Psychologist I. King Jordan, who made history in 1988 when he became the first deaf president of Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., will speak from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, at UNC Asheville. His talk, "Diverse Identities Among Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing People, will be held in Karpen Hall, room 038. His talk, which will be translated by an American Sign Language interpreter, is free and open to the public.

Gallaudet is the world's only university with all programs and services designed specifically for students who are deaf and hard of hearing. Jordan served as president there until his retirement in 2006. He continues to work as an international spokesperson for deaf and hard-of-hearing people, as well as an advocate for all persons with disabilities.

He is a native of Glen Riddle, Pa., a small town near Philadelphia. After graduating from high school, he served for four years in the U.S. Navy. An automobile accident left him profoundly deaf at age 21. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree in psychology from Gallaudet in 1970, and a master's and doctoral degrees in psychology from the University of Tennessee.

Jordon is the recipient of numerous awards, including the U.S. Presidential Citizen's Medal, the Washingtonian of the Year Award, the James L. Fisher Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, the Larry Stewart Award from the American Psychological Association, and the Distinguished Leadership Award from the National Association for Community Leadership.

For more information, call UNC Asheville's Psychology Department at 828/251-6422 or e-mail sshandor@unca.edu.