Maryland School for the Deaf Students Support Gallaudet Protest

From: WJLA, DC - May 10, 2006


FREDERICK, Md. (AP) - Some high-school students at the Maryland School for the Deaf in Frederick are joining the protest against Gallaudet University's choice of a new president.

Three student government leaders held a brief forum this afternoon on the Frederick campus to explain to about 75 fellow students what the college protest in Washington is all about.

They say they agree with their college-level counterparts that the selection process that chose Jane Fernandes as president was flawed, and that she should not lead the world-renowned school in Washington.

The high schoolers say the protest isn't about whether Fernandes is "deaf enough", as some reports have suggested, but rather about her leadership skills and the lack of racial and ethnic diversity among the three white finalists.

Fernandes, whose selection was announced May first, was born deaf but didn't learn American Sign Language until she was 23. She is married to a hearing man.

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press.
All rights reserved.