What Made the Protest So Successful?

However, here are some of the factors that may have contributed to the success of the protest:

• There was overwhelming community involvement that included deaf and hearing students, faculty, staff, and alumni.
• The protesters used the same methods —boycotting of classes, marches, and letter writing campaigns that had historically been successful strategies of protests in the past.
• The DPN protesters had clearly defined goals and they were actually protesting against the group —the Board of Trustees— that could actually do what they wanted them to do.
• The protest leaders were incredibly organized. They began the groundwork for their movement months before the actual protest, got the media interested early, and once the protest started, formed an organizing committee and control center.
• The protesters wisely drew parallels between their struggle and dream for a deaf president with that of the civil rights movement. Many in the public may not have been able to relate if it had been termed only a "disability movement," but because it was seen as a "civil rights movement" more people could identify and support the protesters.
• The protest was non-violent and —except for not obtaining march permits for all of their marches— the protesters respected the law.
• It was labeled a "student" protest, even though many of the organizers and supporters were alumni, faculty, and staff. Additionally, the four students who emerged as the leaders were all articulate and intelligent.
• There was phenomenal media attention and coverage during the entire week. It was front page news in The Washington Post and in newspapers across the country and the world and it was regularly featured on television and radio news. It was one of the first times for the reporters and the viewers alike to see for themselves that deaf students and deaf people really could do anything, except hear.

home	profiles	issues	impact	views	activities