Netflix recently released a new series called Deaf U, which provides an inside look into college life at Gallaudet University, the only university in the world (!!) in which all courses, programs, and services are designed specifically for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students who use ASL. This short, yet informative and insightful series is more than just an interesting binge watch for when you need a break from schoolwork (although that’s how I watched it); Deaf U shows important aspects of Deaf culture that the show aims to make basic life knowledge across all communities.
This series’ increased representation in front of and behind the camera sets a new precedent for a Hollywood film industry that rarely even includes Deaf characters/actors, much less features all Deaf characters and behind-the-scenes personnel. In Hollywood, even when Deaf characters are portrayed in film, it is often through a lens catered to Deaf stereotypes and/or played by Hearing actors; Deaf U disputes all of these stereotypes and former representations with a real, raw unveiling of Deaf life. In only eight, twenty-minute episodes, the series could not begin to present every currently existing issue in the Deaf community, but it does serve as an amplifier for all of the issues and perspectives that need to be uncovered in a predominately Hearing world.
I started learning ASL in high school because I became interested in the language and Deaf culture as a whole; I liked the idea of being able to have a full conversation without saying a word. I have since only held onto a relatively small amount of conversational ASL, but even the basics have served me so well and made a difference in others’ lives as well.
I work as a waitress in a pretty tourist-y area, so, naturally, I encounter a large variety of people who are of different ethnicities, hold different cultures, and speak different languages. The day that changed my outlook on life, I was at my restaurant, and a Deaf, non-verbal woman came in for lunch and I waited on her and her sister. She asked to be seated outside using the notes app on her phone, as I am sure she is accustomed to doing in the Hearing world in which we live, and as I went to greet her and take her order, she was prepared to do the same. When I signed “Hello, how are you?” as I approached her table and proceeded to tell her that I knew a little ASL from school, her face lit up with just as much joy as it did shock – I genuinely don’t think I have ever seen someone smile that big at something so simple. It was at this moment that I realized how truly impactful my actions could be on another person. Before they left, her sister came up to me, thanked me authentically, and told me how my ability to communicate manually while serving them had made their days. It was such a simple act and, yet, it made their days. Little did they know, it changed my life.
Deaf U familiarizes us with the ongoing struggles that are faced by the Deaf population and emphasizes how such simple steps toward making others’ lives easier can make a huge difference. I have seen this in my own life, which is why I confidently advocate for learning the basics of ASL as a necessity in the steps toward common decency and equality.
(P.S. definitely watch this series, even without being a moving display, it’s just a good show)