When Silence Isn't Golden

(2 of 2)

That's overstating the case, but Kierkegaard's description of the "dizziness of freedom"--and the agony of choice--does seem relevant. "It's the temptation of assimilation," says a Gallaudet trustee. "There's a lure, you know: Don't be deaf. Get an implant. Don't learn sign language. Lip-read. Become one of us."

If Fernandes, who is open to alternate ways of interacting with the hearing world, is forced out--and even she sounds uncertain sometimes whether she will prevail--she will be a victim of her culture's collective fears. But whether Fernandes leads it or not, Gallaudet will have to change with the times, become less a refuge from the outside world and more a competitor within it. "That's very tough for a place that has welcomed so many students of varying abilities over the years," says the trustee, who notes that historically black colleges had to endure a similar reconceptualization in the 1970s, after the Ivy League began poaching their most talented black students. Sooner or later, Gallaudet too will have to be just a college, not a cocoon.

Quotes of the Day »

Get & Share
CELSO AMORIM, Brazil's foreign minister, commenting on the proposed agreement for Iran to export most of its enriched uranium for processing into nuclear fuel
For use in rail of Articles page or Section Fronts pages. Duplicate and change name as necesssary to distinguish.

Time.com on Digg

POWERED BY digg

Quotes of the Day »

Get & Share
CELSO AMORIM, Brazil's foreign minister, commenting on the proposed agreement for Iran to export most of its enriched uranium for processing into nuclear fuel

Stay Connected with TIME.com