Growing up, we all had role models, heroes, and people we looked up to, with the hope that one day we’d be just like them. In today’s society we’re seeing more and more diversity in the media to show people that whatever disability, insecurity, or uncertainty they have about themselves, there’s always someone else out there who you can relate to.
In the past few months, we’ve seen Deaf actors and actresses grace our screens in Marvel’s Eternals film and Hawkeye series, as well as Rose Ayling-Ellis dancing her way in the hearts of every Strictly Come Dancing fan.
Members of the Deaf community face so many barriers and prejudice on a day-to-day basis. Having Deaf role models in the spotlight in film, TV and across all mainstream media channels, has
made a huge impact on the Deaf community and in raising awareness and appreciation for Deaf people.
Deaf characters in film & TV
For most children, superheroes are the absolute coolest people, and as parents, you want your child to feel as though they can relate and feel heard by these characters.
In the latest phase of Marvel’s films and TV shows, we’re seeing more and more Deaf representation on our screens.
As a global franchise, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has millions of fans, all from different countries, backgrounds, and with different abilities. For Deaf children, and Deaf adults, the appreciation of Deafness in the Eternals film and Hawkeye series is a much needed and welcomed change:
Makkari from Eternals
Makkari is the first Deaf hero in the MCU, with Deaf American actress Lauren Ridloff debuting the character in the 2021 film Eternals. Throughout the film, Makkari uses
ASL (American Sign Language) to communicate with the other Eternals. All Ridloff’s co-stars, including Angelina Jolie and Kumail Nanjiani, learned ASL and communicated with her to ensure their own ASL was as accurate as possible.
The film not only brought joy to the Deaf community for finally getting the representation it deserves, it also triggered a huge spike in hearing people looking to learn sign language for themselves. Preply, a language learning app, reported a 250% increase in online searches for ‘learn sign language for beginners’ since Makkari’s character was announced.
Maya Lopez from Hawkeye
Maya Lopez, also known as Echo, is a character in Marvel’s latest series, Hawkeye. Played by actress Alaqua Cox, who was born Deaf, Maya is portrayed as the villain in the first several episodes of the series. However, in episode four (spoiler alert), viewers begin to get a hint that her character will become a hero.
Maya uses ASL with her right-hand man as well as, on occasion, Hawkeye himself, who wears a hearing aid throughout the series. Hawkeye’s Deafness is shown as a result from all his hero antics throughout his time in the Avengers and, in contrast, in a flashback memory with Maya as a young girl viewers can see she was born with her Deafness.
The representation for both children born with Deafness as well as showing how adults deal with Deafness that comes later on in life is a great way to increase awareness of Deafness as a whole and how differently it can affect people.
Rose Ayling-Ellis
Rose Ayling-Ellis, known for playing Frankie Lewis in Eastenders, recently made history on Strictly Come Dancing with her professional dance partner Giovanni Pernice after competing as the first Deaf contestant before going on to win the show.
Rose has been very open with her journey and Deafness on Strictly, which has been one of the key factors in the impact she and the show have made for the Deaf community. All contestants and staff working on the show took part in Deaf Awareness training, including learning some basic BSL, to ensure Rose could communicate with everyone and without difficulty.
Giovanni has also been praised by Rose on his adaptability when training with her and his teaching techniques to accommodate her Deafness. It’s so important for this style of relationship to be shown on our screens as it not only emphasises how simple some changes can be to become more inclusive.
The key moment for Rose and viewers, both hearing and Deaf, in this year’s Strictly series was in Week Eight, when she and Giovanni performed their Couple’s Choice routine for the first time. Part way through the routine, the couple decided to dance in silence to show the audience what it’s like to live as a Deaf person. This had never been done on the show before and touched so many viewers, and really made people consider the experiences people in the Deaf community have.
The importance of Deaf role models
Role models in the Deaf community aren’t just important for other Deaf people, it’s a key factor for our society to become more inclusive and to bridge the gaps in communication between Deaf and hearing people.
With celebrities like Lauren, Alaqua and Rose leading the way to a better representation of Deaf people in the media, this in turn encourages Deaf and hearing people, both young and old, to change the way they see Deaf people and to actively become better when
communicating and breaking down misconceptions and prejudices.
