Hollywood's Impact on Deaf Culture: How Movies and TV Shows are Breaking Barriers

Read Time:3 Minute, 46 Second

American Sign Language (ASL) is a visual language that is used by the deaf and hard-of-hearing community in the United States and around the world. While ASL has been recognized as a true language, it is still not as widely understood and accepted as spoken languages. However, over the years, movies and TV shows that feature ASL have helped to create more awareness and understanding of the deaf culture and the challenges faced by the deaf community.

hollywood sign — Photo by Edgar Colomba on Pexels.com

One of the first movies that brought attention to ASL and deaf culture was “Children of a Lesser God” (1986). The movie tells the story of a hearing teacher at a school for the deaf and his relationship with a deaf custodian who is a strong advocate for deaf culture and resistance to oralism. The film features both spoken English and ASL, and it helped to create more awareness about the challenges faced by the deaf community, particularly in terms of access to education and communication.

In recent years, there have been a number of TV shows and movies that have featured ASL and deaf culture. One of the most popular examples is “Switched at Birth” (2011-2017), a drama series that follows the lives of two teenage girls who were accidentally switched at birth and raised by different families. Many of the characters in the show use ASL as their primary mode of communication. The show helped to create more awareness about the challenges faced by the deaf community, particularly in terms of access to education and communication.

Another example is “Deaf U” (2020) a reality TV series that follows a group of deaf college students at Gallaudet University, the world’s only university for the deaf and hard of hearing, as they navigate college life and relationships. The show highlights the unique experiences of deaf individuals and the importance of representation in media.

“The Secret of Crickley Hall” (2012) is a British television series that features an ASL-using character who is deaf. The show helped to create more awareness about the challenges faced by the deaf community, particularly in terms of access to education and communication.

“The Shape of Water” (2022) is a drama film that features a character who is mute and communicates primarily through ASL. The film helped to create more awareness about the challenges faced by the deaf community, particularly in terms of access to education and communication.

“Breaking Barriers” (2023) is a new series that follows the life of a deaf and mute lawyer who uses ASL as a primary mode of communication and fights for the rights of people with disabilities. The show helps to create more awareness about the challenges faced by the deaf community, particularly in terms of access to education and communication.

In addition to TV shows and movies, documentaries like “See What I’m Saying: The Deaf Entertainers Documentary” (2009) have also helped to create more awareness about deaf culture and the challenges faced by the deaf community. The documentary explores the lives and careers of four deaf entertainers and the film features a mix of spoken English and ASL and helps to create more awareness about the challenges faced by the deaf community, particularly in terms of access to education and communication.

Movies like “The Tribe” (2014) also helped to create more awareness about deaf culture. The Ukrainian drama film follows a group of deaf teenagers at a boarding school and all communication is done through ASL. This helped to create more awareness about the challenges faced by the deaf community, particularly in terms of access to education and communication.

In conclusion, movies and TV shows that feature American Sign Language (ASL) have played a significant role in creating more awareness and understanding of the deaf culture and the challenges faced by the deaf community. From the groundbreaking “Children of a Lesser God” (1986) to recent productions like “Switched at Birth” (2011-2017) and “Deaf U” (2020), these works have helped to bring attention to the importance of access to education and communication for the deaf community, and the importance of representation in media. Additionally, documentaries like “See What I’m Saying: The Deaf Entertainers Documentary” (2009) have also helped to create more awareness and understanding of the experiences and challenges faced by the deaf community. With more and more movies and TV shows featuring ASL and deaf culture, we can hope that the general public will become more educated, empathetic and inclusive towards the deaf community.