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was the first school for the advanced education of the
Deaf and
Hard-of-hearing . It is still the world's only university in which all programs and services are specifically designed to accommodate deaf and hard of hearing students. The
University was named after
Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet , a notable figure in the advancement of deaf education.
It was established in
Washington, DC by philanthropist
Amos Kendall as the on
February 16 ,
1857 . An
Act Of Congress recognized the University in
1864 and its charter was then signed by President
Abraham Lincoln . Since then, the sitting President of the United States serves as the
Patron of the University. The campus was designed by noted landscape architect
Frederick Law Olmsted , who also designed
Central Park and the U.S. Capitol grounds.
Students at Gallaudet University are required to have abilities in both
American Sign Language and English.
Student strikes at Gallaudet University starting
March 6 ,
1988 revolutionized the perception and education of
Deaf Culture . Deaf students were outraged at the selection of another hearing president,
Elisabeth Zinser , after a long line of university presidents who were hearing. Calling it patronizing, marginalizing, and inappropriate for such an essential part of the Deaf community, they demanded a Deaf president for the university. After a week of activism the president-elect resigned and was replaced by a deaf president,
I. King Jordan . These strikes became known as a movement called ''
Deaf President Now '' (DPN).
Gallaudet University is currently the center of the movement against
Audism , the patronization or oppression of people based on their hearing ability.
Gallaudet athletes and teams compete in the
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and
Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) in the disciplines of baseball, basketball, cross country running, football, indoor track, outdoor track, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, volleyball, and wrestling.
The football huddle originated at Gallaudet when the team noticed that their opponents were trying to read their signs in order to guess their plays.
The Gallaudet Research Institute (GRI) conducts deafness-related research concerning the demographic and academic characteristics of deaf and hard of hearing populations, primarily to provide information needed by educators in the field.
