My #DeafU REVIEW! Based on me being a Deaf sucker for Reality TV shows & Romantic Dramas + The Obvious: Deaf People, #ASL, @GallaudetU, DC being on my TV! This is prior to viewing community/mass responses via social media. Focus here is vastly on what I LOVED about the show. 1/12

After much anticipation, I click play: starts laughing & clapping in awe and excitement that #Deaf / #ASL is mainstreamed on @Netflix ...AND from all my nostalgic feelings as a #GallaudetU alumnus + former resident of #DC (of course!). 2/12

First of all, I loved the cast! They were hilarious, relatable, & brave in showing their nature & truths (even if parts were scripted). They showed human experiences anyone can relate to- re: love, conflict, desire, trauma, surviving, & pursuing some meaning in life. 3/12 #DeafU

#DeafU @Netflix did not portray Deaf ppl in a way we end up being objectified & reduced to our disabilities; in a way where hearing people gawk at our differences from a distance (ultimately keeping us marginalized). Instead, it showed the hearing world we're just as human. 4/12

Yes, #DeafU revolved around the social life at Gallaudet and not so much naming 'interesting facts' about Deaf ppl 'to raise awareness'... but that was the point! The point was to show Deaf ppl simply *being* people.. & that alone is what normalizes us to the hearing world. 5/12

^This is so important! If we want to continue having our stories told - w/ more intersectional Deaf identities - then we need this type of normalization. Hollywood wants viewers; We want representation; viewers (even us) don't view what they/we don't/can't relate to. #DeafU 6/12

As much as Hollywood is a territory where we're skeptical to begin change, it's still a place that has the potential to benefit us in reaching the mass - evidently, it just happened; thank you, @Netflix). Specifically motion pictures + spotlighting culture minorities. #DeafU 7/12

Yes, so many identities were not represented on #DeafU; and that only means further opportunities to center more Deaf stories of our nuanced communities. It's expansive. So keep talking, tell your hearing friends & family to tune in. Let's not be a ONE-TIME-thing anymore!! 8/12

#DeafU also debunks the myth that Deaf = 'militants' who wake up every morning fighting for language rights & accessibility. This changes perceptions among audiologists, doctors, & hearing families. How many are going to relate to the humanness and want that for the kid(s). 9/12

#DeafU also reaches deaf & hard of hearing individuals who are alone in their worlds and have not been given the chance to connect or relate to other people who share their auditorial experiences, and strategies to living in a world dominated by sounds. #DeafU 10/12

I want to recognize I enjoyed #DeafU because I felt, for the most part, represented, and have a positive relationship w/ the setting it took place in. I personally know some cast members & it was good to see them. I benefited from hearing music/effects that draw emotions. 11/12

I was also appreciative of seeing the following identities represented, and/or topics being discussed, on TV: Black Deaf experiences; Queer Deaf experiences; Deaf Women experiences; and others. More to come tho!

AND of course, "Deaf Elitism" is a whole separate thread. 12/12

This #DeafU 12-tweet thread ^^ does not come with obliviousness. There's room to critique the TV show it self, and plenty of critique for our Deaf communities to learn from.
There is truth in celebrating this show, & truth in using it as a tool to learn and navigate change.