Mr. Maxey, 33, started posting online because he didn’t see black people signing on the internet at the time, mainly because he was doing interpretations of songs he liked from artists like J. Cole, Mac Miller and Big Sean. “I was trying to introduce the deaf community to my culture as a black man from the South,” he said.
Interpreters at highly visible events, such as music festivals, receive a disproportionate amount of attention. Ms. Sutton wants people to know that her interpretations are more than just TikTok dancing. “Some hearing people misunderstand and say, ‘Oh, she’s a deaf dancer,'” she said. ‘No, I interpret. I offer full access, which, if I just stand there, is not full access.”
At the same time, social media has been instrumental in enhancing the perspectives of deaf people. “One of the amazing things about TikTok and Instagram is that deaf content creators have a place where they can create their own space and publish their content,” said Ms. Kurdi. “Years ago there wasn’t such a platform or place where they could post their content, and now there is.”
And to provide even greater access, concert and event organizers can hire hearing interpreters who can hear what is being said and relay it to deaf interpreters to “enable something that is more culturally and linguistically accurate to the public at large,” Ms. Burton. said.
After this viral moment, black and deaf content creators hope to see the spotlight on themselves next time, and at least give this a chance for people to learn more about accessibility. “I want people to think about what the deaf community is going through every day,” said Ms Sutton. “Learn ASL to grant access, not so you can create a song that goes viral.”
