Last weekend, I got into a heated debate with this guy who I am sort of dating. We talked about the crisis at Gallaudet University. He goes, "Oh, my friend said that the protest is going on, and one of the reasons the students are upset is maybe because the new president is 'not Deaf enough'!" I asked who this friend of his, and he emphasized that it was this Deaf ASL teacher at Mesa Community College, who also personally knows Jane Fernandes! Ugh! I went off on him in a bitch-rant. I'm SO disgusted with ASL teachers who are ignorant or stay hidden in their little shells, never updating their own signing skills and professional knowledge of the current ASL/Deaf issues or trends.. I re-educated him about the real facts going on at Gallaudet.
Two nights ago, I got a hold of my sister in Utah. We were catching up with what's going on with her and what's going on with me. Then, somehow, the topic about Gallaudet came up. She said that she heard about the protest, and thought it was about Jane K. Fernandes being "not Deaf enough". Ugh! I explained to her what was going on and the real reasons for the protests. My sister didn't know those stories. So, now she knows the truth!
I just spoke with my best friend in Portland early this morning. He teased me lightly about Gallaudet. And I went off on a heated rant, then he said that a lot of hearing people still thinks it has to do with "not Deaf enough".. Now he knows the real story.
I'm shocked to see how much f**king damage I. King Jordan and Jane K. Fernandes has done to the Deaf community. Their lies has already impacted Oregon, Utah and Arizona! The crooked king and his fat dog set us back 50 years in my opinion!
Junk Face needs to be taken to the pound!
2 comments:
This is taken from an Associated Press story today [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061030/ap_on_re_us/gallaudet_president]:
"Fernandes, who has been deaf since birth, had refused to resign, saying it would hurt the university to allow protests to determine the school's leadership. She has said that some people do not consider her "deaf enough" to be president because she didn't learn to use American Sign Language until she was in her 20s and relied on lip-reading through much of her education."
I am afarid to us outsiders, many of us are still *not* clear abt the real reasons/frustrations behind the protest, and now - congrats! - the termination of Pernandes.
Perhaps you can blog abt the *real* story one day when the dust finally settles?
There are other sites that were listed on RidorLive.com with more information on this "real" story:
- FSSA
- GU FSSA Coalition
- BisonTV
- Unity For Deaf Kids
- Gallaudet Protests
- SignCasts
- Tent City
- Peggy's Blog
- SignUpComics
- Joey Baer's ASL
- EyethStudios
- Rob V On The Loose
- Teri Sentelle's ASL VLOG
- Deaf Bison Network
- Mishka Zena
- Save Gallaudet
I hope that answers your question about the "real" story. It was never about the Fernandes' deafness. It has to do with how she run the business/show. She did badly in the past, why would she do better this time around? Fernandes had many opportunities to prove the students and protestors wrong by meeting and carry a listening dialogue with them, and she never did. She consistently lied to the news and media about the safety of the students and her own efforts to end the protest. The links have more information for your educational purposes! ;)
Thank God she is not going to be the 9th President of Gallaudet! But it is not over yet for Gallaudet and its students.
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