Finished all episodes of #DeafU Others have offered great critiques of the show- the good, the bad, & the ugly. Rather than repeat those points, I'd like to highlight what the show might have done to educate a larger audience about deaf lives & social issues.

CW: CSA

The show revealed one cast member experienced child sexual abuse. Studies show about 50% of deaf children experience sexual abuse, which is on average about 2-3 times more than hearing children. Language deprivation & barriers play a significant role. #DeafU

On the show, Daequan disclosed his mother's untimely death. This was an opportunity to discuss medical apartheid for black people in the United States and what that means for Black Deaf people at the intersections of medical ableism & racism. #DeafU

The diversity of language used by #DeafU cast members also offered an opportunity to discuss language variation, the bastardization of ASL by manually coded systems in efforts to enact performative hearingness & whiteness, and Black ASL as a result of educational segregation.

Much of the filming in #DeafU took place in the newer buildings on Gallaudet campus and in the liminal spaces between Gallaudet and its neighbors. This was an opportunity to talk about Deaf Space, deaf architectural design principles, and translanguaging practices in the area.

On #DeafU, Alexa makes a joke about running into things. This was an opportunity to talk about how deaf people support each other in walking & talking without getting harmed. This is called proxemics. We direct each other through eye gaze and moving as we walk.

True story. If I'm with deaf friends walking down the street, chatting, and they hit a pole or trip over a curb, it's on me. We look out for each other. There was so much cool and interesting things- also important- that #DeafU could have imparted about the reality of Deaf lives.