On September 23rd, 2020, Netflix released the trailer for their new reality series titled Deaf U, and it's clear you need to look no further for your next form of entertainment. The show follows a group of Deaf students at America's only college exclusively for deaf and hard of hearing students, Gallaudet University. What really makes the premise of this show stand out is how it blends an ordinary dramatic series with breaking barriers between the Deaf and hearing communities.
Deaf U is produced by Nyle DiMarco, a well-known Deaf activist, actor, and model. His goal for the series is to "show deaf people as humans from all walks of life." Deaf U will also star popular Deaf Youtuber Cheyenna Clearbrook and Gallaudet students themselves, whether alumni or currently enrolled. Many are excited that Deaf U will be led by the Deaf community itself, allowing for authentic portrayal of deaf individuals and Deaf Culture.
Often times, it's human nature to be wary of what is different from us. For this reason, many hearing people know little to nothing about the Deaf community and culture and make no strides to bridge the gap between the two groups of people. DiMarco himself expressed this sentiment on Instagram: "there are so many deaf/disabled individuals out there with incredible skills left to oblivions. So, when I was thrusted into the limelight, I experienced struggle and obstacles because there wasn't enough representation."
That's why this show is so important--it brings Deaf people into the spotlight in a casual way. More than just inclusion, the trailer for Deaf U depicts topics in college life everyone can experience, like relationship drama or gossip. The main difference is their form of communication—Deaf individuals use American Sign Language (ASL) to 'speak,' and having an entire series largely in ASL is huge. Viewers will not only be inspired to learn some of the language themselves but will hopefully see how Deaf individuals are not very different from their hearing counterparts at all.
Moreover, the trailer portrays interactions between the Deaf and hearing cultures that aren't often seen. Because the show takes place at a Deaf university, the hearing people are the ones to stand out, giving a majority of viewers the chance to learn about how Deaf people have certain ways of life and actually developed an entire culture over their common lack of hearing. In one scene, a hearing character Daequan is seen struggling to get used to signing all the time, citing that he grew up speaking verbally to communicate. In another scene, one deaf man tells his friend to preserve the Deaf culture by using ASL instead of mouthing words. If you aren't attuned to the happenings of these two cultures, you would never know of the hardships the two worlds have when colliding.
Overall, Deaf U is a must-see show. Not only will it be entertaining in the traditional sense but watching it may just alter your understanding of communication, inclusivity, and society as a whole. You know what I'll be doing on October 9th!
