Interview with Dr. Roslyn Rosen - World Around You May-June 1998--

M A R C H / A P R I L - 1 9 9 8

photo of Dr. Rosen

Looking Back at DPN: "It was Like There Was a Child in a Burning House..."

A leader in education and women's rights, Dr. Roslyn Rosen is the highest woman administrator at Gallaudet University and the only Provost in the university's history to be deaf and female. A long time activist with the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), Rosen was the second woman to be NAD president. Last spring, while Gallaudet celebrated the Deaf President Now (DPN) movement that swept the campus and the country 10 years ago and resulted in Dr. I. King Jordan becoming the first deaf president in Gallaudet's history, Rosen answered questions in her office.

WAY: When did you begin to feel that Gallaudet should have a deaf president?
Rosen (smiling): Ten years ago—andway before that.

WAY: Where were you just before DPN-when the Board of Trustees announced its first selection of a hearing president?
Rosen: Here—at Gallaudet. We had gathered together for the announcement. Two of the three final candidates for the presidency were deaf. I was cautiously optimistic that the Board of Trustees would choose one of them.

WAY: What was your reaction when the Board picked a hearing president?
Rosen: First I was shocked...Then my shock—like everyone else's—turned to anger.

WAY:What did you do?
Rosen: We, all of us, went to see the Board of Trustees, meeting in a Washington hotel. At the same time, Gallaudet students barricaded the gates and closed the campus.

WAY: : You were a dean at that time?
Rosen: Yes, the dean of the College of Continuing Education.

WAY: Was that a conflict for you?
Rosen: Yes, but I didn't think about that. As an administrator for the college, I should support the decisions of its Board of Trustees, but as a deaf person, I could not. It was like there was a child in a burning house…Adults don't think about what might happen to them; they rush in and save the child. <

WAY: : You were working behind the scenes.
Rosen (smiling again): Yes. All day. All night.

WAY: Were you surprised at the support that DPN received?
Rosen: Yes, we received letters from around the world. Everybody came together...deaf people, hearing people, people in wheelchairs, parents, the media...

WAY: : How long did DPN continue?
Rosen: : From Sunday night when the students closed the campus through Thursday, when the hearing person resigned and paved the way for a new president, a "deaf president," to be selected, until Sunday when the Board of Trustees finally appointed I. King Jordan.

WAY: What was the effect of DPN?
Rosen: Besides Gallaudet's getting a deaf president and a new majority deaf Board of Trustees? DPN symbolized people's fight for human and civil rights. It had a ripple effect-providing a launching pad for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)...the TTY relays systems, TV captioning. It is a different world now.

WAY: It is hard to imagine the way it used to be...
Rosen: : Yes, I met a little deaf boy during the DPN anniversary celebration. He said 'You mean Gallaudet really once had a hearing president?...You're teasing!' He was incredulous. A hearing president at Gallaudet was unbelievable to him.

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