALLAUDET BOARD SHOULD STAND FIRM

WASHINGTON, DC (October 27, 2006)--As the Gallaudet University Board of Trustees prepares to meet this Sunday, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni urged the trustees to stand firmly behind their selection of Jane K. Fernandes as the next president. For months, Gallaudet has been engulfed in controversy over the selection of Fernandes, currently the provost, who is due to assume the position in January.

"Gallaudet's trustees engaged in an inclusive and thoughtful selection process and concluded Dr. Fernandes was the best candidate to lead Gallaudet into the future," said ACTA president Anne D. Neal. "They should not give in to unlawful protesters who have their own agendas--rather than the school's--in mind."

Fernandes' appointment was announced on May 1; protests began then and resumed this month. Earlier this week, protesters seized two buildings and blocked access to the campus. The faculty has also issued votes of no confidence in Fernandes, the current president, and the board. According to numerous media accounts, the protests began amid complaints that Fernandes is not "deaf enough" because she learned American Sign Language only in her twenties.

"Not everyone always agrees with the result of a presidential search," Neal noted. "But disagreement does not mean the board was wrong."

"At a time when higher education is facing many challenges, it is the board's obligation to identify a leader who can address the long-term goals of the school," she concluded. "The Gallaudet board has made its choice and is accountable for the results. The trustees should affirm their choice--and the protesters should allow Fernandes do her job."

The American Council of Trustees and Alumni is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, national organization dedicated to academic freedom, academic quality, and accountability. ACTA has a network of trustees and alumni around the country and has issued numerous reports on higher education, including How Many Ward Churchills?, Intellectual Diversity: Time for Action, The Hollow Core, and Losing America's Memory: Historical Illiteracy in the 21st Century. For further information, contact ACTA at (202) 467-6787.

Here's to the Gallaudet Board standing firm.


There you go. That's a pretty hefty support for Dr. Jane K. Fernandes.

Also, read ACTA's blog piece on "Problems with Protesters."

And, how long will this "mourning" take by protesters planning on crashing the campus and close it down at the front gate? And NAD is involved, too? So much for their claim of being neutral for the sake of the other 30 million other deaf and hard of hearing people who will no doubt see these protesters as a bunch of...well, see the picture above? Can we say....*shhhhhh*....."special interst group"? And it starts with a capital "D".

UPDATE!!: Looks like the BoT terminated their own decision and have Jane K. Fernandes removed by voting to terminate Dr. Fernandes’ appointment as President-Designate.

Boy, talk about teething pains. If temper tantrums last long enough, even stoic parents have to give in to their incessant bawling demands.

Next question: Does that mean JKF get's her old provost position back or what? Where does she go from here? A lawsuit next?

UPDATE II: Ok. I've favored Dr. Anderson for quite some time. People who know me knows it's no secret. I believe he's the best one for this presidency position and address this serious diversity issue, as well as some racism on campus. Will Dr. Anderson re-apply? Why did NAD stay quiet when Anderson was NOT selected to the final 3?


See all posts on Kokonut Pundits related to the protest since May 2006.

A New Milestone for Kokonut Pundits

In exactly two years and one week later Kokonut Pundits finally hit the 100,000 unique visitor hits. A great milestone for any bloggers to achieve. It is to my great satisfaction that people are still turning to Kokonut Pundits with increasing numbers as I shift topics around from politics, deafness issues, sports, technology for greater independency among deaf and hard of hearing people, biotechnology (eg stem cells), successful deaf/hh people, religious intolerance (read Islamofascists) and so on as I delve into various and wide-ranging topics of interest.

Again, it is to my great satisfaction that I have now finally reached the 100,000 hits milestone compared to 15,000 hits I had one year ago. I have to thank my readers for coming back again and again in support of my blogsite. The number of hits from one year ago represents nearly a 700% increase. Remarkable for a lone blogger who is committed to good quality blogs.

To see my latest hits just scroll down at the very bottom and see what my latest Sitemeter hit count says.

Thanks everyone.

Faculty Members Against Academic Excellence?

The insanity just gets worse and worse. What the world and many are witnessing this daily soap opera is like watching tv shows with dysfunctional families accusing everybody else of something but not be accountable for their own actions. That includes everybody. It just becomes one big mud pile after another.

Where is the logic in this when we see deaf or hard of hearing students go from a world full of "audism" (a word coined by Tom Humphries who is "deeply committed to all aspects of Deaf life, the arts, Deaf cultural studies, the language, and to promoting scholarship among Deaf people" and is also on the Board of Trustees that selected Dr. Jane K. Fernandes to be the next Gallaudet University president) to a world full of greater communcation freedom (ASL or sign language, too!) along with greater understanding and opportunities at Gallaudet University and then accuse the university of practicing "audism" (exceptions can be made for DPS campus police in this case)? These protesters have accused Gallaudet University with "rampant" audism and oppression thus making it sound like a 3rd world country with hoards of people writhing with cries of social injustice! Oh, the inhumanity of it all! It would even rival the Stubbed-Toe Gate incident.

Pardon my French but it all sounds a bit too much like one big odorous poopy pile of mass proportion. The mother of all stinkers.

The United States is considered to be the best country in the world to live in for Deaf, deaf and hard of hearing people considering the amount of technology and services available for them allowing them greater and greater independency. It is astounding though far from perfect. Video phones, relay interpreters, CART services, communication devices, ASL interpreters, Cued Speech transliterators, SEE interpreters, Oral translators, Instant Messengers (eg AIM, MSN, YAHOO), vlogs, blogs, emails, IDEA, ADA, Section 504, and many more. Even Gallaudet University is working with people on ASL recognition to speech or text output. And vice versa. I'm sure Gallaudet campus reeeeks of audism and oppression that are totally unimaginable it would put the Gulag prison to shame.

Recently we had a faculty standing vote a few weeks back with 168 fo them out 221 showed up to vote for the ouster of Dr. Jane K. Fernandes. Out of 168 of the 221 who showed up, 138 voted against JKF. That's fine all that but isn't it ironic that these same protesters who applauded the voting exercise are the very same people who screamed at the many of the faculty members for not being ASL fluent enough in their signing? And the fact that the majority of faculty members on campus are hearing? Why are these same faculty members who sign so poorly in ASL want the ouster of JKF? How come "Motion J" wasn't voted on which was the last on the list of motions to vote on? Shouldn't it have been near the top of the list to vote on since so many protesters and Deaf faculty members were screaming about this for years on ASL signing competency among faculty members who are non-native signers?

MOTION J - “Ask that Committee A and the Senate work together to change faculty guidelines such that all previously tenured faculty will be required to take the same sign language assessment test that untenured faculty take. GU till rovide interps in the classroom for any currently tenured fac member who does not pass the sign lang assessment at the same level required for new fac to gain tenure. This would not replace the system of testing non tenured faculty”

Now, why many of the hearing faculty members who most likely don't sign as proficiently in ASL voted for the ouster of JKF? Is it because Dr. Jane K. Fernandes has in mind that they should better start ramping up their research publications to peer-reviewed journals on a regular basis that many have been lax on for years? And the 82% of those faculty members who voted for the ouster of Dr. Jane K. Fernades, are they all against her vision of academic excellence for Gallaudet University and its students, professors and staff? What exactly are the Deaf professors or faculty members' agenda or true positions here? Is this about the increased expectation for research papers? Is this about the tenure-track controversy?

What I can see is that Dr. Jane K. Fernandes is committed to and expect greater academic excellence among faculty and staff (and even students). All one has to do is look at a recent power point presentation that summarizes the goals for Gallaudet University called "Academic Affairs: Implementation of the New Directions Plan - August 25, 2004". It comprehensively covers the goals for Gallaudet University to become the preeminent university for all deaf and hard of hearing based on expected academic standards and acceptance among students, staff, and faculty members. Among the 5 directions these are the priorities that Dr. Jane K. Fernandes and many others want to see accomplished.:

Direction #1. Gallaudet University is recognized as a prestigious university with high quality academic programs, co-curricular programs, and research.

Priority 1.1: Raise standards for undergraduate admissions, academic programs, and graduation.

Priority 1.2: Strengthen, nurture, and infuse academic culture into all aspects of the Gallaudet community.

Priority 1.3: Recruit and retain an exemplary faculty and professional staff.

Priority 1.4: Increase support for research, publication, outreach, and other scholarly activities.

Priority 1.5: Support quality teaching and learning by providing adequate resources for instructional technology and the library.

Priority 1.6: Establish a comprehensive program of professional development for faculty, teachers, staff, and administrators.

Direction #2. At Gallaudet University, liberal arts is the foundation for intellectual development, ethical decision-making, career development, professional preparation, citizenship, and lifelong learning.

Priority 2.1: Increase emphasis and integration of the following into each student’s educational experience:
Literacy development
Critical thinking
Problem solving
Information literacy
Expanded internship opportunities
Expanded opportunities to study abroad
Community service and/or service learning
Career exploration

Priority 2.2: Develop an internal and external communication plan that conveys our vision of a liberal arts education clearly, concisely, positively, and as relevant for a lifetime.

Direction #3. Gallaudet University is the university of choice for an increasingly diverse pool of potential students who are deaf and hard of hearing, and for hearing students who want to prepare for careers in the deaf community.

Priority 3.1: Preserve Gallaudet’s rich cultural heritage and promote the study and appreciation of Deaf culture, Deaf history, and American Sign Language.

Priority 3.2: Foster positive identities and cultural competence for all students through a program of cross-cultural studies, diversity initiatives, and a climate that is characterized by inclusion and respect for everyone. Inclusion and respect for all individuals and groups within the deaf community. Cultural competence and respect for diverse groups within the larger society. Right of every student to explore and choose his own identity.

Priority 3.3: Provide adequate resources for both undergraduate and graduate students. Meet the needs of new signers. Assure the availability of a continuum of support services for all students offer a variety of course delivery methods. Better address the needs of non-traditional students. Ensure effective communication among faculty, staff, and students.

Priority 3.4: Develop articulation agreements with Gallaudet University Regional Centers and other community colleges with strong programs for deaf and hard of hearing students. Goals of the agreements are to prepare students to come to Gallaudet and to make sure that appropriate credits transfer.

Direction #4. Gallaudet University nurtures and strengthens its position as a global educational and cultural center for people who are deaf and hard of hearing and demonstrates its commitment to diversity by reaching out to deaf and hard of hearing people everywhere.

Priority 4.1: Promote partnerships with other countries and international organizations, more educational exchange programs, more information sharing, and increased focus on international relations.

Priority 4.2: Strengthen the global content in the curriculum in order to prepare American and international students to compete effectively in an increasingly global community.

Priority 4.3: Continue efforts to remove the cap on international student enrollment, eliminate the surcharge on tuition, and exclude online course and certificate program enrollments from the cap.

Direction #5. Gallaudet University values and promotes undergraduate and graduate education equally.

Priority 5.1: Enhance and build on the strengths of graduate programs.

Priority 5.2: Strengthen undergraduate education and promote better preparation of undergraduate students for graduate programs.

Priority 5.3: Faculty governance takes a leadership role, in consultation with administration, academic departments, and professional staff in promoting collaboration and articulation among undergraduate, graduate, and co- curricular programs.

Priority 5.4: Promote collaboration among undergraduate, graduate, co- curricular, and Clerc Center programs and constituencies with shared interests as a way to enhance outcomes and increase efficient use of resources.

For faculty members (as well as protesters) who voted for the ouster of Dr. Jane K. Fernandes and her plan for academic excellence means that they are:

1 - Against the requirement for increased quality research publications to peer reviewed journals that will help foster an increased climate of expectated academic excellence from everybody.

2 - Against in recognizing the right of every student to explore and choose his/her own identity.

3. Against increased standards for undergraduate admissions, academic programs, and graduation.

4. Against any upwardly and more mobile academic direction.


For too long Deaf students have called Gallaudet University as the "Deaf Harvard". Saying this is nothing but a joke because the academic standards for admitting students is nothing like a Harvard standard. Even many of the courses do not even reflect the usual academic Harvard standard. If one wanted to get into Harvard, MIT, Standford, or even Yale, would you expect them to lower their academic standards and admittance requirements just so they can get in?

So, if you want Gallaudet University to be the preeminent educational institution for deaf and hard of hearing students, then you need to take a close look at those 5 directions. Fernandes has a plan for academic excellence and it's already in place and ready to go.

UPDATE: The remaining four motions were voted on a week later. "Motion J" was voted in favor but only 80 faculty members participated in it. That's a drop from 168 members who voted earlier this month. Does this mean that 75 out 168 were in favor of "Motion J"? Or 44% in favor? I wonder what the odds are that most of those that voted were Deaf faculty members? What happened to the remaining 88? Couldn't they have submitted a vote in absentia?

Question: Do many of the Deaf and hearing faculty members have different but underlying agendas in regard to why they what to oust JKF?

Hat tip: Gallaudet Employee. Thanks.

We Shall Defeat

We Shall Defeat. And whom would that be? Here's a cartoon on the Gallaudet University protest situation.




Apologies to Mike Keefe of The Denver Post.

Stubbed-Toe Gate

Well, the situation of the gate crashers at Gallaudet University sounded dramatic alright. Especially so on the injuries part that were described in lurid details ranging from cut, crushed, broken to lacerated. Well, it's the big toe I'm talking about. Especially the classic photo of the wrapped up foot with the damaged big toe while holding the big toe's nail...all of it... in the owner's hand. You may wince if you look at the picture. Then again maybe not if you watch a lot of those ER shows. I'm sure that's a war injury that'll be talked for years and years. Even my step-dad has a recent "war" injury losing the top 1/3 of his finger. It's floating somewhere in a pickle jar of his house right now I believe just to scare his step-grandkids for fun whenever they come over.

But there seems to be a bit of a hubbub over the severity of the injury being called as "not serious". Well, it's not a minor injury and it's certainly not a major injury but it is a serious injury having lost the whole nail of the big toe. I agree. Even I received a lacerated injury and it was serious, too. Can anybody guess how I got the injury?

But the one thing I don't understand is this:

"I was just standing there peacefully holding the gate with my arms and got injured doing so," he said.

Peacefully? Just standing there? And just "holding" the gate? All by yourself? I thought the gate was surrounded by a human chain with Brian, the injured big toe guy, involved when the gate was forced open and the gate's wheel went over Brian's big toe.

From Sue Mather’s pager
Subject: Injured!
Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 9:04:36
Brian here.. I am at hospital right now with a severe injury on my right toe. I woke up this morning seeing 15-20 PPD destroying our fort, taking everything away. So I and other students formed a human chain around the gate. But they all physically assaulted our human chain by pushing the gate away. During the process of it, roller of gate smashed on my right toe...

Physically assaulted? You were holding onto the gate with your arm, Brian. I don't think opening a gate constitute as an "assault" if you're hanging on to it. And who knew Brian's toe would get in the way of the gate's roller wheel?

Of course, people "out there" are not going give these protesters any brownie points and they'll just end up making fun of the whole thing.

I can imagine the scene:

The poor, filthy and unwashed protester, lying supine on a stretcher with a critically injured toe, stretches forth with grasping hands and vigorously signs to his fellow protestors (in ASL) to continue to keep fighting the good fight.

A white linen sheet is draped lovingly over his face as he slips into unconsciousness with his fellow protestors pleadingly looked to the heavens for the medevac that will no doubt come too late for this brave and selfless Gallaudet revolutionary.

Still, there are people out there who are not making fun of this protest but simply do not agree with the protest. Granted, many of them are the hearing kinds. Okay. Call them "audist" if it makes some Deaf people feel better. Here's one from the president of George Washington University:

President of George Washington University Stephen Joel Trachtenberg called the ongoing protests by students at Gallaudet University a “terrible tragedy” and questioned Student Association President Lamar Thorpe’s pledge to assist the student protesters.

In an interview with The Daily Colonial, Trachtenberg said the students of Gallaudet must realize that their current actions are not appropriate and that the current president, I. King Jordan, deserves a better send-off after 20 years in his position.

“Gallaudet cannot afford to have anarchy and student riots every time they turn over a president,” said Trachtenberg, referring to similar outrage in 1988 before Jordan was selected as Gallaudet’s first deaf president. “They’ve done it once and now they’re doing it again. It starts to be a pattern, and that’s not something that speaks well to them.”

The university’s campus has been shut down for three weeks due to student protests against the selection of Jane Fernandes, the school’s former provost who has been deaf since birth, as the next president of Gallaudet. Protesters say that she will be a divisive leader and accuse her of signing at a third-grade reading level. According to the Associated Press, the Gallaudet faculty voted last week by a margin of 82 percent to ask Fernandes to resign or be removed.

Despite the claims by protesters, Trachtenberg still thinks their actions are inappropriate.

“So far, I haven’t heard any accusation made… that justifies this kind of behavior,” he said. “These illegal behaviors are not a way to petition for justice. It makes you wonder why anyone would want to serve on the Gallaudet Board of Trustees.

Trachtenberg said that the protesters should respect the selection process, which included student and faculty input. He suggests that “they should let this woman be president for a few years and see how it goes,” then initiate calls for her removal.

Okay. Go sic 'em for saying that.

Brian...speedy recovery. Lesson learned.

In Your Own Words

(Put your caption here)


This is one of the funniest picture I've come across in awhile. And since we have this protest going on, I figured I put this picture up and let you guys do the imaginative work and put down your own caption in your own words. The winner with the funniest caption remark will get, well, nothing. Except that you'll see your caption get placed beneath the picture here on Kokonut Pundits.

Ricola!

BTW, don't forget to vote in the "not Deaf enough" poll and see where everybody stands.

UbiDuo - From Beginning to Start

Five years ago, Jason Curry sat down with his father, David, over breakfast at a local diner. It should’ve been a typical father-son breakfast, where work-week stories, sage advice, and maybe a few jokes are swapped over omelets and buttered toast.

But for the Currys, this breakfast was a tipping point.

Jason is deaf, and although his father knows limited sign language, the simple breakfast chat was too slow and frustrating for them both. Jason’s father stopped the conversation, signing that he had an idea. Back at home, he grabbed a black marker and drew what would become the UbiDuo.

“The minute I saw it” says Jason. “I knew it would change the world.”

A Six-Pound Revolution

Picture two keyboards with imbedded screens. Together, they are the UbiDuo, portable, wireless, weighing only about six pounds and as easy to use as a simultaneous chat screen. To start a conversation, you simply pull out the UbiDuo, select the type of conversation you want, and type. The UbiDuo lets you communicate with another UbiDuo through a Blackberry, Sidekick, or cell phone; puts you in a face to face, real-time conversation, without an interpreter; or sends a call to other UbiDuos within a range of 4,000 feet. But unlike instant messaging, the conversation is immediate: messages can be read as they’re typed and thoughts can be interjected.

Now picture what this could mean for roughly 27 million Americans whose inability to keep up with spoken conversation has held them back, professionally and personally.

“They can go anywhere, anyplace, and have a face to face conversation with their doctors, their bosses—their families. All without interpreters or scraps of paper. The UbiDuo really gives them a new sense of freedom and independence.”

With that revelation, Jason and his father immediately formed sComm, Inc., and started making plans to bring the UbiDuo to the market.

From Drawing to Drawing Board

Just one month after they turned a breakfast into a business, Jason and David met with Boys Town National Research Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska. Providing leading edge clinical care and research on childhood deafness, visual impairment, and related communication disorders, Boys Town helps approximately 30,000 children each year. For nine years of his own childhood, Jason was one of those children. Boys Town, then, was a logical place to tease out a plan.

With their help, Jason and David further developed the concept behind UbiDuo and applied for a patent in 2001, which the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded in December 2005.

But they realized that if their dream was to become more than a patent, they needed a solid financial backbone and a sound business plan.

Turning Technology into a Business Reality

Jason went to the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. There, he found a wealth of business development services to help him secure funding and develop a business plan, including the Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC).

UMKC’s Small Business and Technology Development Center is an outgrowth the U.S. Small Business Association’s Small Business Development Centers (SBDC). Nearly every state houses an SBDC, but only four states—Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina, and Missouri—have earned the accreditation necessary to put the T in their SBDCs.

Jason started there with Suman Saripalli, regional director/program specialist for Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants. With Saripalli’s and Boys Town National Research Hospital’s help, Jason applied for an SBIR grant from the National Institutes of Health, one of thousands of R &D grants the federal government awards to technology companies to perform innovative research.

In 2003, Jason won a Phase I SBIR grant that gave him $100,000 for testing. Before he could cash the check, however, Jason needed to learn how to build a prototype—and a business.

Saripalli then introduced Jason to the rest of the SBTDC team, including Larry Lee, associate director of special projects at the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Carmen DeHart, assistant director of UMKC’s SBTDC.

“For other businesses there are models. You want to open a pizzeria; we can show you a model. But no technology business is the same,” says Lee.

“With a new tech, you can’t get bank financing, find equity investors. There’s a whole different set of circumstances to make that business happen, and that’s what we try to walk our clients through—to help them understand the barriers of starting a technology business and maneuver through them.”

For Jason, and entrepreneurs like him, that guidance included how to legally form a corporation in Missouri, set up bookkeeping and talk to an accountant, write a business plan, set up an office, and find the right partner to build the prototypes.

Jason and David found that partnership in Pivot International in Lenexa, Kansas. They tested the first UbiDuo prototypes with 30 deaf people to see the effects of face-to-face communication.

The results, and the attention, were overwhelming.

Still working an 8-to-5 job, Jason enlisted the help of his mother, Emma, to compile data and write the proposal for the next leg of the grant. In 2005, he was awarded a Phase II SBIR grant, $1.3 million to develop and build prototypes of the UbiDuo.

Today, Jason works for sComm full-time and the UbiDuo is in production. The first 500 units will hit the streets in October 2006. And already, Jason is amazed by the stacks of interest that are piled on his desk—and humbled by the difference he will make to so many people’s lives.

“I’m really inspired by the millions of deaf people who are suffering from being cut out the conversation. They have to carry this burden, but they keep moving on with their lives, making the best of it.”

Along the way, sComm has been recognized for its technology and its efforts to help bring a new level of communication to so many people. In 2005, sComm received the MoFast Economic Development award at the University of Missouri’s’ Client Showcase and Legislative Breakfast; in April 2006, sComm took second place in UMKC’s New Business Venture Competition; and in September 2006, sComm will receive the Governor’s Technology Company of the Year Award.

That level of recognition, says Jason, “gives me a renewed level of pride in what I’m doing.”

But the real rewards come in the small moments that so many hearing people don’t even notice.

“I’m really shocked at what kind of freedom hearing people have in just simply holding a conversation,” Jason says.

At his wife’s class reunion last spring, Jason sat down with a drink and a cigar and had his first one-on-one conversation, without depending on Missy to translate. During his conversation, he turned around and saw something he had never seen before. “Missy was across the room, talking on her own, without having to worry about me,” says Jason. “That’s priceless."

Source - Gloria Zamora

See all of Kokonut Pundits blogs on UbiDuo and sComm, Inc

Is Dr. Jane Fernandes "D"eaf Enough?

Here's a real simple poll. Do you think Dr. Jane K. Fernandes is "D"eaf (big D) enough for her to be the 9th president of Gallaudet University?

Is Jane K. Fernandes "D"eaf Enough to be the 9th President of Gallaudet University? No!! She is not Deaf enough!! Yes. Very much so. Free polls from Pollhost.com

Slouching Towards "Not Deaf Enough"?

What I am seeing now is that the longer this protest goes on, the angrier the protesters are becoming and they are starting to show their true feelings contrary, or so it seems, to what they have said back in May that this protest isn't about the "not Deaf enough" issue. However, it may not be "the" issue but many do certainly see it as a *major* component of their daily diet of complaints hidden among their own words, actions and between the lines commentaries. Gallaudet University has always been about the "holy trinity" which is Deaf Family, Deaf School and Deaf ASL which JKF clearly lacks according to Deaf protesters. Not that there is anything exclusively wrong with the "holy trinity" idea. Just that a bit of honesty would suffice for a change.

In the New York Times shows the ludicrousness of what I'm seeing:

"One protester, Ronald Ferris, who is blind and deaf, said he believed that Dr. Fernandes did not connect with deaf people. In a measure of how personal the dispute has become, Mr. Ferris pointed to her choice of a husband as proof. “She doesn’t really feel us,” he signed through interpreters. “She’s very critical of deaf culture, because she married somebody who hears.”

Lamest thing I ever heard in my doggone life. She's critical of Deaf culture because she married a hearing person? Must be the "holy trinity" thing speaking in tongues.

I guess Dr. Jane K. Fernandes' action and her apparent lack of "Deaf culturism" while she was growing up ought to have been enough for her to be "excommunicated" by the "I-am-for-unity" and "I-respect-deaf/hh-people's-choices" crowd at Gallaudet church University believing that she's a practicing "Audist" because she's "not ASL-enough." A fate worse than adultery earning her the Scarlet Letter "A" stamped across on her forehead. And this was all about her lack of "leadership qualities"?

Go figure.


Check out all my blogs on the Gallaudet protest.

Kokonut Pundits - A 2nd Year Anniversary

Today is the 2nd anniversary of my blog, Kokonut Pundits. After 955 posts later this blog has continued its course to inform readers of the facts, opinions and my percetion of what is going on in this world today. According to Technorati I have 1,027 links from 264 blogs. An increase from one year ago today. Although I am nearing my 1000th blog posting and my 140,000th unique visitor hit (scroll to the very bottom to see the latest update), it is still an improvement from one year ago today. Many thanks to well known political bloggers who linked to my blogs increasing my hits tremendously. Many more plans are in the works ahead of me. Just be patience.

People have applauded over my postings and kudos to me. People have threatened me over it. People have laughed. People have cursed over it. People have found it to be an enjoyable read. People were intimidated by it. And some went so far as to recommend that this blog be banned and censored outright. I guess those people really believe in the American dream on freedom of speech and expression when it comes to blogging? Not. However, over 60% of the Kokonut Pundits readers give my blogsite a thumbs up. Of course, I cannot please everybody. That is an impossible job so, please, do not ask me to appease you just because you don't like what I write. What I aim for is the more quality type blogging rather than succumbing to gossipings, rumour mongerings, half-truths, backstabbing, crab-theory, character assassination, and the likes. I refuse to be a part of that crowd. This isn't the "National Enquirer" or "The Globe" trash blogsite that specializes on sensationalism. There are other blogs you can visit that does that sort of thing. Rather I prefer to focus more on the more positive things when it comes to successful deaf, Deaf, and hard of hearing people as much as I can. Because frankly we need to do that more often these days. At least I lean much more in that direction rather focus on utter negativity all the time. Still, I am human and I have feelings, too.

What will the future hold for Kokonut Pundits blogsite? One can never tell at this point but certainly I'll keep on blogging and voice my side of the story to the world. I welcome all views and commentaries in my blog so long as commenters do not use personal attacks against other commenters or the author of Kokonut Pundits. We can learn much from each other using this method of dialogue.

A big thanks to all those who continue to stop by and read my Kokonut Pundits blogs!

Protesters Against Section 504?

There is a growing acknowledgement that this protest is seemingly if not exclusively all about the preservation of ASL or American Sign Language, which is fine, however. In the beginning of the protest in May protesters claimed that they weren't protesting because Dr. Jane K. Fernandes wasn't "Deaf" (ie culturally deaf) enough but about her ability to be a leader. Five months later we're seeing more and more on the issue that Dr. Fernandes, who was choosen a mostly deaf Board of Trustees to become the 9th president at Gallaudet University, is not "ASL-enough". In short, complaining that she isn't fluent enough in ASL has been one of the few main complaints about her in this protest. They took their protest to the Capitol steps yesterday.

Let's look at what people are saying about Fernandes and ASL despite the fact that there are other modes of communication that are being used by deaf and hard of hearing people all across the United States. These include SEE, Cued Speech (see video here with Closed Captioning and sign language interpreter), CART, lip-reading, and even auditory-oral (listening and speaking).

1. A Guest Blogger on DeafRead breakdown on Dr. Jane K. Fernandes as being not "ASL-enough".

2. Reflexivity has a good break down about that "grey area":

"I suggest that the real challenge from the Deaf community to Dr. Fernandes is whether she will use her position to promote a clear separation between the languages and establish communication policies that don't unfairly privilege either group (the sight-dependent or the sight/sound co-dependent).

3. DeafDC has a new discussion on "The Deaf Standpoint: Does JKF Understand?" It covers both ends (hearing and Deaf) as well as those in the middle "grey area" which many people are purposely trying to marginalize when it comes to communication preferences and needs.

My question is this.

Are some of the people at Gallauadet University deliberately trying to, somehow, circumvent this very Federal law called "Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act" by making ASL as the only mode of communication on the campus of Gallaudet University? Are some of the faculty members trying to somehow to limit severely the alternative forms of communication needs for deaf and hard of hearing students who may have alternative preferred choices or needs? Are protesters encouraging Gallaudet University to ignore and marginalize the Section 504 requirements for people with disabilities, including those with hearing loss, by allowing them equal participation in an educational process other than ASL?

What about Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Ill., and Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif., all voting members of Gallaudet's Board of Trustees? What messages are they getting about the protest? Ignore Section 504, which is a FEDERAL LAW, that directly applies to Gallaudet University?

Now, what is this "Section 504"? Well, Section 504, which by the way the National Association of the Deaf agrees with this Federal statute, explains that:

Access for people who are deaf or hard of hearing

Generally, people who are deaf or hard of hearing request assistive listening devices, *16
captioning, *17 CART *18 (Communication Access Realtime Translation--similar to captioning but confined to a laptop or projection screen), or sign language interpreters. *19

The Commission is equipped with fixed FM assistive listening systems in the Commission Meeting Room and in Conference Room 1 on the 8th floor. In addition, there are 2 portable FM systems that can be used throughout the building and at remote locations. The systems are outfitted with microphones, earphones, and neckloops. *20 Captioning, CART, and sign language interpreters are services that are frequently contracted from outside vendors. In the DC area, such services are widely used with demand often out-stripping supply. As much advance notice as possible is needed to assure that appropriate services can be acquired. The Commission also has several sign language interpreters on staff who assist in making Commission events accessible.

People who are deaf or hard of hearing may use other accommodations such as oral interpreters, *21 cued speech transliterators, *22 tactile interpreters, *23 and notetakers.."

Note, it says "sign language" which is a broad definition and not specifically "ASL." So, therein lies the problem...for the protesters.

Under the ADA and Section 504, interpreters are considered an "auxiliary aid or service." Post-secondary educational institutions must "furnish appropriate auxiliary aids and services where necessary to ensure effective communication with individuals with disabilities" - 28 C.F.R. § 35.160. And this "service" can include anywhere from ASL, SEE, CART, oral/voice interpreter to Cued Speech. There is no avoiding this law requirement, especially for Gallaudet University since any colleges or universities that receive federal monies are subject to the requirements under Section 504.

And now my last question. Why did protesters say in the beginning that this protest was not about JKF being "not Deaf enough" but now we're seeing talks from protesters on language and cultural identity against her? Is this a decline of revolution?


See more at "The Politics of Being Deaf ".

Reigning Anarchy? Fernandes threatened with a gun?

Anarchy. n : a state of lawlessness and disorder (usually resulting from a failure of government).

That pretty much sums up what has happened on the campus of Gallaudet University as of late. You have a few factions doing their own thing creating a bit of havoc here and there. Something like vandalism at College Hall, HMB and the SAC building. The taking over buildings. The taking over campus by forcing it to shut down and deny people entrance and prevent them from going to pre-school, elementary up to high school, and even the audiology clinic as well.

And then you have a battery incident against I. King Jordan when a juice/water bottle with the content or the bottle itself that was thrown or aimed at in the direction of the university president during a building dedication to his name. And then you have a recent assault against Dr. Jane K. Fernades where some idiot threatened her with a gun. She explained to reporters when they asked her whether she has been threatened with assault. She said, "Yes, I was threatened to get shot at." Check out NBC4 video during her press conference when she said that at 23 seconds left into the video.

The incoming president said that in the midst of the the conflict she has recieved death threats and other personal attacks.

If it's the loss of control, it's the protesters themselves who are losing it. Whoever threatened Dr. Fernandes with a gun or any kind of threat is a complete mindless moron.

UPDATE: A slight clarification here: "Threatened with a gun" has been changed to "threatened to get shot at" which is what Fernandes was saying. In my haste I was thinking gun when she said "shot at."

Carry on.

Hat tip to Jean for my faux pas.

When a Nonviolent Protest isn't a Nonviolent Protest

This is what I have, and many others, been saying about this protest. It has a tone of vindictiveness. A tone of intimidation. A tone of violent derisiveness. And all the incidentals that come along with it in order to justify their reasoning to personally attack, demean, scorn, and ballyhoo Dr. Jane K. Fernandes, I. King Jordan, the Administrators, the Board of Trustee members and anybody else who may disagree with the majority of protesters in whatever form or issue.

Judge, Jury, and Executioner

A Mob Censorship?

And many more that I've posted regarding this protest at Gallaudet University and their tactics involving personal attacks and such. Their methods do not jive with the concept of "nonviolent" protest.

Read Dr. Jane Hurst, Department of Philosophy and Religion, article titled, "On Nonviolence and Civil Disobedience."


I want to clarify the terms nonviolence and civil disobedience. These terms refer to a specific approach to challenging power. Nonviolence is the idea that each person has the power to change things not by inflicting suffering on others but by being willing to undergo suffering for a cause. Hence there are nonviolent hunger strikes and marches and protests in which the protesters show their inner dignity by standing for a cause. Nonviolence never attacks other people, but rather attacks issues and power structures. As Martin Luther King stated, "Nonviolent resistance does not seek to defeat or humiliate the opponent, but to win his friendship and understanding."

According to this definition the current protest at Gallaudet has not been nonviolent. The threats to students who are trying to get an education (email, photographs taken if they attend classes, personal coercion), the threats to various members of the campus community (faculty, staff, board of trustees), and the personal retaliatory attacks on I. King Jordan and Jane Fernandes are all indications of the violent nature of this protest, whether or not anyone has actually been physically assaulted or not. The mood of this protest is not the way a nonviolent protest feels. In a nonviolent protest, the spirits of the protesters are uplifted. Their anger is transformed to hope. The feeling tone of the current protest is angry and vindictive. Emotions are running high, and spiritual dignity is lacking. This is NOT nonviolence.

Civil disobedience is a technique of breaking the law and being arrested to achieve a goal. As Wikipedia says: "In seeking an active form of civil disobedience, one may choose to deliberately break certain laws, such as by forming a peaceful blockade or occupying a facility illegally. Protesters practice this nonviolent form of civil disorder with the expectation that they will be arrested, or even attacked or beaten by the authorities. Protesters often undergo training in advance on how to react to arrest or to attack, so that they will do so in a manner that quietly or limply resists without threatening the authorities." Gandhi, who essentially developed the idea of civil disobedience, taught that civil resisters should harbour no anger against the opponent, but rather seek to transform the opponent through the justice of the resister's cause. Again, personal attacks are not acceptable.

The current protesters, faculty and students, can't have it both ways. If this is true nonviolent civil disobedience, the anger and attacks and threats must stop. The complaints about being arrested are ridiculous, since being arrested is the point of civil disobedience. "How could King do this to us?" He did not do anything that was not requested by the protesters wilfully breaking the law. He was acting his part in the drama of civil disobedience. The protesters were acting theirs. These are the rules of this kind of protest.

The continued complaints, anger, threats, and retaliation (which is how I read the shameful vote of no confidence in President Jordan at the faculty meeting yesterday) show that this protest is NOT civil disobedience and it is NOT nonviolent. There is no hiding behind these labels while disrespectful, angry and threatening behaviour and words as well as wilful lawbreaking continue. This shows disrespect for the protesters' opponents, and worse, disrespect by the protesters for themselves and their ability to achieve their goals peacefully.

For reference, below are listed the principles of nonviolence from Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King.

I. Mahatma Gandhi's rules for civil disobedience (from Wikipedia)

1. A civil resister (or satyagrahi) will harbour no anger.

2. He will suffer the anger of the opponent.

3. In so doing he will put up with assaults from the opponent, never retaliate; but he will not submit, out of fear of punishment or the like, to any order given in anger.

4. When any person in authority seeks to arrest a civil resister, he will voluntarily submit to the arrest, and he will not resist the attachment or removal of his own property, if any, when it is sought to be confiscated by authorities.

5. If a civil resister has any property in his possession as a trustee, he will refuse to surrender it, even though in defending it he might lose his life. He will, however, never retaliate.

6. Retaliation includes swearing and cursing.

7. Therefore a civil resister will never insult his opponent, and therefore also not take part in many of the newly coined cries which are contrary to the spirit of ahimsa.

8. A civil resister will not salute the Union Jack, nor will he insult it or officials, English or Indian.

9. In the course of the struggle if anyone insults an official or commits an assault upon him, a civil resister will protect such official or officials from the insult or attack even at the risk of his life.


II. The Principles of Nonviolence as Outlined by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. From the King Center in Atlanta, Georgia

1. Nonviolent resistance is not a method for cowards. It does resist. The nonviolent resister is just as strongly opposed to the evil against which he protests, as is the person who uses violence. His method is passive or non-aggressive in the sense that he is not physically aggressive toward his opponent, but his mind and emotions are always active, constantly seeking to persuade the opponent that he is mistaken. This method is passive physically but strongly active spiritually; it is non-aggressive physically but dynamically aggressive spiritually.

2. Nonviolent resistance does not seek to defeat or humiliate the opponent, but to win his friendship and understanding. The nonviolent resister must often express his protest through non-cooperation or boycotts, but he realizes that non-cooperation and boycotts are not ends themselves; they are merely means to awaken a sense of moral shame in the opponent.

3. The attack is directed against forces of evil rather than against persons who are caught in those forces. It is a struggle between justice and injustice, between the forces of light and the forces of darkness.

4. Nonviolence holds that suffering can educate and transform.

5. Nonviolent resistance avoids not only external physical violence, but also internal violence of spirit. At the center of nonviolence stands the principle of love.

6. Nonviolence is based on the conviction that the universe is on the side of justice. It is the deep faith in the future that allows a nonviolent resister to accept suffering without retaliation. The nonviolent resister knows that in his struggle for justice, he has a cosmic companionship.

The principles of nonviolence, based on a speech given at University of California, Berkeley, June 4, 1957, and an article published in Christian Century in early 1957.

Thank you, Dr. Jane Hurst.

Judge, Jury, and Executioner

It is a “mob mentality” when people demand that, for example, JKF steps down, or say that the BoT was neglectful, that there was a flaw in the search, yada, yada, yada….all after the fact, and not before, when the people didn’t get what they wanted in the first place. A Deaf president.

Why didn't the protesters demand an internal and independent review first if they think there might be something wrong with the search process? And if something credible does come out of the indepedent audit review, then, and only then, would protesters have the evidence at hand to finally demand that the search be re-opened. But, no, protesters demanded that Dr. Jane K. Fernandes who already selected by Gallaudet University Board of Trustess to step down first. Nuh uh, that’s not how it works if protesters waited until after the fact when JKF was selected.

I am trying to make a salient point here. I’m saying that protesters should have instead demanded an internal and indepedent audit review of the search process first from the very beginning when things seemed to be a bit amiss during the search process. If the investigation turned out that it was a flawed search process then the protesters would have some real leverage and work with the Board of Trustees. If the investigation found nothing out of the ordinary to suggest otherwise, then perhaps allow Dr. Jane K. Fernandes do her job while under probationary status for one year.

And that “mob mentality”? It is when everybody is acting as judge, jury and executioner by saying JKF is guilty or that the BoT is guilty. Or even saying that IKJ is guilty.

UPDATE: Check out Washington Post interviews with protesters.

Cued English and ASL...Compatible?

Everything you wanted to know about Cued English (Cued Speech) but was afraid to ask. Check out the latest video clip from the NCSA (National Cued Speech Association). It includes ASL signers as well who are native Cuers. It is subtitled along with an ASL interpreter. Cued Speech or in this case Cued English is a visual communication tool for lip-readers as well, and not just about voice. Check it out.




Previous Kokonut Pundits blogs on Cued English/Speech.

A Rush Job? Covell said that?

Gerald "Jerry" Covell, one of the four leaders in the 1988 DPN, recently wrote a letter to the Board of Trustees offering his assistance to be the "negotiator" makes an admirable note,

I will not allow the Board, I. King Jordan, Jane Fernandes, faculty, staff, students, alumni or anyone to tarnish and degrade Gallaudet and consequently, the deaf community.

Good but a little late already in a lot of respect. However, that doesn't mean that this task is an impossible one.

There is always a solution to a problem. I would not even make this offer if I was not so confident that a resolution can be achieved. As in any negotiation, both sides will not walk away completely satisfiedbut everyone involved will be able to “save face” and end the crisis .

But that's not what I'm blogging about. It is Jerry Covell's claim that the search process was a "rush job" with list #1 saying that the usual time it takes to do a presidential search is 12 to 18 months. I don't know where he got that information from but that is untrue. I covered this same "rush job" claim in my May 2, 2006 in my Kokonut Pundits blog.

In most presidential selection process it takes an average of about 6 months before finally selecting a president.

Dr. Bowen reported that Mr. Bill Bowen (from the search firm) spoke about the time line for the search. He has conducted about 200 university president searches. It will probably take about a month to get the job description together, two months for outreach, a couple of months for screening and selection, and a month to come to closure. That adds up to six months which is the average time required to find a university President.

Considering the fact that the Board of Trustess started the presidential search on October 11, 2005. They arrived with their selection on May 1, 2006, almost 7 months later. This falls squarely with the average search process described by Dr. Bowen who had personally conducted over 200 presidential searches. Never mind the fact that when Jerry C. Lee, who was the sixth president, left the university at the end of 1987 and Gallaudet University ended up with a new president, I. King Jordan, about 3 months later, much to every students, faculty, alumni and staff's delight. No one complained about *that* rush job.

A negotiator shouldn't have any vested interest acting as a "mediator" between two parties or else risk certain bias and favoritism that may creep in. Covell clearly has a vested interest since he was one of the 4 DPN leaders and graduated from Gallaudet University. According to the United States Arbitration and Mediation Rules and Procedures regarding bias and interest:

No person shall serve as a mediator in any dispute in which that person has any financial or personal interest in the result of the mediation. Prior to accepting an appointment, the prospective mediator shall disclose any circumstances likely to create a presumption of bias or interest in the outcome of the proceedings or prevent a prompt meeting with the parties.

It is admirable and strong of Jerry Covell to try and step up to the plate after years of being quiet. He has a place in Gallaudet history but now it's not the time nor place for him to serve as a "mediator" or "negotiator" in this dispute. There's too many connection and bias at risk here.

And what would those bias might be you ask? If you look at the rest of the 9 points that Covell pointed out, many of them are the same talking points being heard throughout deaf/hh blogosphere from mainly the anti-JKF crowd. The list seems to exhibit certain presumption of "guilt" or conspiratorial nature on the Board of Trustees part. Even before any independent and separate internal review of the whole process could be done and come up with a conclusion in their investigation.

What we need here is a negotiator or mediator who is neutral and has no interest in Gallaudet University whatsoever except have a goal on seeing a positive result transpire between the two or even three parties involved.

A Mob Censorship?

I knew it would be a matter of time til something like this would come along.

The New York Daily News was nice enough to publish my brief piece on the Columbia Minuteman Mob. The essential thrust of the op-ed is simple: We’re seeing a bit of a resurgence in the kind of mob censorship that dominated much of the Sixties. From crowds blocking access to military recruiters, to the occasional assault on conservative speakers, to threats against students who fight for free speech on campus, we’re seeing hints of the bad old days of campus takeovers and student violence. Gallaudet, in fact, is this week living through its own private version of 1968.

Peace, man. There's more. Read on in the link above. Make love not war!

And then we have this question on "Thought colonialization." Sounds very Orwellian.

A Gallaudet Doctoral Student's Response to the Protest

The minority group of people at Gallaudet University is becoming more and more vocal about the disastorous protest. Many are voicing concerns that they are the ones being severely marginalized and pushed out of the picture simply because they objected that their education was getting interrupted by the protest during the middle of mid-term examination week, no less. Or that they never supported the protesters' tactics or their reasons. Many do support the Board of Trusteees' decision. Many on the other hand simply support Dr. Jane K. Fernandes. Many simply wanted to continue with their education uninterrupted and don't really care who becomes president of Gallaudet University. Whatever the reason, these are the minority number of them, which isn't exactly so small, that are now beginning to step forward and take the bull by the horns and do something for a change.

One letter written by a teacher at Gallaudet that I posted earlier explains that feeling and now we have another "letter" written by a PhD psychology student at Gallaudet with her own in-depth review of the whole protest deal including the ASL and SimCom discussion that might prove surprising.
And then we have an up and coming one-week old coalition of concerned students banding together to form a group called, what else, "Concerned Students for Gallaudet".

Yesterday marked exactly one week that Concerned Students for Gallaudet has been up and running and we have over 75 members. While that is not a huge number compared to the 1,800 students on campus it’s a remarkable start for a group that is only one week old.

We have received over 200 signed petitions by students, staff and faculty members in support of our cause and the numbers are growing daily. The last time I posted here I talked about how I was moved to act because I could no longer stand idly aside while Gallaudet University struggled.

I'm sure a website or blogsite about this new organization will pop up soon enough. If you want to join or be on their email contact list, contact gallystudents@yahoo.com.

Hat tip: C.S.

Should Arrested Protesters Be Expelled?

Here's a very simple poll. Should Gallaudet University protesters who get arrested be expelled from school?

A Poll: Should Arrested Protesters Be Expelled From Gallaudet? Yes! No! Free polls from Pollhost.com

How to Take Over Gallaudet University - the right way

I wrote this to a question by somebody in DeafDC wanting to know how many people would it take to take over (ie "buy") Gallaudet University and make it into a private Deaf university. Here is my assessment.

The cost seen in the FY07 annual budget is $155,000,000 to run and operate the university.

There are over 14,000 Gallaudet alumni.

So, you will need from each alumna over $11,000 each, every year. for as long as the person is breathing. Or at least have a fund raising event to raise $155,000,000 EVERY YEAR to ensure that Gallaudet continues to run and function as it were. Not even considering that this price will continue to go up every year.

But it’s not just the alumni but families who are DoD or whatever. In my own 13 page research paper I’ve estimated that there are some 900,000 Deaf people in the United States. About 1/3 of them are adults, meaning they’re wage earners who can contribute to the cause. So that leaves anywhere from 200,000 to 300,000 Deaf adults who are wage earners.

Assuming that all 200,000 to 300,000 of them *WILL* contribute to the newly established all-ASL, Deaf-only private University for deaf and hard of hearing, the annual funding requirement from each Deaf adult person would amount to anywhere from $500 to $775 dollars a year from each Deaf adult wage earners at the most. Or to make it even more palatable to your senses, that would be anywhere from $42 to 65 dollars a month! Cheaper than your monthly Sidekick phone bill. Though not a guarantee that this could be the case but it’s an idea worth exploring considering what has happened lately.

In essence, it’d be the largest continual endowment fund for the express purpose to run the first ever largest and private Deaf University for deaf and hard of hearing students. In fact, if one cannot get a Deaf town up and running in South Dakota, this’ll be the next, best and easiest thing to have. Take complete control over the university by buying it from the Government with the intention showing the world that Deaf people can do anything.

Not only would you get Gallaudet University as your prize, the endowment of some $165,000,000 along with some $5,000,000 annual interest earned will be your booty to have in helping with the transition and the establishment of new Deaf programs or scholarships.

There are enough Deaf people out there right now along with Gallaudet University alumni to make this work. There are a growing number of highly successfull Deaf people (and here) out there who would gladly contribute more than $775 per year requirement. Plus there are numerous potentials of collaboration from companies run by Deaf or deaf people to have a stake in this as well. This, too, is growing on the number of Deaf-owned businesses from high tech businesses to an all-Deaf cruise vacation deals.

Although the sticky point here would be the politics of it in making such a move which could become contentitious, and, to say the least, quite interesting.

"Not Deaf Enough" - What the World Sees

From day one of the protest I believed it would probably end up going nowhere if protesters wanted the outside world's sympathy on their cause and belief of why protesters were protesting against the selection of Dr. Jane K. Fernandes to be the 9th president of Gallaudet University.

The cold hard reality is that people outside of Gallaudet are getting their news about the protest but will not understand why on earth deaf protesters are against the 1st deaf woman selected to become the 9th president of Gallaudet University by a mostly deaf Board of Trustees at an university for deaf and hard of hearing students. Any other messages will simply be muted against this core fact. This is what the outside world will always see as compared to Deaf President Now of 1988 when it was a hearing person that was selected by a mostly hearing Board of Trustees to become president of Gallaudet University. That, in of itself, never sounded right and the world understood that right away. It was a conceptual understanding by everybody. But this time, it's different. The facts are this:

* A university for deaf and hard of hearing students.

* A deaf woman for president was selected.

* A deaf majority on the Board of Trustee who selected Dr. Jane K. Fernandes.

A case in point.

Now that the protesters have gotten the media attention, nationally, their efforts to get their own message out is now compounded exponentionally, in the worst way, with the media reporting that the selected 9th president isn't "deaf enough" for the deaf protesters.
A double take for all those reading the news on the protest.

Look at what the news media are reporting right now.

On Foxnews they report in big bold letters "Is Gallaudet University's Dean 'Deaf Enough'?"

On ABC News in bold letters "Is Deaf University President Not 'Deaf Enough'?"

And what do you think the question will be on upcoming nightly national news?

Not deaf enough?

Gallaudet Post Arrest Update

The Washington Post has the story but a little behind since it reported only 80 arrests were made but in reality 135 arrests were made. The DPS (ie campus police) had to pick up and drag limp deaf protesters in a form of passive resistence into waiting vans. Deaf onlookers cheered every time a deaf protester was picked up and arrested. All were transported to the Institute of Police Science.

Dr. I. King Jordan, current president of Gallaudet University set to retire this December after 18 illustrious years, had his hands forced to order the arrests of deaf protesters who continue to block the streets and entrances to campus. The forced campus shutdown has affected both Kendall elementary school and MSSD ("high school") on the campus of Gallaudet University.

"For one week, deaf infants and children and youth up to grade 8 have not been able to go to school," she said, referring to the elementary and high schools for deaf students on the campus.

"For one week, our model high school has been closed. For one week, both undergraduate and graduate students have been denied their education. For one week, we have had no mail delivered. Deaf babies scheduled for hearing tests and audiology exams are not able to get on campus. Senior citizens who are hard of hearing and seek the services of our audiology clinic cannot get here.

Protesters demanded that Dr. Jane K. Fernandes resign from being the 1st deaf woman selected by a mostly deaf Board of Trustees to become Gallaudet University's 9th president citing numerous reasons. One being that she doesn't have "leadership qualities" to represent the Deaf communities of the world. Others are deeper underlying issues as not being "ASL enough" by many protesters who continued to make notes about her signing in SimCom (signing and speaking at the same time) just as Dr. I. King Jordan has done.

Numerous people (deaf and hearing) have shown their disappointment about protesters and/or seeing their unlawful acts on forcing the closure of Gallaudet University campus.

Happy to see them go

The Gallaudet University Protests

A Fictitious Protest for Fictitous Reasons by the famous and well known bloggers' site DeafDC Blog on the topic why protesters are ignoring racism on campus.


There are more people out there who do not support the protesters' tactics and/or do not support the protesters' demands or reasonings. But one thing I have noticed, even back when I was a student at Gallaudet University in 1988, was the absence of diversity. Namely the number of black or students from various ethnic backgrounds (ei African Americans, Asians, Africans, etc) were noticeably small on campus in a sea of white faces in the middle of Washington D.C. known for it's very large black population. My first report to I. King Jordan in 1989 as part of my Honors Program course was my dissemination on the diversity issue on campus. And with the protesters' rallying cry of "Unity for Gallaudet" today I have questioned their true intentions since May of this year by asking "Unity for whom?"


Check out all of the latest Kokonut Pundits blogs on the Gallaudet University protest.

Read up all latest blogs reportings by bloggers on the protest situation.