Manuscripts

MSS 206
Goodstein, Harvey, 1944-
The Harvey Goodstein Collection, 1982-1998

Gallaudet University Archives

Descriptive Summary

Repository: Gallaudet University Archives
Call No.: MSS 206
Creator: Goodstein, Harvey, 1944-
Title: The Harvey Goodstein Collection, 1982-1998
Quantity: 7 boxes (3.5 linear feet)
Abstract: Collection of correspondence, reports, presentations, and fact sheets, primarily on the topics of deaf access to video and TV and telephone services and political advocacy for the deaf. Assembled by deaf educator and activist Dr. Harvey Goodstein.
Note: This document last updated July 2015.  
    
Administrative Information

Acquisition Information: Originally donated to Gallaudet by Dr. Goodstein in 2000.  
Processed By: Christopher Shea, July 2015. 
Processing Note: Some government and other publications on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) were removed from this collection and added to the main library deaf stacks.
Conditions on Use and Access:  This collection is open to the public with no restrictions. Photocopies may be made for scholarly research.

Related Material in the Archives:

Photographs

·    Goodstein, Harvey [photograph]. Gallaudet University Archives, Call Number: Portraits

·    Half figure pose of Harvey Goodstein [photograph]. Gallaudet University Archives, Call Number: Portraits

·    Head and shoulder pose of Harvey Goodstein [photograph]. Gallaudet University Archives, Call Number: Portraits

·    NFSD, Gallaudet Chapter, photographs [photo collection]. Gallaudet University Archives, Call Number: PH 0225

·    Tom Gradnauer, photographs [photo collection]. Gallaudet University Archives, Call Number: PH 044


Vertical Files

·    Goodstein, Harvey. Gallaudet University Archives, Call Number: Deaf Biographical


Biographical Sketch

Harvey Goodstein was born deaf to deaf parents in the Bronx in 1944. After attending a deaf program in New York's Public School 47 for a few years, he moved to Lexington School for the Deaf and then the New York School for the Deaf in White Plains. He studied mathematics at Gallaudet College, graduating in 1965. At Gallaudet, he was active on the soccer and basketball teams, and worked on the Tower Clock and Buff and Blue. He was also a member of the U. S. soccer team at the 10th International Games for the Deaf in 1965.

After graduating, Goodstein worked for the Public Housing Administration as a computer programmer on the utilization of housing projects for more than a year. He then went on to study toward his masters degree in mathematics at Catholic University on a part-time basis, while also working as a linotype operator at the Washington Post for three and a half years. He joined Gallaudet's faculty as an instructor in mathematics in 1970, and earned his MS degree in 1971. He remained a faculty member for over 30 years, and served as Gallaudet's varsity basketball coach for several years in the 1970s. 

Goodstein went on to earn a doctorate in mathematics education at American University. From 1986 to 1992, he directed the Gallaudet Summer Institute in Mathematics for Pre-College Teachers, a National Science Foundation-sponsored clinic for teachers of the deaf.

He was also responsible for organizing the Deaf Way II conference in 2002, and was named a Professor Emeritus at Gallaudet in 2004. As of this writing, he is a member of Gallaudet's Board of Trustees.

Besides his accomplishments at Gallaudet, Goodstein has been very active in local and national deaf organizations. He has been president of the Maryland Association of the Deaf (MDAD), vice-president of the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), and also chaired the NAD's Telecommunications Committee. He has also served on the Board of Trustees of the Maryland School for the Deaf.

Scope and Content

During the time period covered by this collection, Dr. Goodstein served as the chair of the NAD Telecommunications Committee, as well as being president of the MDAD. Most of the material in this collection is related to these two posts, particularly the former.

At the time, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) had just been passed in 1990, and the deaf community was using its provisions to expand access to previously closed-off sections of life. Simultaneously, the telecommunications field was undergoing rapid changes with the introduction of new technologies such as the World Wide Web, and new regulations, culminating in the Telecommunications Act of 1996. These changes offered new opportunities for the deaf community.

This collection helps to illustrate how, during these transformative years, groups such as the NAD, MDAD, and the National Center for Law and the Deaf (NCLD) pushed for greater freedom and access for the deaf. It covers deaf access to television and telephone service, home video, the Internet, and more.

Another part of this collection covers Dr. Goodstein's presentations to his fellow deaf on topics including empowerment, networking and organization, and political lobbying.  Related to this is some material on the NAD and MDAD's involvement in Maryland elections, particularly the 1994 Parris Glendening - Ellen Sauerbrey gubernatorial election.

Series Descriptions

Series 1. Correspondence and other materials on TV and video captioning, 1991-1998
Boxes 1-3
Most of this series consists of materials related to captioning of VHS videotapes, including attempts to persuade tape manufacturers and movie studios to increase the number of captioned tapes on the market. It includes correspondence about, and draft copies of, the Maryland Video Caption Access Bill, which would have required all videotapes sold in Maryland to be captioned. Under pressure from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), this bill was defeated in the Maryland legislature.
 Also included is some material related to television closed captioning technology, the 1995 attempt by the federal government to cut funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a report on the use of captions in NASA's IMAX theater, and a manual on best practices for caption creators.
See series 3 for more material related to captioning.
 
Series 2. Correspondence and other materials on telephone access, 1990-1995
Box 3
A small collection of material related to deaf access to various aspects of the telephone system, including relay service, 911 service, and the use of pay phones. For more material on telephone access, see series 3 and 7.
 
Series 3. Other telecommunications material, 1994-1998
Boxes 3-4
Most of this series consists of legal comments and position papers on telecommunications issues sent to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) by the NAD, NCLD, or Consumer Action Network (CAN).
 
Series 4. Correspondence and reports on air travel access, 1995-1997
Box 4
Material on ADA-related changes in regulations for airports and air travel, including handling of announcements and availability of TDDs.
 
Series 5. ADA booklets and fact sheets, 1991-1994
Boxes 4-5
A collection of publications, mostly from the federal government, covering various aspects of the implementation and enforcement of the ADA.
 
Series 6. NAD correspondence and publications, 1990-1995
Box 5
Consists mostly of NAD responses to various access issues and on cochlear implants, as well as some material from the Telecommunications Committee.
 
Series 7. MDAD convention materials and publications, 1987-1995
Boxes 5-6
Correspondence, program books, and fliers from MDAD annual conventions, as well as copies of the MDAD Voice newsletter. Also includes some fliers and other material from the 1991 Telephone for All rally at the Maryland State House to support relay service.
 
Series 8. Political action correspondence and research material, 1982-1995
Box 6
Material related to involvement in local politics, including a copy of the book Lobbying on a Shoestring and various articles on the political process. Also includes correspondence and campaign materials from Maryland politicians, including questionnaires for the 1995 Maryland Disabilities Forum, the first time Maryland gubernatorial candidates attended a forum on disability issues.
More information on politics and political action in general can be found in series 9.
 
Series 9. Presentations, 1988-1996
Box 7
Material, mostly overhead transparencies and lecture outlines, from presentations given by Dr. Goodstein. Topics covered include deaf empowerment and organization, networking, and involvement in the political process.

Series Description and Folder Lists