Angel M. Ramos, Ph.D.
Born among the rats and roaches in the slums of New York City to Puerto Rican parents, Dr. Ramos overcame poverty, a single-parent family, and hearing loss to become the first person in his family to attend college. Upon graduation from college, the only job the hearing world would give him was that of a taxicab driver. With a strong belief that "everything happens for a reason" and "God never gives you anything you can't handle," Dr. Ramos went from being a New York City taxicab driver to become a superintendent of several Deaf schools, a Fulbright scholar, and international presenter.
Dr. Ramos brings decades of expertise in Deaf education as a school leader, global presenter, and author. He has served as the top administrator of the Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind, Sequoia Deaf School (formerly Sequoia School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing), the Marie H. Katzenbach School for the Deaf, and the Hawai'i School for the Deaf and the Blind. Throughout his career, Dr. Ramos has contributed to numerous influential boards and commissions, including the NTID National Advisory Group (NAG), the Arizona Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the Task Force on Minority Deaf, and the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities.
A highly regarded global speaker, Dr. Ramos has presented on the educational needs of Deaf and hard-of-hearing (D/HH) students worldwide, including in China, Taiwan, Colombia, and Saudi Arabia.
During the historic Deaf President Now (DPN) movement, Dr. Ramos served as Chairperson of the DPN Fund and as a member of the DPN Council. In his book, Triumph of the Spirit: The DPN Chronicle, Dr. Angel Ramos delivers a gripping, firsthand account of the 1988 Deaf President Now (DPN) movement, capturing the intense emotion, personal sacrifices, and triumph of a movement that reframed Deaf individuals from a disabled group to a linguistic minority defined by a vibrant language, ASL, and a distinct culture. The book details three key lessons that drove its success, lessons as valuable today as they were in 1988: Community 1st, Attitude, and Partners.
He has presented on the DPN movement at institutions and organizations nationwide, including the University of Arizona, Florida State University at Jacksonville, Purdue University, SUNY Suffolk, Bloomsburg University, Kapiʻolani Community College, PaHners, Antelope Valley College, California State University Northridge, California State University Fresno, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.
Dr. Ramos continues to spread the message of the DPN Spirit—Community 1st, Attitude, and Partners—nationwide. If you are interested in booking Dr. Ramos for a 1–2 hour presentation, book signing, or educational consultation, please use the form below to submit your request
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