Minority-deaf students constitute 43.5% of the deaf school-age population,
yet only 11.7% of teachers and administrators in programs serving deaf stud
ents are persons of color. The ruling in Hopwood v. State of Texas (1996) b
anned the use of race as a major determinant in admissions to colleges and
universities in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. This ruling, along with
the current backlash against affirmative action policies, has hindered coll
ege administrators' efforts to recruit minorities In deaf education. We dis
cuss Hopwood, affirmative action policies, and how both affect deaf educati
on teacher training today. We also present an eight-step action plan for te
acher-training colleges and universities to meet the need to increase the n
umber of minority teachers and leaders and encourage state educational agen
cies and schools for the Deaf to do likewise.