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Nyle DiMarco's Show 'Deaf U' to Premiere on Netflix October 9

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What happened: The new eight-part docuseries “Deaf U” will follow a group of Deaf students at Gallaudet University, a university whose programs are designed to accommodate Deaf and hard of hearing students. Deaf activist and model Nyle DiMarco is an executive producer of this series and an alum of Gallaudet University himself. The series will premiere on Netflix on October 9.

This project titled ‘Deaf U’ really started as a perspective, a look into the deaf community and just how layered the deaf community truly is. — Nyle DiMarco, ET Online

The Frontlines: While Gallaudet University is known for accommodating the Deaf community, Deaf students do not always have equal access to higher education opportunities.

  • A 2017 report from National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes (NDC) found that 18 percent of Deaf people complete a bachelor’s degree in comparison to 33 percent of hearing people.
  • A poll from NDC also found that Deaf students have been denied ASL interpreters and faced increased inaccessibility issues since COVID-19 pushed classes online.
  • In addition to Gallaudet, other universities which have programs that support Deaf students include National Technical Institute for the Deaf, Southwest Collegiate Institute for the Deaf, Doncaster Communication Specialist College and National University Corporation of Tsukuba University of Technology, according to Verywell Health.

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A Mighty Voice: Contributor Ruth E Jackson wrote about how discovering Deaf culture helped her find her community and built her self-confidence, which she struggled with in school. “When I was introduced to the world of Deaf culture, it altered my life. I honestly haven’t the faintest idea how I survived without it for 15 years. As the years went on, my heart yearned for more: American Sign Language (ASL), culture and integration with the Deaf community. Before this point, I had no idea there were others like me.” You can submit your first-person story, too.

From Our Community: 

Are you satisfied with captioning available online and in other entertainment?

Other Things to Know: While the people in “Deaf U” are surrounded by other Deaf and hard of hearing people at their university, this is not always the norm for the Deaf community. You can read some wide-ranging first-hand experiences of Deaf people below:

How to Take Action: You can watch “Deaf U” on Netflix when it premiers on October 9. In the meantime, you can watch the trailer for this new series below.

Header via Wikimedia Commons and Netflix

Originally published: September 24, 2020
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