The Early Life Of Dr. Jordan

Irving King Jordan was born on June 16, 1943 in Glen Riddle, PA. Jordan was born hearing to parents who were also hearing and came from a family where there were no instances of deafness. 1 

Serving His Country

At a young age, Dr. Jordan decided to serve his country and enlist in the US Navy right after high school. 2 

Becoming Deaf

While in the Navy, Jordan purchased a motorcycle. He was in a bad wreck on his motorcycle and unfortunately was not wearing a helmet. His injuries were so bad that he was in the hospital for almost a year. One of the injuries he sustained from this wreck was losing his hearing. 3

Education After Hearing Loss

After becoming Deaf, Irving attended college at Gallaudet University. Being newly Deaf was hard for Irving to learn in this new environment, but he pushed through. While attending Gallaudet Irving noticed that most employees were hearing while the student population was Deaf. This did not sit well with him. 3

Education Continued...

After receiving his Ph.D. in psychology at the University of Tennessee, Irving came back to Gallaudet as an assistant professor and worked his way up to Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. 3

DEAF PRESIDENT NOW!

While he was Dean in the late 1980s, a movement formed on Gallaudet's campus called the Deaf President Now. At this point in the school's history, there has never been Deaf president, all were some form of hearing. Students and even staff protested. During the movement, another hearing president was appointed the university, despite student protests. 3

The Movement Continues

After yet another hearing president was appointed the students of Gallaudet University had enough. They protested even more and march down Pennsylvania Avenue towards the White House to make their voices even louder. The president that was just appointed eventually stepped down and made Dr. Irving King Jordan in charge. This made Jordan the first Deaf president the university had. 3

Dr. Jordan's Impact on the University

After becoming the first Deaf president, Jordan advocated for his fellow members of the Deaf community. One of his biggest concerns was employing more Deaf people at the university. Dr. Jordan was president up until 2006 when he retired. 3