Deaf President Now! and the greatest civil rights movement you’ve probably never heard of

It is 1988 and students at the world’s only deaf university have risen in fierce protest. They burn effigies, barricade the gates, occupy buildings and make their voices heard in the press. Their demand is simple: they want a deaf president. Now.

Gallaudet University, in Washington DC, had never had a deaf president in its 124-year history. So when the board of trustees elected another hearing person, Elizabeth Zisner, over two deaf candidates, outraged students rallied alongside staff in an historic eight-day protest which culminated with Zisner resigning in favour of a deaf president. 

The movement is said to have sparked change far beyond campus gates, with a wave of laws passed to protect disabled people’s rights in the US in the following months and years.

Billed as the “greatest civil rights movement you have probably never heard of”, the uprising at Gallaudet University is the subject of a riveting new Apple TV+ documentary film Deaf President Now!, co-directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth, He Named Me Malala) and filmmaker, actor and deaf activist Nyle Dimarco (Deaf U).

It brings together the four student leaders of the protest, almost 40 years on, to tell their story.

“Growing up in the deaf community, this story was really at the heart of culture and passed down generation to generation. It’s less of an oral history, but passed hand to hand. When I went to a mainstream school in fifth grade for a brief year, all of the hearing kids that were learning about civil rights and major political moments weren’t learning about this,” DiMarco says.

DiMarco is a Gallaudet graduate and the fourth generation in his family born deaf. He speaks in sign language with an interpreter.

“It had always been in the back of my mind that hearing people didn’t know about one of the most important civil rights movements of our time. It deserved to be not only documented, but taught on a wider scale. This protest gave rise to the passage of the ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act]. And I think that’s really the heart of the story.”

DiMarco and Guggenheim chat to the Big Issue over video call from Gallaudet University, in the old gym where the protesters often gathered for meetings and celebrations.

There is incredible footage of the protest used in Deaf President Now!, so why did it take so long for this documentary to be made? “Stupid hearing people,” Guggenheim says without hesitating, before apologising and turning to his co-director.

“Right,” DiMarco laughs. “It speaks to disability and stories that have been erased from history. It also speaks to marginalised communities and how we’re often left out. We’re just washed out of history.”

He explains there have in fact been “several attempts” to make this film but the Gallaudet four – Greg Hlibok, Jerry Covell, Bridgetta Bourne-Firl, Tim Rarus – were “resistant to working with a hearing production team”. With DiMarco co-directing alongside Guggenheim, with more than 40 deaf or hard-of-hearing crew members, “they were comfortable enough to share their stories”.

DiMarco believes this film is the first time “we’re taking such a deep dive into our culture and our community, both our triumphs and our struggles historically”. 

“A big part of that was because of the equal representation we had behind the camera. I think that really applies to the world of politics as well. If we want to see representation, it’s important that it’s not just performative in front of the camera, but instead that it’s on every level. That’s what we want to see in this world from our equitable society.”

Guggenheim adds that it is “remarkable” that hearing people have “forgotten” this story.

“This movie is an attempt to correct that. And it’s bigger and more relevant now, because it shows that when young people come together and find their voice, they get stuff done. When people watch the movie, they’re moved. It’s like: ‘Wow, during this tumultuous time in America, we can do things.’”

Whether intentional, the film’s title Deaf President Now! feels pointed so soon after the re-election of Donald Trump, who DiMarco vocally criticised following reports of ableist comments.

The president has waged war on diversity, ethnicity and inclusion (DEI) since moving back into the White House. He ordered the closure of DEI offices in government hours after becoming president, calling them “radical and wasteful” – and he’s continued his rampage since.

Trump now wants to dismantle DEI initiatives across industries and beyond US borders.

Would DiMarco like to see more deaf representation in the White House? Is it time for a deaf president now? DiMarco laughs. “Why not? We have so many incredible deaf leaders who I think would lead our country as best they could.”

Guggenheim looks over and says: “Are you running for president?”

“I don’t know. I’ve got a lot going on. If you’ll be my VP, I’m in,” DiMarco says, a fondness between the co-directors as Guggenheim says: “I mean, I was your VP on the movie, so there you go.”

Disabled people are facing prejudice and infringements of their rights across the world. In the UK, government plans for disability benefit cuts have sparked protests across the country. Amid this turbulence, there is hope to be found in Deaf President Now!, which shows the power of disabled people to achieve change.

“It’s beyond anyone’s singular protest. There’s so many happening around the world. If you look at our film, the four leaders were forced to come together and become leaders,” DiMarco says. “They didn’t come to the table ready to work together, and it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, but they had to come together for collective action. They had to put all their effort behind going after this larger, systemic issue. I think that’s a lesson that many protesters should take to heart.”

Guggenheim agrees. “For someone who cares deeply about the world right now, watching this movie is like a blueprint for how you make collective action work in these troubled times.”

In Deaf President Now!, the students speak about how safe they feel at Gallaudet, a space solely for the deaf community. They cannot let that be invaded by a hearing president who cannot speak sign language and does not understand their world.

DiMarco understands this deeply. “From my youngest memories, I remember my parents asking me which university I wanted to go to and I said Gallaudet. I had no interest in a safety school. This place is truly accessible. It’s the only place where you have an opportunity as a deaf person to be normal. People from all around the world come here for that sense of safety.”

It is DiMarco’s commitment to representing the truth of the deaf experience that made the film work, says Guggenheim. 

“I started this project with the best of intentions, but I started ignorant. If you’re ignorant, you can do a lot of damage. So the fact that we got to tell this story together, and Nyle was saying, ‘This is the story. This is the soul of our culture,’ that’s why the movie works so well. Having a hearing person do it would be a continuation of what so many people have done in the past.”

There are instances of silence within Deaf President Now!, when the audience is immersed in the deaf experience, including in the final scene of the film as Jerry signs: ‘We will be heard.’

“That moment at the end where we abruptly cut to silence, we say to the audience: ‘Don’t forget this other perspective.’ That’s the very unique part of this movie. We went through this great experience where we learned each other’s worlds and told a story that shifted between those perspectives. And hopefully the audience will feel that way too,” Guggenheim says.

“The more I’ve thrown myself into the deaf experience, the more I realise how ignorant I am. It’s still a world I’m learning about. When you start to penetrate another world, whether it’s a world of deafness or something else, that’s where true listening happens. That’s where true understanding happens.”

Deaf President Now! culminates with hope: the belief that “being deaf in a hearing world doesn’t stop you from doing anything”. In the old gym, students celebrate their success and the power of protest, which they do not yet realise will make a difference for generations of deaf people into the future. 

“The four student leaders endured so much, and we have them to thank for so many of the rights we have today. It is nice to acknowledge them and their legacy. But also, we had a big opportunity to show deaf kids they are now carrying the torch because the fight isn’t over,” DiMarco says.

“My entire life, people have made assumptions about what I am capable or incapable of doing. I think deaf people can literally do anything. And we know it.”

Deaf President Now! is on Apple TV+ now.

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