Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Violent protest imagery and language in historical docu.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
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Where to Watch
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Deaf President Now!
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
DEAF PRESIDENT NOW! narrates events in 1988, when the board of trustees of Gallaudet University, a university for the deaf, selected a new president for the campus who was not hard of hearing, despite having two other candidates who were. Students were outraged and began protesting, demanding better representation. Their calls for the elected president to resign in favor of one of the deaf candidates evolved into multiple days of angry protests, which made the national news. Four of the leaders of that student protest (Jerry Covell, Greg Hlibok, Bridgette Bourne-Firl, and Tim Rarus) and the man eventually signed in as president, I. King Jordan, tell their versions of those events.
Is It Any Good?
Although the events depicted in this documentary have clear historical significance, the film feels almost too niche for broader audiences. A shorter version of Deaf President Now! might appeal more widely. Having said that, the directors have compiled a solid recounting of a pivotal historical event, allowing five key people from the 1988 protests to tell the story themselves. Most use sign language and are voiced over, and all of them are great storytellers. The film also makes thoughtful use of occasional silence.
The narrators still get emotional remembering the events and describing how attending a university for the deaf gave them a new sense of belonging. Their own backstories provide interesting insights into different experiences of deaf children in decades past—from being forced to "integrate" into a public school, to early speech therapy experiments, to a cheerleading stint based on the ability to feel rhythm. The film is a reminder—always relevant—that public protest and teamwork can bring about change, at both individual and societal levels.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the two sides of the disagreement at Gallaudet University in 1988, retold in Deaf President Now!. What were the main arguments of the board of trustees? And the students? Whose side did you empathize with more? How did the film foster that empathy?
How did the students demonstrate teamwork, despite disagreements? Do you think the outcome would have been different without that teamwork?
What did you think of the way the film removes sound repeatedly to give the sense of experiencing events as a deaf person? Was this effective? Can you think of other ways this could have been handled?
Interviewees tear up at the personal significance for them of entering a "Deaf world" as students at Gallaudet University. Why was this so important?
Can you draw any parallels between the protests in this film and the political situation or protests taking place today? Explain.
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : May 16, 2025
- Cast : Bridgette Bourne-Firl , Greg Hlibok , Jerry Covell
- Directors : Nyle DiMarco , Davis Guggenheim
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Apple TV / Apple Original Films
- Genre : Documentary
- Topics : Activism , Friendship
- Character Strengths : Teamwork
- Run time : 100 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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