ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY:Deaf Uhas really resonated with viewers since launching this month.
How are you feeling?
As someone from the deaf community, I see this simply as a scratching of the surface.
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We have so much more to offer and show if we’re given more opportunities and future seasons.
Is that what you were hoping for?
They never asked me about my personal life or about what I enjoy.
Netflix
I felt that this was very limiting.
They cast me as this very one-dimensional character on screen, which was a very frustrating experience for me.
I got asked questions like, “Can deaf people drive?”
Did the cast find anything particularly challenging?
There is no right way to be deaf.
It was key that we show them as a representation of who we are as a community.
How much of what we saw was scripted vs. unscripted?
That’s tough to say because this is a reality TV show.
But the cast was allowed to lead their own lives as normal.
We saw how cliques within the community affected the students.
What can be done about that?
You know, the conversation around cliques is one that is definitely needed.
There was a time when I arrived at Gallaudet not considering other students coming in without the same background.
So maybe my behavior could’ve been perceived as harmful by them.
One of the subjects, Cheyenna Clearbrook, ended up leaving school because of how the elites treated her.
How is she doing?
Cheyenna left the university.
She admitted that she had weaponized the phrase “Am I not deaf enough?”
in an effort to insert herself into this group.
Which, the elites would be considered the minority of the entire deaf population.
It’s specific to language fluency, deaf identity, and deaf culture.
You see that that’s really a part of that group.
you might see how that caused a lot of frustration and a lot of upset.
It’s something I think was really internalized.
The other thing here is that a lot of deaf people don’t have access to mental health resources.
There aren’t a lot of deaf therapists out there.
In the true spirit of the college experience, the subjects kept swapping love interests!
Let’s gossip about the love connections!
[Laughs] I know, tell me about it!
I felt the same way.
I was really frustrated with Dalton [Taylor].
I kept yelling, “Come on!
Shoot your shot!”
Yeah, I don’t get it.
Then Rodney [Burford], too.
I think in the end, you’re able to see that Rodney had his first love.
It’s tough to let go of your first love.
Did you cause a lot of trouble at school?
I filled the pool up with water, everyone was swimming.
Whoa, history was made that day!
The first time in the school’s history.
Which is great, because it’s also the last."
He explained the new rule would be going into the handbook the following year.
I was proud to be able to check off that I made into the handbook.
