Television, ASL, Marlee Matlin, Amazing Friends

I have never been a big fan of Television. I've never taken time out of my life specifically to watch a particular show regularly, nor have I been a big fan of having a television in nearly every room, nor have I spent major amounts of time watching television. Then I became a Mommy...

Sitting at home nearly all day, every day, with a little one running around constantly, it's difficult not to turn on the T.V. and just veg for a bit during nap time. So I began watching the general channels you get with an antenna now that cable has gone digital, as my husband and I hadn't had cable until very recently (like the last three weeks or so), when my daughter went down for a nap. She generally naps around the time that the CBS show The Talk comes on, and so I began watching daily.

We recently got cable, and now I have the lovely power of the DVR, so it's no biggie if I really want to watch the lovely ladies but I have something to do around 1pm because I can just record it and watch it later. Well, since the crazy snow storm they are now calling Blizzard 2011, I have fallen behind on my lovely show. So last night, I was trying to catch up a bit, and I made it through about three episodes. This is the episode I ended my night with:  http://www.cbs.com/daytime/the_talk/video/?pid=GSj_CUkPKeIWhclc9zrQ9osMUgoKRshf

The episode aired Thursday, February 3rd, 2011, and featured actor Jim Belushi and Oscar winner Marlee Matlin. I can honestly say, I really didn't know who Marlee Matlin was, I vaguely remembered from the show CSI, and I remembered she played a deaf woman on the show, yet I had no idea she was actually deaf until last night.

http://www.marleematlinsite.com/lifebio/lifebio.html

After doing a bit of research on her "official website" as they call them, Matlin was born and raised in Morton Grove, IL, not far from where I grew up. She also apparently studied criminal justice at Harper College in Palatine, IL, which is where my late grandmother attended college. Small world...

I was deeply inspired by Matlin's interview on The Talk, as the ability to communicate with someone who cannot hear you has always fascinated me. When I was in elementary school I learned simple finger spelling, the alphabet, and some basic signs from a friend of mine whose aunt was born with Down Syndrome, and had difficulty communicating through verbal speech. This was a truly valuable life lesson, which I learned at a very young age. As a girl who came from a family who had great respect for those who "different", I was raised to treat everyone with dignity and respect, and was continually told that it is inappropriate to stare at people with "disabilities", as I should treat them as I would treat any other human being who did not face the same life obstacles.

I was so moved by Matlin's responses to the women on The Talk when asked about raising her children with sign language, being in the entertainment industry as a deaf woman, and ultimately about her life. She is a woman who never labeled herself as disabled, yet had a sense of humor about the fact that she cannot hear much. She strove for everything she wanted, and lived her life the way she chose, not accepting her obstacles as a label, but embracing them as learning experiences and opportunities to grow.

I was deeply touched by the relationship Matlin had with her interpreter, who she has been working with for nearly 25 years!!! A very good friend of mine is studying ASL at Columbia College in Chicago, as she wants to become an interpreter for St. Jude's Children's Hospital, and I have always been amazed at how well she handles the challenge of learning what is essentially a second language to her. I did not quite understand the passion she had for wanting to become an interpreter until I watched this episode.

I am truly inspired by these amazing women. Matlin is inspirational not only to the deaf community but to the world as a whole; as she said on The Talk, "Why anything stop me from doing what I want? Just because I"m deaf... I'm not gonna sit back and be afraid, or be a victim, that's not my style." Her determination and her respect for herself is beautiful and heartfelt, while her energy, humor, and enthusiasm is refreshing and exciting.

As a friend of someone who is so deeply committed to and inspired by the deaf community, and as a mother striving to teach her child basic ASL from infancy, I have found an even greater respect for people like my girl (we'll call her Silent E), and the deaf community. Keep on being fabulous, determined, and inspiring. It is truly phenomenal.