Nyle DiMarco Shares Why Deaf Representation in Hollywood Is Important

“[The protest] was due to 124 years of hearing paternalism at a college that was entirely attended by deaf people,” he said. “It’s an incredibly telling story about where we are as a community and where we come from. So much of that protest actually gave rise to the passage of the ADA [American with Disabilities Act], which protects us in things like the projects that we’re making now.”

Growing up deaf was nothing out of the ordinary for DiMarco, who is the fourth generation of his family to be born deaf. It wasn’t until he went to public school in the fifth grade that he began to see himself as “different than other people.” But that didn’t mess with his self-confidence

“I’ve always loved who I am. And I’ve always seen hearing people like foreigners,” he said. “I always tell people to look at us the same way. We just have a different culture and a different community. It’s really interesting how hearing people and deaf people are so different, but I don’t know if I ever really had a moment where I thought, ‘I love myself as a deaf person today on.’ It’s really from birth.”