Editorial

EDITORIAL Deaf Leadership The highly successful, widely publicized Gallaudet University protest of last year was a milestone in what has been a steady, but slow rise of deaf people into leadership roles. Long overdue, this trend creates both an opportunity and a challenge for those who are deaf. For example, Dr. Robert Davila, deaf since age 8, now holds the most important position in special education in the United States, that of assistant secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. Dr. I. King Jordan, deaf president of Gallaudet University, is the top leader, deaf or hearing, internationally in terms of influence and stature within the field. In years past, position of this type were inevitably filled by hearing persons, and usually those who had no knowledge of deafness. Deaf people were not given even token consideration. If Drs. Jordan and Davila achieve what is hoped , their example will further open up leadership roles for deaf people. The challenge represented by these new opportunities is to produce the creative ideas and effective management necessary to advance deaf people in general, not just those who represent the "cream of the crop. " The fact thatboth Dr. Davila and Dr. Jordan are in key positions in education is a plus because if the overwhelming majority of deaf people are to improve their lot, major advances in education must come. In addition to looking at individual deaf leaders, the general public will be evaluating the performance of organizations, for example, the National Association of the Deaf, state associations , and the National Fraternal Society of the Deaf. Some of these organizations have shown themselves to be steady, fiscally solvent, effective organizations. Others have prospered under a dynamic leader, but more often functioned marginally, or in some cases, folded. Of course, this is true of organizations of hearing people but the point is that if the current opportunities for deaf leadership are to continue and expand, key deaf organizations and leaders must produce. Bilingualism There has been a recent push to start teaching young deaf children language and reading using a bilingual approach. This method would involve starting with American Sign Language (ASL), then switching to English. In discussions of this technique many analogies are made to the bilingual education of Mexican-American children. Theoretically, bilingualism has much to recommend it, but no formal research studies have yet provided solid information on which to base a decision. Certainly, deaf children of deaf parents, who grow up with ASL, are living examples of the potential of such an approach. They do not, however, represent classic experimental-type research. One of the issues regarding a bilingual method is exactly how would it be implemented. Ideally, all teachers would be fluent in both ASL and English. In addition to fluency, the teachers should have in-depth knowledge of the grammar of both languages. Such individuals are not just rare in classrooms , they are few and far between in colleges and universities where teachers are prepared. This lack of staff does not preclude the successful implementation of a bilingual approach with deaf children. It does necessitate extensive educational changes in the curriculum of prospective teachers . Retirement The retirement of Jess Smith as assistant superintendent of the Indiana School for the Deaf is a major loss to education. Mr. Smith has been a leader in the deaf community, former president of the National Association of the Deaf and long time editor of The Deaf American. His brilliance and vast experience have played major roles behind the scenes in the advances in education over the last two decades. Death Dr. William McClure died recently. He was for 22 years chairperson of the committee overseeing the American Annals of the Deaf. When the journal faced disaster, it was he who bailed it out and put it on a solid operating base. In addition, Dr. McClure had long been a leader in the education of the deaf while superintendent of residential schools in Tennessee , Indiana, Florida and the District (Kendall School). He was a giant in our field. McCoy Vernon, Ph.D. Editor AAD / October 1989 247 ...