Deaf Dean Now Protest

A protest erupted in 2004 at Ohlone College in Fremont, California, when Deaf students there learned that a hearing person might assume the position of dean of the Deaf Studies Division. Ohlone College has what is considered to be the country’s largest enrollment of deaf students at the community college level. The Bay Area Deaf community takes pride in the fact that it played a major role in getting the program started in 1972 and has since nurtured it to become one of the finest postsecondary programs in the country for deaf students and for those who wish to study sign language. It is for this reason that the prospect of having a hearing dean was considered an affront to deaf students and alumni.

Ohlone students were inspired by the 1988 Deaf President Now protest at Gallaudet University, in which Deaf students, faculty, alumni, and community members protested the selection of yet another hearing person as the college president. Deaf students at Ohlone College, along with alumni and community leaders, formed the Deaf Dean Now committee. The purpose of the committee was to communicate forcefully to the college administration that the Deaf Studies division should continue to be led by a deaf person upon the planned retirement of Ron Burdett, the Deaf dean at that time.

The strong presence of the deaf population at Ohlone College began in 1972, when George Attletweed, on behalf of the Deaf community, approached the college about the possibility of starting American Sign Language (ASL) classes in anticipation of the planned relocation of the California School for the Deaf from Berkeley to Fremont. Eager to make Fremont a welcoming place for the Deaf community, the college administration agreed to offer ASL classes immediately. Since then, the board of trustees and the college administration have continued to be responsive to the needs of the growing deaf community of Fremont and its surrounding areas. The course offerings have expanded from a few introductory classes in ASL to a full range of classes leading to certificates in ASL, Deaf Studies, and interpreting. In addition, faculty members were hired to teach courses specifically designed for Deaf students who desire to pursue college degrees or career opportunities. As of 2014, the division houses several programs, including Deaf Studies, Interpreter Preparation, Deaf Preparatory, Deaf Paraprofessional, Work Readiness, and the Gallaudet University Regional Center, with eight full-time faculty members and numerous adjunct faculty members. What started as one person coordinating the few sign language classes has evolved into a full division with its own full-time dean.

When Dean Ron Burdett announced his planned retirement, an informal poll was taken among the deaf faculty members to determine if any of them were interested in becoming the next dean. When it became apparent that no one was prepared to assume the helm, a hearing counselor within the division expressed interest in serving the college and the Deaf community in this capacity. This revelation prompted a difficult period for Ohlone College and the Deaf community, as individuals, both Deaf and hearing, wrestled with sensitive issues such as empowerment of Deaf individuals, self-determination of the Deaf community, the role of hearing allies within the Deaf community, and more.

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