After becoming deaf, I realized that I'd better get an education

I. King Jordan, the first deaf president of Gallaudet University, once spoke with unshakable clarity: “After becoming deaf, I realized that I'd better get an education if I was ever to do anything with my life.” These words, born of hardship and revelation, carry the weight of transformation. They remind us that adversity can awaken the soul to purpose, that loss may become the spark of determination, and that education is the path by which one turns trial into triumph. His deafness, which others might have seen as a prison, became for him a call to rise higher, to build his future with the bricks of knowledge.

The origin of this truth lies in Jordan’s own story. He was not born deaf, but became so after a motorcycle accident in his twenties. In the sudden silence of his new reality, he faced a choice: to sink into despair or to pursue a path that would open new possibilities. He chose education. Through study and persistence, he gained not only knowledge but dignity, strength, and the ability to lead. His life testifies to an ancient truth: that when one door closes, another opens, if only the heart has courage to walk through.

This echoes the lives of others throughout history. Consider Helen Keller, who, though both blind and deaf, discovered through education a universe of thought and spirit. With the guidance of her teacher Anne Sullivan, she learned to read, to write, to speak, and to inspire millions. The world might have confined her, but through knowledge, she transcended her limitations. Like Jordan, she proved that physical silence does not silence the soul.

Jordan’s words also speak to a universal principle: that education is the great equalizer. Wealth may be denied, health may fail, status may crumble, but the mind, once strengthened by learning, cannot be taken away. For the deaf, the blind, the poor, the marginalized, education is not merely opportunity—it is survival, empowerment, liberation. It transforms weakness into strength, silence into voice, limitation into leadership.

But Jordan’s insight goes even deeper. It shows us that crisis can be the birthplace of resolve. He did not seek education until faced with the loss of hearing, but once struck by hardship, he discovered its necessity. So it is with many: trial strips away illusions, forcing us to see what truly matters. In his case, he saw that without knowledge, he would remain powerless; with it, he could shape his destiny. Thus, adversity became his teacher, and education his weapon.

The lesson for us is profound. Do not wait for hardship to awaken you. Do not waste your years in complacency, thinking that fortune will always provide. Whether or not life strikes you with sudden silence, prepare yourself with learning. Seek knowledge now, so that when storms come, you stand ready. And if storms have already come, let them not crush you, but drive you with new resolve into the pursuit of wisdom.

Practical steps shine clear: read daily, not only for information but for transformation. If formal schooling is open to you, embrace it with gratitude. If not, seek wisdom in books, in mentors, in experience. Do not despise small beginnings, for even the humblest lesson may guide you. And if you face adversity, remember Jordan’s path: let hardship become the fire that tempers you, let education become the tool that lifts you, and let perseverance carry you where ease could never have led.

So let I. King Jordan’s words echo across the generations: “After becoming deaf, I realized that I’d better get an education if I was ever to do anything with my life.” Take this truth into your heart. Whether you walk in silence or in sound, whether in trial or in ease, know that education is the great key. Hold it firmly, use it wisely, and you will not merely endure life—you will shape it with strength, courage, and meaning.