Mike O'Donnell Interview 1 (Post DPN)
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Description
Mike O'Donnell discusses his role and experience in the Deaf President Now protests. As someone who works on Capitol Hill, he gives a bit of context to how things can and will be different in the future. He touches on civil rights and systems of power. Part 1.
Publication Date
1988
Keywords
Deaf President Now
Recommended Citation
Gallaudet University, "Mike O'Donnell Interview 1 (Post DPN)" (1988). Deaf President Now Protest. 79.
https://ida.gallaudet.edu/dpnvideos/79
Comments
O'Donnell discusses his DPN experience. He begins by thanking Deaf Mosaic for the opportunity to talk about his experience. The idea started off as a conversation among friends with what ifs and their wish for a deaf president. A few weeks later they met again and the discussion got more serious. They split responsibilities and got to work. O'Donnell said he still wasn't sure if it would be successful, but they started advertising for the first rally. He's proud of the intellectual and nonviolent movement that occurred as a result. He admires the student leaders at Gallaudet and the work they did. The movement was a break away from paternalism and a step forward in civil rights for the deaf and other disabled people, and O'Donnell is proud of that. He says deaf people are a minority within a minority primarily due to the language barrier between them and other disabled persons. He emphasizes the importance of working with congress people to make progress on different fronts. He recognizes this work will take time.