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The ASL gloss dialogue is an occasional tap on the shoulder and whispered hint: remember, these very ordinary folks happen to be Deaf.
Black Deaf people, whose segregated schools in the South continued to use ASL, were instrumental in carrying our language through this dark age.
As the cliché goes, we all have an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other; I swear Nico has an angel on each shoulder.
She later learned that her Deaf great-uncle was a printer—a common occupation for Deaf people because they were impervious to the awfully loud racket that printing machines made. The printing trade was often taught at Deaf schools, and printing jobs provided many Deaf people with a comfortable income to support their families.
The protest lasted one week. It captured the nation’s attention and the support of many key allies, including the Reverend Jesse Jackson, who in an open letter addressed to Gallaudet students wrote: “The problem is not that the deaf do not hear. The problem is that the hearing world does not listen.”
“Our son has you and me. We will shower him with love. We’ll teach him ASL and English and read him books. With ASL, our son will be able to talk with us about anything, at any time. We will tease, fight, disagree, and say ‘I love you.’ He will grow up to be smart and independent and successful. It will be different from when you were growing up. I promise.”
By the time I figured all this out, the divorce was far behind us. I did see my dad once in a while; he even came to live in Maryland for a short time. But we didn’t reconnect in a meaningful way—we still haven’t, to this day. But I do forgive him, for everything. The storms weren’t all on him. If he’d had access to language and education while growing up, who knows? As a Deaf person, I don’t have time to be upset at my own people.
“You the one who sued the city?” the boss asked as Charles read his lips. Charles didn’t know what to say. He wondered if the boss thought he was an asshole. But he didn’t see any option other than to tell the truth. If he didn’t, the boss would find out eventually—he was the only Deaf person at the entire department, after all. Charles nodded. The boss squinted at him. Then he clapped him on the shoulder. “Good for you,” the boss said, smiling. “Welcome to the New York City Department of Sanitation.”
“YOUR FAMILY HAS FACED A long history of oppression and discrimination. You will, too,” Mom said after she finished telling me Grandpa and Uncle Charles’s stories. “Don’t let it stop you. Fight back. You have the law on your side. Chase your dreams down. Always remember, you are worthy.”
Argentina became the first country in South America to legalize same-sex marriage, the second in the Southern Hemisphere, and the tenth worldwide.
Anytime I saw an article or news clip about gay people, I’d ignore it. If I didn’t learn more about the LGBTQ community, I thought, I’d stay straight. If I opened my mind, I’d slide down a path of no return. So I fought to keep all LGBTQ-related thoughts safely hidden away behind this wall in my mind.
The Code of Justinian, a complete compilation of Roman laws written in the sixth century, denied Deaf people citizenship and important legal rights and privileges.
I STEPPED INTO THE ROOM, a small auditorium. In the front row, Tyra Banks and the CW executive were seated next to each other. To the right of the executive was my interpreter, Ramon. I walked over and turned to stand in front of them. I took a deep breath and began. “Hi. I’m Nyle DiMarco. I’m Deaf. My whole family—my mom, dad, and two brothers, including a twin—are Deaf. I’m the fifth generation in my family to be born Deaf. “American Sign Language is my first language. I love being Deaf. I’m proud of it. “There are ten million Deaf people in the United States; 360 million worldwide. Deaf
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It’s not the interpreter’s responsibility to guess the intent of the speaker and filter out what should be interpreted or not. If a skilled and professional interpreter hears something, they will make their best effort to relay it to the Deaf audience. I mean everything, including cuss words. The interpreter is not there as a censor or a moral purifier of language.
In the 1970s, a Deaf scholar named Dr. Tom Humphries invented a new word: “audism.” It meant “the notion that one is superior based on one’s ability to hear or behave in the manner of one who hears.” Audism isn’t just discrimination against those who are Deaf and hard of hearing. It’s a belief that pervades our systems and people. It’s the feeling, deep in the bones and seared into the consciousness of hearing people, that people who are Deaf are beneath those who can hear. That we’re not worthy of people’s time and attention. Of gaining access to language, education, information,
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In the board game Monopoly, there’s the get out of jail free card. In real life for Deaf people, we sometimes get the Deaf pity card.
Mentally, I was saying Fuck, this guy is an asshole. Normally I wouldn’t have even minded. I’m all for disabled people being whoever the heck they want to be, even an asshole. If that’s how they choose to be, more power to them. Screw society and the tiny boxes imposed on people with disabilities.
My being Deaf was never even close to being a problem, from his perspective. The opposite, actually: he thought that it made me a better model. I was Deaf, but ironically I listened better than many models. I was able to take the direction that Yu and other photographers tried to give me and use it to turn good photos into great shots.
Softly, my aunt and uncle encouraged me to keep going. The more I talked, the angrier I felt. The opportunity to come out when I was ready and felt fully empowered to do so had been stolen from me. My coming out, this conversation, everything I’d done that night, was forced on me. I still wasn’t sure of my sexual identity and hadn’t yet found the community of people who were like me, a community I felt I belonged to.
Suddenly, my aunt slapped my uncle on the shoulder. “I think I might be sexually fluid.” My uncle and I stared at her. “If not for you,” my aunt continued, pointing at my uncle, “I’d probably be with a woman!” My uncle frowned, then shrugged. I burst out laughing. All the anger, frustration, and other bad feelings came pouring out of me and were replaced with the love and compassion I felt from my aunt and uncle. My family, man. I don’t know where I’d be without ’em.
