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Fury over degrees of deafness

WASHINGTON: The president of Gallaudet University, the only liberal arts college for the deaf in the U.S., has got a no-confidence vote, 93-43, from faculty in a dispute she said comes down to whether she is "deaf enough" for the job. Jane K. Fernandes' fate now rests with the trustees.

Ms. Fernandes, who was selected last week and is to take office next January, was born deaf but grew up speaking and did not learn American Sign Language until she was 23. Sign language is the preferred way of communicating at the 1,900-student Gallaudet.

Ms. Fernandes was named to succeed I. King Jordan, who in 1988 became the first deaf president since the school was founded by Congress in 1864. He got the job after protesters marched to the Capitol demanding a `Deaf President Now' following the appointment of one who could hear. Education for the deaf has been roiled in recent years by the development of cochlear implants and other technology. Some say such developments threaten sign language and other aspects of "deaf culture." — AP

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