0:00:27.411,0:00:29.392
I'd like to tell you a story.

0:00:30.199,0:00:35.100
When I was 24, I found myself living[br]in a small beach town

0:00:35.100,0:00:37.448
by the name of Naples, Florida.

0:00:38.108,0:00:40.189
I was looking for something new.

0:00:40.189,0:00:41.967
I was 24.

0:00:41.967,0:00:43.537
I'm 29 now.

0:00:44.407,0:00:49.830
And in that small coastal town,[br]I was the only Deaf resident.

0:00:50.456,0:00:55.578
In fact, the closest deaf person[br]was a few hours away by car.

0:00:56.558,0:01:01.389
And all of the friends and acquaintances[br]that I had made could hear.

0:01:01.389,0:01:05.331
I didn't mind though;[br]I wanted something new.

0:01:06.238,0:01:08.089
Lucky for me, Naples, Florida

0:01:08.089,0:01:10.740
is home to some of[br]the U.S. Olympics volleyball team,

0:01:10.740,0:01:12.983
where they reside[br]and train through the year.

0:01:13.390,0:01:17.009
So I had a fantastic opportunity[br]to play with them every day I could.

0:01:17.230,0:01:22.029
And we'd hit the court all the time,[br]either indoors or out at the beach;

0:01:22.029,0:01:23.509
it was great.

0:01:23.509,0:01:26.657
Lucky for them, I happen[br]to be very good at volleyball.

0:01:30.838,0:01:33.989
So one night after a great game,

0:01:33.989,0:01:36.889
a friend and I pull up[br]some chairs by the water

0:01:36.889,0:01:39.844
to watch the sun go down and chat.

0:01:42.739,0:01:45.927
And he looks over at me[br]and he asks me a question

0:01:45.927,0:01:48.939
that completely blew me away.

0:01:49.420,0:01:53.428
To be honest, in 24 years of my life,[br]nobody had ever asked me.

0:01:53.999,0:01:56.009
And his question was simple:

0:01:56.590,0:01:59.469
"Have you ever wished you could hear?"

0:01:59.928,0:02:02.109
I looked at him for a second and thought,

0:02:02.109,0:02:03.947
Where did that come from?

0:02:04.247,0:02:07.389
Then I took a moment and I realized

0:02:07.389,0:02:09.070
while we had been sitting there,

0:02:09.070,0:02:12.270
I could see waves coming in[br]and crashing on the beach.

0:02:12.270,0:02:13.749
He could hear that.

0:02:14.069,0:02:15.739
Obviously, I couldn't.

0:02:15.739,0:02:18.449
My entire world is completely silent.

0:02:18.729,0:02:21.088
To our left, people[br]had taken over the court

0:02:21.088,0:02:23.937
and were playing volleyball,[br]cheering each other on.

0:02:24.499,0:02:27.669
To our right, a mother[br]was playing and laughing with her baby.

0:02:27.669,0:02:28.700
And behind us,

0:02:28.700,0:02:33.528
cars and ATVs had passed by all day[br]without me even noticing.

0:02:35.747,0:02:37.819
So, I was quick to answer:

0:02:38.118,0:02:41.160
"No, of course not.

0:02:41.540,0:02:43.667
I've never wished I could hear.

0:02:44.101,0:02:47.329
I've never wished[br]that because I love who I am."

0:02:48.339,0:02:52.708
And you may be wondering,[br]How do I love myself as a Deaf man?

0:02:53.148,0:02:56.661
Well, first, I was born deaf.

0:02:57.220,0:02:59.738
My deafness shaped my childhood,

0:02:59.738,0:03:02.289
and it's all I've ever known.

0:03:03.231,0:03:06.249
So my perspective on life[br]and my experience of the world

0:03:06.249,0:03:07.848
is very different.

0:03:08.031,0:03:10.658
My outlook and my life[br]has involved experiences

0:03:10.658,0:03:14.280
that many of you have never[br]had to encounter as hearing people.

0:03:15.089,0:03:17.899
My culture, something[br]I embody and cherish,

0:03:17.899,0:03:19.910
has always been Deaf.

0:03:20.250,0:03:22.990
My perspective on life[br]is completely different.

0:03:23.549,0:03:26.550
The experiences I've had,[br]something I hold most dear,

0:03:26.550,0:03:29.608
have taught me[br]to love myself as a Deaf man.

0:03:30.619,0:03:32.510
To illustrate that point,

0:03:33.090,0:03:37.750
if I were to walk into a job interview[br]with a panel of hearing peers,

0:03:38.118,0:03:42.910
and if I were to approach that meeting[br]wishing that I could hear,

0:03:43.399,0:03:45.836
wishing that I could speak like them,

0:03:45.836,0:03:48.410
and focusing on that imbalance,

0:03:49.028,0:03:51.298
do you think that I would do very well?

0:03:51.979,0:03:54.120
Obviously not, right?

0:03:54.965,0:03:57.908
Because in the back of my mind[br]I'm focusing on the negative,

0:03:57.908,0:04:00.518
therefore creating a negative outcome,

0:04:00.519,0:04:02.769
and I'm certain I wouldn't get that job.

0:04:03.578,0:04:09.407
But, if instead, I use my difference[br]as an advantage and an asset,

0:04:09.407,0:04:13.410
I know that as a Deaf man[br]I have so much to offer their company.

0:04:13.669,0:04:16.800
My experiences growing up[br]are much different from theirs.

0:04:16.800,0:04:20.838
And knowing that allows me[br]to approach the interview positive.

0:04:20.838,0:04:23.268
I can go into that meeting[br]and confidently tell them

0:04:23.268,0:04:25.429
how they will benefit[br]from hiring a Deaf man

0:04:25.429,0:04:27.489
for a multitude of reasons.

0:04:27.489,0:04:32.369
And I can walk out with that job[br]because it's all about mindset.

0:04:33.421,0:04:36.978
So I say first and foremost[br]to love yourself.

0:04:37.653,0:04:42.369
So as I mentioned, the first reason[br]I love myself is my upbringing.

0:04:42.850,0:04:47.129
But many of you may not know[br]that I come from a rather large family.

0:04:47.600,0:04:50.560
I have two brothers who are also Deaf

0:04:51.100,0:04:53.028
along with my parents,

0:04:53.509,0:04:55.218
my grandparents,

0:04:55.218,0:04:59.431
and yes, even my[br]great-grandparents as well.

0:05:00.240,0:05:03.589
I'm the fourth generation[br]in a beautiful family

0:05:03.589,0:05:06.551
with over 25 Deaf members.

0:05:07.978,0:05:11.489
Born to Deaf parents[br]who understood the Deaf experience,

0:05:11.489,0:05:13.917
they knew exactly how to raise me.

0:05:14.339,0:05:16.919
They knew how to provide me[br]with the best opportunities

0:05:16.919,0:05:18.550
and to support me.

0:05:19.719,0:05:23.350
From day one of my existence,[br]my parents gave me language,

0:05:23.350,0:05:25.170
access to education,

0:05:25.170,0:05:26.690
and love.

0:05:27.849,0:05:30.488
Growing up, my life was perfect.

0:05:30.680,0:05:34.538
Imagine, like many of you[br]born to hearing parents,

0:05:34.538,0:05:37.797
I never noticed barriers[br]that simply weren't there.

0:05:38.239,0:05:40.471
I'm sure many of you[br]felt your life was normal,

0:05:40.471,0:05:42.317
the same way that I did.

0:05:42.751,0:05:47.478
Coming from a Deaf family, my world,[br]in every way, was a utopia.

0:05:53.765,0:05:56.568
When it came time for my parents[br]to enroll me in school,

0:05:56.568,0:05:59.720
they already knew[br]that I would go to the Deaf school.

0:06:00.070,0:06:03.348
I would learn in an environment[br]that was designed for me.

0:06:03.769,0:06:05.938
At that time, all of my peers,

0:06:05.938,0:06:07.658
and teachers,

0:06:07.658,0:06:10.450
and even the superintendent was Deaf.

0:06:11.888,0:06:15.290
So, I was still in my perfect world.

0:06:15.290,0:06:19.020
I was in an environment where I could grow[br]and where I could thrive.

0:06:19.020,0:06:22.219
And I had no problems;[br]it was perfect for me.

0:06:22.449,0:06:25.148
And many people[br]don't believe that, but it's true.

0:06:25.148,0:06:30.081
For me, the Deaf community, our world,[br]was the perfect world for me.

0:06:30.908,0:06:33.260
And I remember in the summer[br]before fifth grade,

0:06:33.260,0:06:34.879
I was ready to go back to school,

0:06:34.879,0:06:37.538
and I asked my mom[br]to go to a public school.

0:06:37.761,0:06:39.129
She thought I was crazy.

0:06:39.129,0:06:40.919
She said, "What?! No!

0:06:40.919,0:06:43.580
Public school, it's all hearing kids.

0:06:43.580,0:06:46.359
The Deaf school is a perfect fit."

0:06:46.359,0:06:49.479
And I said, "No, I want to learn[br]what those students are learning.

0:06:49.479,0:06:51.579
I want to see what[br]their classrooms are like.

0:06:51.579,0:06:53.759
What are public school teachers like?"

0:06:54.030,0:06:56.308
So upon my insistence she enrolled me.

0:06:56.308,0:06:58.548
And after two weeks of frustration,

0:06:58.548,0:07:01.488
I came home pleading[br]to go back to the Deaf school.

0:07:01.781,0:07:06.028
She listened very sympathetically[br]and told me, "Nope, too bad."

0:07:06.488,0:07:08.188
I was floored.

0:07:08.488,0:07:10.758
She told me I needed[br]to stick it out for a year

0:07:10.758,0:07:14.038
because I needed to learn how[br]to interact with my hearing peers,

0:07:14.038,0:07:16.007
and that if I gave it a little patience,

0:07:16.007,0:07:18.597
I would learn so much[br]about the world around me.

0:07:18.597,0:07:21.578
Because the reality is[br]the world is hearing.

0:07:21.950,0:07:24.760
I was the only Deaf kid[br]in the entire school.

0:07:25.049,0:07:28.698
Of course, I always had hearing friends,[br]but they could sign like me.

0:07:29.029,0:07:31.088
So that year I gained a lot of insight.

0:07:31.088,0:07:34.107
I couldn't be involved[br]in any of the school organizations.

0:07:34.107,0:07:37.329
My friends never learned[br]enough sign to communicate.

0:07:37.599,0:07:40.869
And every time I tried[br]to play a sport, I'd get benched.

0:07:40.869,0:07:44.800
The basketball coach told me a Deaf kid[br]could never help the team win a game.

0:07:44.801,0:07:46.640
And I was athletic.

0:07:47.831,0:07:51.299
So after a year,[br]I went back to the Deaf school

0:07:51.299,0:07:54.558
where I realized that's my home.

0:07:54.838,0:07:56.489
That's my community.

0:07:56.489,0:07:59.340
And my community is where I can thrive.

0:07:59.800,0:08:01.842
I got involved in the classroom again,

0:08:01.842,0:08:03.970
joined a bunch of school organizations,

0:08:03.970,0:08:08.080
and got back on the basketball team,[br]where I helped win many games.

0:08:08.618,0:08:13.530
So it's without hesitation that I can say[br]the Deaf community is in fact my home.

0:08:14.358,0:08:15.750
After graduating high school,

0:08:15.750,0:08:18.600
I was accepted into[br]the only Deaf university in the world:

0:08:18.600,0:08:21.370
Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.

0:08:21.649,0:08:24.139
It was there I gained[br]my degree in mathematics

0:08:24.139,0:08:26.339
with the intention[br]of becoming a better teacher

0:08:26.339,0:08:28.212
than the ones I had growing up.

0:08:28.559,0:08:33.850
Like many of you, I sat through[br]some math teachers who seriously sucked.

0:08:34.111,0:08:35.350
(Laughter)

0:08:35.350,0:08:37.770
I wanted to be a good math teacher.

0:08:38.060,0:08:42.218
But I also wanted to be[br]a good role model for those students.

0:08:44.778,0:08:49.350
So as time got closer to graduation,[br]of course I was nervous.

0:08:49.599,0:08:52.818
I started questioning[br]if I had made the right decision.

0:08:53.720,0:08:56.198
And I decided to get out -

0:08:56.398,0:08:59.328
to get out of my comfort zone[br]and to travel the world.

0:08:59.580,0:09:02.459
Since then, I've been[br]to over 43 countries.

0:09:03.710,0:09:05.908
And the funny thing about when I travel

0:09:05.908,0:09:08.735
is that I'm constantly meeting[br]hearing people who say,

0:09:08.735,0:09:12.949
"Nyle, you are so brave.[br]How do you travel like this?

0:09:12.949,0:09:15.321
Isn't it hard to be Deaf and travel?

0:09:15.321,0:09:17.390
It looks impossible."

0:09:18.468,0:09:21.670
And let me tell you,[br]traveling as a Deaf person, I think,

0:09:21.670,0:09:25.193
is actually much easier[br]than traveling for hearing people.

0:09:25.620,0:09:28.640
Because sign language is something[br]that gives me access

0:09:28.640,0:09:30.678
to a much larger world.

0:09:33.440,0:09:35.398
I'll tell you one of my favorite stories.

0:09:35.398,0:09:39.878
A few years ago, I was in south Sicily[br]perusing a flea market,

0:09:39.878,0:09:41.969
when I walked into a butcher shop,

0:09:42.409,0:09:46.099
and standing there is an American tourist[br]trying to ask the butcher

0:09:46.099,0:09:48.841
where the meat he was slicing[br]is sourced from.

0:09:49.180,0:09:54.610
So the Sicilian man, speaking[br]no English, is gesturing, right?

0:09:54.610,0:09:56.619
And you know Italians gesture.

0:09:56.619,0:09:58.928
He's trying to explain[br]where the meat comes from,

0:09:58.928,0:10:01.289
and it's going right[br]over the head of the tourist.

0:10:01.490,0:10:04.409
So watching this very comical[br]breakdown in conversation,

0:10:04.409,0:10:06.919
I'm understanding everything perfectly,

0:10:07.189,0:10:10.358
so I pull out a paper and a pen,

0:10:10.358,0:10:12.378
and I translate[br]what the butcher is saying,

0:10:12.378,0:10:14.578
and I hand it over[br]to the tourist and explain,

0:10:14.578,0:10:16.438
"This is what he's trying to tell you."

0:10:16.438,0:10:19.858
So there I am, the Deaf person[br]translating for two hearing people.

0:10:20.108,0:10:24.228
And in that situation,[br]they're the ones disabled, not me.

0:10:24.229,0:10:25.679
(Laughter)

0:10:28.529,0:10:30.268
While that story is ironic,

0:10:30.268,0:10:33.879
it happens so many times[br]when I meet people in other countries.

0:10:33.879,0:10:36.620
I'm always amazed[br]to meet locals in other countries,

0:10:36.620,0:10:39.649
and their ability to gesticulate[br]and communicate with me,

0:10:39.649,0:10:41.650
often quite easily.

0:10:42.930,0:10:46.900
And I would always tell myself[br]to visit the local Deaf schools

0:10:46.900,0:10:49.227
and to make time to meet Deaf locals.

0:10:49.738,0:10:52.174
But with every new Deaf school that I saw,

0:10:52.174,0:10:55.971
I was sad to see that their schools[br]were in terrible condition,

0:10:55.971,0:10:59.382
and their education was greatly lacking.

0:10:59.780,0:11:02.768
Often, I just couldn't believe my eyes.

0:11:03.558,0:11:08.128
When I would meet Deaf adults,[br]I realized a common thread very quickly.

0:11:08.128,0:11:11.508
They either didn't have[br]the same level of education I did

0:11:11.508,0:11:15.640
or their language was incomplete,[br]making it hard to communicate.

0:11:16.869,0:11:19.689
They'd often complain to me[br]that the system had failed them,

0:11:19.689,0:11:21.860
and now they struggled to find work.

0:11:22.100,0:11:23.358
And I kept asking myself,

0:11:23.358,0:11:27.549
why is this happening,[br]and why is this happening so often?

0:11:27.549,0:11:30.270
Why am I somehow more fortunate?

0:11:30.459,0:11:33.470
Growing up, I thought every deaf person[br]in the world was like me

0:11:33.470,0:11:36.098
and had the same opportunities that I did.

0:11:37.059,0:11:38.838
So in returning to the United States,

0:11:38.838,0:11:41.240
I decided to do[br]some research on the topic.

0:11:41.240,0:11:43.500
And what I found shocked me.

0:11:43.668,0:11:46.719
There are currently more[br]than 70 million deaf people in the world

0:11:46.719,0:11:51.120
with only two percent of them having[br]access to education in sign languages.

0:11:51.439,0:11:54.538
Which means millions[br]upon millions of deaf children

0:11:54.538,0:11:56.882
not receiving the education they need,

0:11:56.882,0:11:59.390
also known as education deprivation.

0:12:00.520,0:12:04.309
I also learned that over[br]75 percent of hearing parents

0:12:04.309,0:12:07.090
don't sign to communicate[br]with their deaf children.

0:12:07.289,0:12:08.858
Which is astonishing.

0:12:08.858,0:12:11.618
Again, imagine millions[br]and millions of deaf children

0:12:11.618,0:12:14.798
without an education, without a language.

0:12:15.848,0:12:18.799
Those children without language[br]and access to education

0:12:18.799,0:12:20.919
exhibit signs of brain damage.

0:12:25.020,0:12:26.738
In my research, I also found

0:12:26.738,0:12:29.448
that I'm a part of an even smaller group.

0:12:29.828,0:12:33.088
Ten percent of Deaf children[br]come from Deaf parents like mine.

0:12:33.088,0:12:34.833
Only 10 percent.

0:12:34.833,0:12:36.699
I'm incredibly lucky.

0:12:36.699,0:12:39.640
I had access to language, an education,

0:12:39.640,0:12:43.161
and I had parents who loved me[br]and put me on a path to success.

0:12:43.331,0:12:46.310
I wouldn't be who I am today[br]without any of those things.

0:12:46.949,0:12:49.739
So it was clear to me[br]that something needed to be done.

0:12:50.878,0:12:53.409
I got to work in setting up[br]my own foundation -

0:12:53.409,0:12:55.258
the Nyle DiMarco Foundation -

0:12:55.258,0:12:56.999
with the goal of improving the lives

0:12:56.999,0:12:59.362
of millions of deaf people[br]around the world.

0:12:59.362,0:13:02.969
We've since partnered with another[br]Deaf organization in the United States

0:13:02.969,0:13:04.838
to introduce legislation -

0:13:04.838,0:13:08.369
a bill that requires all deaf children[br]have access to language

0:13:08.369,0:13:10.670
between the ages of zero and five,

0:13:10.670,0:13:13.118
setting up benchmarks for their success.

0:13:13.329,0:13:14.850
Because before the age of five,

0:13:14.850,0:13:18.040
children have the ability[br]to acquire a foundation in language,

0:13:18.040,0:13:21.678
readying them for the classroom[br]and for a successful life.

0:13:21.830,0:13:26.139
After the age of five, that critical[br]language acquisition window closes.

0:13:27.040,0:13:30.869
I'm working to give every deaf child[br]in the world a future

0:13:30.869,0:13:32.210
filled with a rich language

0:13:32.210,0:13:35.259
and the opportunities[br]I was lucky enough to receive.

0:13:35.568,0:13:37.910
But the Deaf community cannot do it alone;

0:13:37.910,0:13:40.608
we need you to become our allies

0:13:40.608,0:13:43.778
and join us in making[br]the world more knowledgeable.

0:13:44.159,0:13:48.890
We need you to join us,[br]to fight with us and for us

0:13:48.890,0:13:52.530
in the ongoing battle of affording[br]children what they need to thrive.

0:13:56.779,0:14:00.821
So before I go, I want to teach you[br]two very simple but important signs.

0:14:01.259,0:14:02.959
The first is "love."

0:14:02.959,0:14:04.941
The second, "yourself."

0:14:05.154,0:14:06.149
Follow me:

0:14:06.149,0:14:07.639
Love

0:14:08.397,0:14:09.899
yourself.

0:14:10.661,0:14:11.958
Brilliant!

0:14:11.958,0:14:14.619
A-plusses all around!

0:14:14.982,0:14:16.540
Thank you.

0:14:16.540,0:14:18.229
(Laughter)