Deaf President Now!

Deaf President Now! recounts the eight days of historic protests held at Gallaudet University in 1988 after the school’s board of trustees appointed a hearing president over several very qualified Deaf candidates. After a week of rallies, boycotts and protests, the students of Gallaudet University triumph as the hearing president resigns and beloved dean Dr. I. King Jordan becomes the university’s first Deaf president. The protests marked a pivotal moment in civil rights history, with an impact that extended well beyond the Gallaudet campus, and paved the way for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). 

Deaf President Now! features exclusive interviews with the five key figures of the movement, including the Gallaudet Four — Jerry Covell, Bridgetta Bourne-Firl, Tim Rarus and Greg Hlibok — alongside I. King Jordan, as well as archival and scripted elements. The film also incorporates an experimental narrative approach called Deaf Point of View, using impressionistic visual photography and intricate sound design to thrust the audience into the Deaf experience.

There will be a post-screening discussion with Brenda Schertz, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Linguistics.

Free admission! The screening is presented in collaboration with the ASL/Deaf Studies Program as part of "Stories about Deafness and disability", a three-part film series sponsored by Student Disability Services at Cornell.

This film will be shown with open captions and ASL/English Interpretation will be provided. Assistive listening headsets will also be made available upon request. More information about Cornell Cinema accessibility.

Deaf President Now! premieres on Apple TV+ May 16, 2025. 

Courtesy of Apple TV+. More about Deaf President Now.