Robert Davila

Tomorrow I’m going to Puerto Vallarta. Am I ever looking forward to the sunshine! Seattle has been stormy this past week. We even had a smallish windstorm with power blinks last Thursday.

On Sundays, it has been my weekly tradition to feature a talented, notable, skilled famous deaf person. I thought perhaps a Mexican-American might be appropriate since I haven’t covered that ethnic group yet.

Who better than Dr. Robert Davila???? Probably most of you know his story, but for those who don’t I’ll give a brief synopsis of his life.

He was born July 19th, 1932 in San Diego, California to Mexican migrant workers. When he was six years old his father died from a heart-attack leaving his mother to raise him and his six siblings by herself. At age eight, he became sick with spinal meningitis which left him deaf. Unable to care for him, his mother sent him to the California School for the Deaf in Berkeley, California, five hundred miles away. He was sent there all alone. The only language he spoke when he arrived was Spanish, but he picked up English and ASL quickly. This is what he said about those years,

“I have never dwelt on these aspects of my early life as disadvantages. In fact, my humble beginnings were actually a motivating force that inspired me to succeed in whatever I attempted. . .Access to a quality education has made all the difference. I encountered teachers and staff who took a personal interest in me and assisted me in many ways. Without quality education I could never have achieved what I have.”

He graduated at age sixteen and entered Gallaudet to pursue a degree in Education. Though it was unusual for a deaf person to apply for graduate degrees at the time, he earned his masters in education, then spent several years teaching math, social studies and English at Fanwood. In 1972, he earned his PhD in Educational Technology from Syracuse University. Then, in 1974 he was promoted to director of Kendall Demonstration Elementary School. He was appointed as Vice-President of Gallaudet Pre-College Programs in 1978 where he oversaw both KDES and MDDS.

On July 21st, 1989 Dr. Davila was sworn in for the post of Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services- the highest ranking government job a deaf individual has ever held in the United States. His nomination for this post couldn’t have come at a more critical time, for he was able to influence and authorize crucial passages in the American Disabilities Act that would have a far-reaching affect on future deaf/Deaf education and all people with disabilities. He had huge responsibilities including the management of billions dollars, monitoring all state programs for compliance with federal guidelines and regulations, and the direct supervision over Gallaudet University and NTID.

Once again, he is back at Gallaudet, now as president. I have been reading blogs to see how the Gallautians feel about him--both current students and alums. I‘m certainly impressed with his qualifications myself and with his positive attitude toward inclusion. I love "Bob's Vlogs," that are captioned so I can understand, and that he interviewed two students with Cochlear Implants last month. I noted in that Vlog he said 200 Gallaudet Freshmen wore CI’s this year. I thought that was interesting.

I will end this blog with one final quote, an introduction of Dr. Davila by Dr. Rex Cottle when Davila spoke at Lamar University. “From migrant worker to presidential appointee, Robert Davila epitomizes courage and academic excellence.”

I agree.