How Apple Studios' ‘Deaf President Now!’ revisited the well-known 1988 protest at Gallaudet University that still enrages millions

Gallaudet alumnus Nyle DiMarco dives deeper into the history of his university in Deaf President Now!. The film offers a rousing look into an uprising at the said establishment in Washington, DC.

DiMarco is a well-known deaf activist and model who takes charge of the narrative in this documentary, unlike what happened back in 1988.

Back in the 1980s, the university for deaf students appointed a hearing person as president instead of two deaf candidates running against them. It led to a backlash, which catapulted into a cultural reckoning. The person in charge of this situation didn't care for the students' rights, but suppressed their opinions in favor of staying in power.

Nyle DiMarco co-directed this riveting documentary alongside documentary filmmaker Davis Guggenheim, known for helming An Inconvenient Truth (2006) and Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie (2023), among other projects. The film premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival in January, ahead of its streaming debut on May 16 on Apple TV+.

The true story behind the documentary, Deaf President Now!

Before the Sundance premiere of Deaf President Now!, co-director Nyle DiMarco shared a few details about his captivating documentary and what compelled him to work on it. He said,

"Deaf President Now! is the greatest civil rights movement most people have never heard of. When I was seven years old, my Deaf mother sat me down and told me the story of DPN. She signed to me, 'Nyle, Gallaudet is the world's only Deaf university, and it has been around for over 124 years, and not once in all did they appoint a deaf president.'"

DiMarco's mother further said,

"In 1988, when they picked another hearing person over two qualified deaf candidates, the Deaf students decided, 'Enough!'"

DiMarco added,

"At that time, there was no disability law. Deaf people were second-class citizens. But the students were fed up. They were angry after centuries of oppression and discrimination. The story [of Deaf Presidents Now!] follows four deaf students as they find a way to lead an angry mob to change the course of history. — The students seized the campus, stood their ground, and for eight days, they signed with fire in their hands and determination in their hearts."

The co-director also points out how his mother said that it isn't "just a history lesson" but a "celebration of resilience, identity, and the power of community."

Four students he mentions during this interaction are: Bridgetta Bourne-Firl, Greg Hlibok, Tim Rarus, and Jerry Covell. Deaf President Now! shows them being interviewed throughout the film's runtime, which also includes archival footage that documents what actually went down on the campus.

Instead of only recounting those incidents, DiMarco and Davis Guggenheim let their personality shine through the footage. Yet, it doesn't deter them from speaking about the matter at the heart of their narrative. Deaf President Now! highlights the necessity of their essential human rights, punctuated by the aforementioned anti-audism revolt.

The directing duo also makes fine use of sound design to make the silences linger just as much as its core message. It also offers a look into the long-standing tradition of student protests for meaningful change.

Deaf President Now! is now streaming on Apple TV.

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