Inside A Deaf School’s Fight For Civil Rights | AJ+

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Transcript [Music] [Sirens] [Sound of crosswalk] I identify myself as a Black Deaf woman. Lower Third: Cahlah Chapman, Gallaudet University Senior Cahlah Chapman: I’m Cahlah Chapman. I’m from Washington, DC. I’m a 5th-year student at Gallaudet University. I'm majoring in government and considering two minors: public health sciences and criminal justice. Maybe I'll run for Congress one day. You never know. All Deaf individuals can do everything except hear. Title Card: Untold America Deaf in America Proud to Be Deaf On my first day, I was a little taken aback. I was taking it all in, you know, just introducing myself to people … Lower Third: Bridgetta Bourne-Firl, Gallaudet University, Class of ’89 Bridgetta Bourne-Firl: Gallaudet is unique because it's the only one of its kind in the world. I mean, the only one. It's the only university for Deaf people that provides education designed specifically for Deaf and hard-of-hearing students. [cheering] Cahlah Chapman: The first time sometimes people meet a Deaf person, they might feel overwhelmed, and then they'll just decide, you know what, I don't even want to engage with this Deaf person. But I am happy to pull out a pen and a piece of paper. I'm ready to communicate with anyone who wants to communicate with me. If there's even a guy who's hitting on me, we can write back and forth. That's fine. I can even navigate the dating scene, writing notes with someone who might be interested in me. So that doesn't bother me at all. Around seven months old, something happened where I had a hearing loss. We’re not sure if it was due to an illness, but after that I became Deaf, and so I began to learn ASL, got a cochlear implant, and that led me to who I am today. I remember when I finally came into the Deaf community, it was in high school and I felt like the Deaf community was something new to me, that there was this whole Deaf world where everyone was signing, you know, everyone was communicating openly and freely with one another. Bridgetta Bourne-Firl: American Sign Language was first began by Deaf people. American Sign Language is our language. Research has shown that many children would benefit from having access to a visual language, be they Deaf or hearing. And it adds a certain dimension to your brain in terms of the way your brain processes language. Gallaudet University was founded in 1864. Fast-forward to 1988. At that time, Gallaudet was 124 years old, and in that 124 years, we had never had a Deaf president lead this institution. Archival footage: “We want a Deaf president now! We want a Deaf president now!” Bridgetta Bourne-Firl: My role 30 years ago has been one that I’ve carried with me throughout that time. Part of Gallaudet’s history, something that we call “Deaf President Now” - DPN - which was a movement that happened here in DC but involved people throughout the country. TEXT: In 1988, Gallaudet University’s board chose a new president. Lower Third: Jane Bassett Spilman, Board of Trustees Archival footage, Jane Bassett Spilman: “We picked Dr. Elizabeth Ann Zinser as the 7th president of Gallaudet.” “Nooooo.” TEXT: Elisabeth Zinser wasn’t deaf and didn’t know American Sign Language. Bridgetta Bourne-Firl: Gallaudet University had to have a Deaf president because that was the whole purpose of the university's establishment in the first place, to advance educational opportunities, to advance the lives of people who were Deaf. Archival footage: “Deaf president now! Deaf president now!” “The world can’t stop us!” Bridgetta Bourne-Firl: We closed the gates of the campus. We get a lot of media attention. We had rallies every day, sometimes two or three times a day, in fact. Archival footage: [cheering] Bridgetta Bourne-Firl: “The effort grew, and it didn't just impact folks here in the United States. It went global, and all of that happened within one short week. We call that, “That’s the week the world heard Gallaudet.” TEXT: After days of protests and national media coverage, Elizabeth Zinser decided to resign. Archival footage, Elizabeth Zinser: “I tendered my resignation last night to pave the way for the Board of Trustees to consider the selection of a president who is hearing impaired.” Lower third: I. King Jordan, First Deaf President, Gallaudet University Archival footage, I. King Jordan: "I am thrilled to accept the invitation from the Board of Trustees to become the president of Gallaudet University." [Cheering] Archival footage: "Today, we can say, is the proudest day in the history of Deaf people." Bridgetta Bourne-Firl: We had won. We won. We had made it happen, you know, all that hard work can result in something that was successful. And we proved that to be the case, that we made this enormous impact. It was incredible. Archival footage, Bridgetta Bourne-Firl: "We made the first step. It's not over yet - this is just the beginning. And we'll keep on making steps until we run, and run ahead. Until we succeed!" Bridgetta Bourne-Firl: King had a famous quote: Archival footage, I. King Jordan: “Deaf people can do anything that hearing people can, except hear.” Bridgetta Bourne-Firl: And that quote was shared broadly. Cahlah Chapman: DPN has inspired me, actually. What I learned was that Deaf people really can do anything and everything, and that really inspired me to get involved in politics. Because we don't have any Deaf individual at this time serving in Congress, and I want to be the person that makes that happen. You know, maybe by the time I'm 25, who knows? I'm actually the only Deaf member of my family, so I come from a hearing family. I do remember my mom telling me that when she found out that I was Deaf and had a hearing loss, she was a little taken aback at first. You know, of course there's that grief that you experienced because, you know, she didn't know what to do with a Deaf child. Sometimes I felt lonely and isolated. You know, I was a Deaf student in a hearing classroom and in a hearing environment. I actually went to three different programs for Deaf students. The first that I attended was an oral program. That didn't work out. And then I stopped speech training when I was in middle school because, of course, I was a rebellious teenager at that point, right. Like I didn’t want to use my cochlear implant. I thought I was perfectly fine. I knew who I was, and I didn’t feel like I needed to hear. I didn't do that well in school. I was getting in trouble a lot, I wasn't able to participate and do well in class, finish my homework. But once I got to the school for the Deaf, it was like night and day. Bridgetta Bourne-Firl: Because of the Milan decision back in 1880 [that banned sign language in schools], from that point forward, Deaf education really did not focus at all on sign language. Children were supposed to only focus on spoken language. And so Deaf and hard-of-hearing children who were trying to sign to communicate with one another, using their hands in any way for communication, were punished. TEXT: The inventor of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell, was influential on deaf education and suppressed sign language. TEXT: He feared intermarriage in the Deaf community would lead to a “defective human race.” Bridgetta Bourne-Firl: We grew up hearing, seeing stories shared by our parents about them going to work and coming home having experienced discrimination in the workplace. We could see yet how strong our parents were, battling against oppression and making their way in the world, very strong willed and believing that Deaf people could do anything they set their mind to. TEXT: DPN played a critical role in passing the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. TEXT: The ADA requires accommodations like interpreters and wheelchair access. Bridgetta Bourne-Firl: The younger Deaf population, the younger children these days, they don’t know this story and they need to have this story shared with them. It’s true, I don’t hear certain things that those of you who can hear are able to hear. And yet why should that be the focus, on that deficit way of thinking, when instead we could focus on all the good that life brings to people who can’t hear, the amazing things that people who are Deaf have, as opposed to focusing on what it is they don’t have. AJ+ Producer: This video is part of a larger series on the Deaf community. Here are some of the incredible people featured in this series. Follow our Watch page to catch all of these stories on this season of Untold America. And let us know what community we should cover next. Credits: Senior Producer Maggie Beidelman Producers Emily Gibson Jun Stinson Camera / Video Editor Michael Nguyen Animator Marisa Cruz Archive Material Gallaudet University Cahlah Chapman Executive Producer Sarah Nasr Interpreters Kari Bahl Stephanie Baran Candas Barnes Folami Ford Jeffrey Hardison Carolyn Ressler Ariel Pearson Jen Olson Deaf Access Solutions Special Thanks Kati Mitchell Robert Weinstock Story Consultant Melissa Elmira Yi

[@mariateresarangel.ateresae5879]

[@alex6565]

This is great, also this video was amazing!

[@bryannasir243]

i dont mean to be off topic but does anybody know of a way to log back into an Instagram account? I was stupid forgot my login password. I would appreciate any tips you can give me!

[@kolemelvin862]

@Bryan Nasir instablaster =)

[@bryannasir243]

@Kole Melvin i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site thru google and im trying it out now. Seems to take a while so I will get back to you later with my results.

[@BuddyL]

Very enlightening. I'm not deaf, but having Closed Captioning on my 📺s made me better at language. Just the other day I was talking about how modern tech can often lag when addressing disabilities, as exemplified by HD📺s not being able to use CC because the CC signal can't transmit through HDMI cables. I remember when Facetime📱 was first introduced and everyone (myself included) called it useless. Not long after, I saw a young woman on a train using it to sign ASL into her phone. It was eye-opening for me.

[@chile8161]

Now after watching this video, I want to switch my language class from French to ASL.

[@punkgirlphoto]

Do it! It's a great language to learn. But just remember that this language has a different structure compared to English. Anyways. Do it if you can.

[@ashknoecklein]

The more languages you study, the easier it is to pick up more languages!

[@margies2880]

My first year in college, I switched a class to Sign Language. This made my college experience, and beyond, that much richer. Good luck in whatever you do.

[@singeinferno9305]

Dont, it isn't as useful as French

[@StarEmmie778]

Honestly. this is a year old, so probably doesn't matter anymore, but you totally should. You will make a deaf person's month if you sign with them.

[@yesid17]

thank you thank you thank you thank you so so much!!! i had the incredible privilege of taking an ASL class with a Deaf professor and it felt like my eyes were opened to a whole new world, an entire community and culture of people who live below the mainstream consciousness this video gave me so much hope for the future of the Deaf community-I want her to be the first Deaf Congressperson!!-and also for all the other minorities around the world, thanks again!

[@joyjoyoo]

Yesid Antonio I think I'll take that as an elective next semester!

[@AmiriAssasinn]

Very eye opening and wow it hurts to see how someone can infringe on the rights of a group of people that need to comunicate

[@b3h8t1n]

I have deaf cousins and they told me about the BS they went through dealing with those who hear. They went to a school that focused on speaking and reading lips and they hated it. I can read sign and can respond by fingerspelling quickly (I don't sign back well - I confuse some words with similar motions lol) . 😅 Signing was useful on field trips until the teachers put a stop to it thinking we were throwing gang signs 🙄

[@KLee27533]

I'm beyond proud to be a part of this community ❤️ I'm HoH, never went to Gallaudet, was raised oral, and didn't learn sign until ~14. DPN still inspired me; I remember learning about it in school in a video in a history class and I was brought to tears because up until then I thought I had to hide my deafness in order to be successful in life and at that point I understood that I was completely wrong. I'm so proud to consider myself Deaf 🤟🤟

[@MicahRion]

This is awesome I learned so much! Can't wait for the rest of the series!

[@anthonybaker7157]

Hello, How are you doing today ? Am single deaf guy seeking for love in all odd places ...write me back if you are interested in talking more. I will share more pictures of me with you.

[@donia20252]

Please acknowledge the language deprivation commonly found in 95% deaf community were born into Hearing family. Those families often failed to acknowledge the importance of Language access to Deaf babies. 0-7 years old deaf children are the most critical times of their language development. Unfortunately this has been neglected and ignored world wide. Those children without language access suffered deprivation and trauma. They often were raised in a frustration language barrier home. This leads to Mental health issues and trauma increased. Please recognise the rights of Deaf babies to access to sign language even if they have hearing aids or cochlear implants. Do not be fooled in wasting times of hoping they will learn to speak if they don’t sign. Every minute of their childhood counts and you are robbing their language because of your ignorance and pride or shame of your child being deaf.

[@charliecastillo2011]

Proud to be Deaf!

[@suckofmypeepee3334]

Yeah, I hear you on that! whoosh

[@joyjoyoo]

👍

[@anthonybaker7157]

Hello, How are you doing today ? Am single deaf guy seeking for love in all odd places ...write me back if you are interested in talking more. I will share more pictures of me with you.

[@ME-qo8dh]

Thank you so much for showing the signer while showing the other clips! Most videos just use an interpreter voiceover or captions and don' t let you see the person signing for much of the video.

[@fullyfranchesca]

👏🏾🙌🏾 Switched At Birth taught me a lot about the deaf community.

[@MsJeanneMarie]

I'd love to hear more about the origins and history of black ASL

[@KLee27533]

I know this is old but you should look into Deafinitely Dope on yt. He doesn't go into the history of Black Deafness but he and his team interpret rap and hip hop songs where you can pick up a lot of slang and terms in Black ASL. He has also done some really informational videos such as how Law Enforcement should handle situations with a Deaf person safely and things like that

[@reginapustelak5420]

Google it. There's great information out there

[@jonjongiang2101]

so stoked to finally take an asl class next semester

[@shersher2021]

I'VE LOST ALL AROUND ME OFF THE HRS DO 2 WERING MY HEARING AIDS N MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY KSS. MY MOM JUST PASSED away n it's the most LONEST place EVER

[@clairee4939]

Sher sher sorry to read your loss and isolation. Sending you love from the UK 🇬🇧 also deaf. Happy to chat. 🤟🏻 🤝

[@michaelhughes9553]

Two “five” hands waving above my head! Bravo.

[@cayliiiiii]

CAHLAH IS THE BEST!!! I love you girl. Proud to know you. You are meant for amazing things and I’m so inspired by you in class and in life. I

[@SponsoredByAnxiety]

I learned about DPN in school but actually seeing her grown up! How cool!

[@paulfitzgerald7047]

Why can't more colleges offer ASL courses!!! I want to learn sooo bad!!

[@juniperjabber]

i know this is old but you can learn for free with Bill Vicar's videos.

[@bluesky-tr8pi]

wish I could enter this college , I'm tired with normal college . it's good thing that I have a patience :)

[@Bootstataboots]

Thank you for always sharing so many stories which are rarely if not ever covered at all. I never knew about Gallaudet and am grateful to learn more about this community. Keep up the good work!

[@swualk]

I'm Italian hearing girl, I felt in love with LIS, I start to learn it, I belive that it should be teach everywhere.

[@tudormiller8898]

I'm a new subscriber watching from London UK. 🇬🇧

[@elizabethbrogan6582]

oh my GOD. I never knew that about Bell. That's horrible!

[@aminadaze]

My nieces are successful at home, work and continuing education because of our family support, Gallaudet and California School for the Deaf. Love getting a close up of what their experience(s) were at Gallaudet. Progressive, positive environment turns out progressive, positive graduates. #can'thear LOVE

[@DaneReidVoiceOver]

Now the president and all of Congress is deaf.

[@Seb4041]

Yesss Bridgetta!

[@andrewbortz8951]

Y'all got my love thanks keep it going

[@whatdoinamethischannel9749]

Alexander said what!?

[@AmiriAssasinn]

0:30 yeah there also the best at kareoke

[@jlhabitan50]

The home of Nyle DeMarco.

[@jzk2020]

Thanks for adding narrations/dubs, because I hate reading.

[@cosmedelustrac5842]

Sign language should be the same all over the world!

[@chanelleboudreau5286]

Wtf? Why? Why shouldn't there be as much diversity in sign language as there is in oral language?

[@bilalmehdaoui4213]

Every country had their own sign language, like the people in this video used American Sign Language, but there is also International Sign that is used in international conferences and all, especially those for hearing-impaired people. Hearing people use loads of different languages all around the world.

[@dontmindme.imjustafraidofe9327]

Next up: Deaf President...Of The United States!

[@andrewfimbres9342]

I hope they are smart, because the deaf dumb and stupid idiot president we have now sucks.

[@GenuinelyHorriblePerson]

Wtf, what reason could they have possibly had to ban asl in schools?!?

[@khalidanakhalid]

Nice

[@joyjoyoo]

Maybe I should do my masters here.lol

[@walterheisenberg9278]

She is cute.

[@sherryduva5263]

I’m not deaf or hard of hearing, but I agree there should be someone in Washington , DC , As a representative for the deaf. You can’t get a chance until someone shows. Americans deafness isn’t a handicap. Everyone does something’s differently. 🤟🏻🎉

[@elbowtiddies9832]

If you haven't already... Dominicans & Haitians

[@andrewc.usarmyretired8304]

I would like to date her

[@keirangreen7004]

I. Wannabangō I bet you would

[@Los47]

Hey she can get it

[@delneus]

What civil rights don't they have!? Why can't a hearing person be president!? Replace "hearing person" with "black" or "white" and it would be obvious how wrong this is. All that matters is that they were doing a good job.

[@madelineschilling167]

Hi there! Deaf people have actually been experiencing oppression for a long time in the same way many disabled communities have. Not being allowed access to language, education, etc. At a Deaf school, the President should be aware of the Deaf experience, and the best way to have a president knowledgeable about Deafness is to pick someone who is Deaf! I think your example is interesting. From my perspective, it would be “wrong” to have a white person as the president of a traditionally Black school the same way it’s wrong to have a hearing person in charge of a Deaf school! If you want to learn more, I really suggest you check out some online resources about DPN and other Deaf history, it’s very rich and fascinating.

[@williammoore2832]

ahh I see. I knew that they were doing a good job, ofc! But they did not socialized with deaf people that is hurt! they learned noting about sign language and deaf culture too. So, that is why we must social for important what we need and communication on our key. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, our first hearing president and we are very admire to him because he given us language and school in education as well. So, we never forget about him. he is very humanly and hero to us. because we looked up to him inspired to us and given us for our sign language. First teacher name is Louis Laurent Marie Clerc, he transfer from French sign language to American sign language. then, rest to our life to understand ASL during same time English. but not same it is different ASL is grammar and structure works.

[@donnarsprague5558]

cute chubby baby haha need to drink milk or what else?

[@joanrey6103]

She’s not black

[@CocoaBananas23]

I swear if it's not one thing its another...✋😩

[@IrresistibleWitch]

Is there a leaf handed school?

[@trulyinfamous]

I don't know. The Amazon rainforest might have a good number of them.

[@lunamooncat7926]

@@trulyinfamous that's a burn

[@fahyraarsheen8496]

They can speak... but i noticed mostly they are not speaking...

[@shad0wfrost]

Whaddya mean

[@OmarAli-fj1qp]

2nd

[@كنزالمعرفة-ل3غ]

3th

[@CocoaBananas23]

She don't look black to me.

[@courtneycoleman6849]

AmandaShuNN81 she's probably mixed black and white

[@CocoaBananas23]

@@courtneycoleman6849 yeah she is but she said she identify as a deaf black woman not deaf mixed woman.

[@courtneycoleman6849]

Society's more likely to treat/view her as a person of color than they are to view her as a white girl, so she probably identifies more with being black than being white

[@CocoaBananas23]

@Tournel Henry who said anything about skin color?? She is half white. Half black isn't black. Learn to comprehend.

[@thepurpinator]

I think you are missing the point of the video.

[@Mcheng-jw8qy]

Thé student at galladat were anoying and whiney a bout à non deaf président and thé school board backedown

[@KLee27533]

??? They weren't whiny. They were standing up for their rights and beliefs. And standing up and showing that they were proud of who they were and that there was nothing wrong with them. Calling them whiny is like if a bunch of middle aged white men were continuously the president's for historically black colleges...like why? It just doesn't make any sense, a black colleges needs a black president, a women's college needs a female president, and just the same, a Deaf college needs a Deaf president

[@Mcheng-jw8qy]

@@KLee27533 the thing is I agree to disagree because your saying that they had to have a deaf presdiebt even though they totally didn't

[@KLee27533]

@@Mcheng-jw8qy no they definitely needed a Deaf president. If you haven't experienced it, it's hard to understand. They needed to be able to communicate with their students. It's like getting a Spanish speaker to go be a president for a university in Korea when they don't speak Korean. It was a blatant disrespect to the students and Deaf people across the world when they continuously elected a hearing president for a Deaf student body

[@KLee27533]

@@Mcheng-jw8qy and they were fighting for a Deaf president not a deaf president...learn the difference

[@Mcheng-jw8qy]

@@KLee27533 that's like saying if your black and you have a white teacher your education will be affected because your teacher is not of your race

[@samsalin]

well seeing as deafness is somthing that is actually being cured this all seems kind of pointless, and for a visual language, it already exists in texting, every kid can text and many prefer it to actually talking, so stop crying oppression like every other sjw who needs to be outraged by every little thing but good job on getting some dude fired I guess?

[@rosered6542]

Being cured...? And it was a woman not a dude

[@samsalin]

@@rosered6542 yup being deaf is actually fixable with our tech today from being born deaf to the ears not even being there anymore, plus you need to have some shit implanted in your brain and sure its expensive as hell but so was lasor eye surgery 10 years ago and now you can get it done for 250 an eye, and yeah I noticed the miss type afterwards just didnt bother to edit it

[@rosered6542]

@@samsalin it's not the same. It's not even close to natural born hearing. PLUS, you need dangerous brain surgery to do it. Yes, its routine, but theres ALWAYS a risk. I thought you were talking about something new I didnt know about. No one thinks cochlear implants are a cure. Plus, they dont return 100% of hearing, require lifelong upgrades/upkeep, and are very visible. Many in the deaf community will turn them down (especially after a certain age) due to risks and the hassle of adjusting to a hearing world. At 39, can u imagine having to learn a spoken language you've never heard...? Or get used to loud noises? Learn everything a baby has to, but with an adults conginition? That's terrifying.

[@samsalin]

@@rosered6542 of course its still early tech, all tech is huge and bulky in the beginning, then its smaller, cheaper and stronger as time goes on, its great you knew its name cause i couldnt remember it, give it 30 years and it will be just like any other operation. hell brain sugery itself used to be a death sentence now its done at most hospitals, sounds and sight are just electrical currents hitting your brain, its just takes time to get it right and eventually all the deaf will hear and the blind will see and still have something to complain about.

[@rosered6542]

@@samsalin Considering all of this hasn't happened yet and is the future, then I dont think this video is pointless like you said. We're not there yet and there's something to be said for having a leader that personally understands the struggles these students go through. That's the whole point of this video.

[@hard_drive.system]

And this is the same channel that insulted a dead man as soon as he died, shame on you.

[@Jimmyageek]

They are Mute Not Deaf!

[@williammoore2832]

EXCUSE ME! They are deaf and not mute. you are wrong! that means you do not know about deaf culture at all.