Response to Slutzky’s Article in Rochester Newspaper

November 3, 2006

Democrat and Chronicle

55 Exchange Blvd.

Rochester, NY 14614

Dear Editor:

Jack Slutzky’s attempt to deny the existence of deaf culture (Speaking Out, Nov. 3) is one of the most mean-spirited and repugnant things I have ever read.

“Culture” has many meanings, and Slutzky conveniently overlooked this one: “The customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious or social group.”

The irony is that deaf people developed their own culture as a response to the sort of insensitivity and discrimination that pervades Slutzky’s essay.

It is incomprehensible that someone with such a profound disrespect for deaf people was allowed to be an educator of the deaf for 40 years.  If nothing else, this helps us to understand the sorry state of deaf education today.

I have been a deaf journalist for many years and I’ve followed the Gallaudet protest very closely.  I can assure you that the protest had nothing to do with Gallaudet’s former president-designate, Jane Fernandes, being “not deaf enough.”

This was a cynical ploy created by the Gallaudet administration and promoted by the public relations firms they hired, with no regard for the damage they were doing to deaf people everywhere.

For goodness sakes, retiring President I. King Jordan was late-deafened and, like Fernandes, didn’t learn sign language until he was an adult.  But no one cared, and he was embraced by the deaf community – until he tried to impose his will and hand-pick his successor.

The real reasons for the protest had to do with the underhanded way Fernandes got the job, her dismal track record over 11 years at Gallaudet and her utter lack of personal characteristics for the job.  She is a cold, aloof and vindictive advocate of management by intimidation.

Did you know she dismissed the school librarian just one week before the woman’s 30th employment anniversary, denying her an immediate pension?  Did you know she had campus police barge in on a counseling session after two campus murders, telling students to come to her office immediately, only to cancel the meeting when they arrived?

She even threatened the Gallaudet board of trustees in an email that was leaked to The Washington Post, warning them that Congress would investigate their failures if they were to dismiss her.  To their credit, they ignored her threats and sent her packing.

But Slutzky’s misunderstanding of the Gallaudet protest pales in comparison to the contempt in which he holds the deaf community.

Perhaps he can be excused because he is obviously a very ignorant person.  But what is the Democrat and Chronicle’s excuse for printing such an offensive, hate-filled piece?

Tom Willard

Rochester, NY

tomwillard99@aol.com

(Tom Willard is editor of Deafweekly and owner of Canal Street Press)

The link to the article: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006611030381

Gallaudet’s Emotional Ride Nears End

Craig Stouffer, The Examiner
November 4, 2006

WASHINGTON – Gallaudet linebackers and brothers Josh and Calvin Doudt
still aren’t in total agreement about their support of protests that
culminated in this week’s firing of school president Jane Fernandes.

“Half-and-half for me,” said Josh, a freshman.

“He’s stupid,” said his sophomore older brother Calvin, jokingly.

But both agree on their love of football, and through teammate J.J.
Damas as interpreter, used the same word to describe the end of the
Bison season: “Sad.”

On Sunday, Gallaudet (6-1) goes on the road to face the Bridgewater
junior varsity in its final game in 2006, a season that in many ways
was more exhausting off the field than on it.

“It’s not something I’ve ever been through or ever want to go
through again,” said Bison head coach Ed Hottle, who did as much as
he could to stay neutral politically while still coming to work every
day and helping his team to succeed in its second year as a club
program before it moves to Division III next fall.

“He just supported our decisions, our actions. He wanted us to do the
right thing,” said Calvin Doudt, a team captain and one of the
team’s biggest supporters of the student protests.

Josh Doudt said more than half the team participated in the protests at
some point. Some players helped to block the campus gates and shut down
the school on Oct. 11.

The weekend before the players did their best to push aside what was
happening back on campus, but lost their first game in two seasons,
18-15, on the road at Becker.

The following weekend, with the campus shut down, a home game against
Williamson Trade was postponed and eventually canceled, the only game
the Bison missed this season. The players feared the season might be
over, but Hottle said there was never a plan to cancel the season.

A few players were pulled out of school by their parents, but the team
missed only a couple days of practice and coaches helped Gallaudet move
its homecoming game to the Maryland School for the Deaf in Frederick.

“That showed that they really cared about us,” said Calvin Doudt,
who said he’d prefer all football and no school. “As soon as the
season is over, I’m just glad I don’t miss any more games.”

The Bison have won their last two games without giving up an offensive
touchdown.

“Regardless of their political opinions,” said Hottle during
practice this week, “they seemed to be able to put it away while they
were out here.”

http://www.examiner.com/a-378946~Gallaudet_s_emotional_ride_nears_end.html

Wash Post Editors Bias: Why?

The former owner of the Washington Post was Katherine Graham, now deceased. As an owner, she was a popular fixture of the Washington social scene and held in high regard by both the staff and editors of the Post. What many people don’t realize was that she served on the BoT for years.Even though Ms Graham has been gone for some time, she left a legacy with her editors who still share her views. Unfortunately the editors have permitted themselves to be influenced by their personal views and did their readers a grave injustice by not exploring the issues behind the protest first.