WEBVTT 00:00:27.411 --> 00:00:29.392 I'd like to tell you a story. 00:00:30.199 --> 00:00:35.100 When I was 24, I found myself living in a small beach town 00:00:35.100 --> 00:00:37.448 by the name of Naples, Florida. 00:00:38.108 --> 00:00:40.189 I was looking for something new. 00:00:40.189 --> 00:00:41.967 I was 24. 00:00:41.967 --> 00:00:43.537 I'm 29 now. 00:00:44.407 --> 00:00:49.830 And in that small coastal town, I was the only Deaf resident. 00:00:50.456 --> 00:00:55.578 In fact, the closest deaf person was a few hours away by car. 00:00:56.558 --> 00:01:01.389 And all of the friends and acquaintances that I had made could hear. 00:01:01.389 --> 00:01:05.331 I didn't mind though; I wanted something new. 00:01:06.238 --> 00:01:08.089 Lucky for me, Naples, Florida 00:01:08.089 --> 00:01:10.740 is home to some of the U.S. Olympics volleyball team, 00:01:10.740 --> 00:01:12.983 where they reside and train through the year. 00:01:13.390 --> 00:01:17.009 So I had a fantastic opportunity to play with them every day I could. 00:01:17.230 --> 00:01:22.029 And we'd hit the court all the time, either indoors or out at the beach; 00:01:22.029 --> 00:01:23.509 it was great. 00:01:23.509 --> 00:01:26.657 Lucky for them, I happen to be very good at volleyball. 00:01:30.838 --> 00:01:33.989 So one night after a great game, 00:01:33.989 --> 00:01:36.889 a friend and I pull up some chairs by the water 00:01:36.889 --> 00:01:39.844 to watch the sun go down and chat. 00:01:42.739 --> 00:01:45.927 And he looks over at me and he asks me a question 00:01:45.927 --> 00:01:48.939 that completely blew me away. 00:01:49.420 --> 00:01:53.428 To be honest, in 24 years of my life, nobody had ever asked me. 00:01:53.999 --> 00:01:56.009 And his question was simple: 00:01:56.590 --> 00:01:59.469 "Have you ever wished you could hear?" 00:01:59.928 --> 00:02:02.109 I looked at him for a second and thought, 00:02:02.109 --> 00:02:03.947 Where did that come from? 00:02:04.247 --> 00:02:07.389 Then I took a moment and I realized 00:02:07.389 --> 00:02:09.070 while we had been sitting there, 00:02:09.070 --> 00:02:12.270 I could see waves coming in and crashing on the beach. 00:02:12.270 --> 00:02:13.749 He could hear that. 00:02:14.069 --> 00:02:15.739 Obviously, I couldn't. 00:02:15.739 --> 00:02:18.449 My entire world is completely silent. 00:02:18.729 --> 00:02:21.088 To our left, people had taken over the court 00:02:21.088 --> 00:02:23.937 and were playing volleyball, cheering each other on. 00:02:24.499 --> 00:02:27.669 To our right, a mother was playing and laughing with her baby. 00:02:27.669 --> 00:02:28.700 And behind us, 00:02:28.700 --> 00:02:33.528 cars and ATVs had passed by all day without me even noticing. 00:02:35.747 --> 00:02:37.819 So, I was quick to answer: 00:02:38.118 --> 00:02:41.160 "No, of course not. 00:02:41.540 --> 00:02:43.667 I've never wished I could hear. 00:02:44.101 --> 00:02:47.329 I've never wished that because I love who I am." 00:02:48.339 --> 00:02:52.708 And you may be wondering, How do I love myself as a Deaf man? 00:02:53.148 --> 00:02:56.661 Well, first, I was born deaf. 00:02:57.220 --> 00:02:59.738 My deafness shaped my childhood, 00:02:59.738 --> 00:03:02.289 and it's all I've ever known. 00:03:03.231 --> 00:03:06.249 So my perspective on life and my experience of the world 00:03:06.249 --> 00:03:07.848 is very different. 00:03:08.031 --> 00:03:10.658 My outlook and my life has involved experiences 00:03:10.658 --> 00:03:14.280 that many of you have never had to encounter as hearing people. 00:03:15.089 --> 00:03:17.899 My culture, something I embody and cherish, 00:03:17.899 --> 00:03:19.910 has always been Deaf. 00:03:20.250 --> 00:03:22.990 My perspective on life is completely different. 00:03:23.549 --> 00:03:26.550 The experiences I've had, something I hold most dear, 00:03:26.550 --> 00:03:29.608 have taught me to love myself as a Deaf man. 00:03:30.619 --> 00:03:32.510 To illustrate that point, 00:03:33.090 --> 00:03:37.750 if I were to walk into a job interview with a panel of hearing peers, 00:03:38.118 --> 00:03:42.910 and if I were to approach that meeting wishing that I could hear, 00:03:43.399 --> 00:03:45.836 wishing that I could speak like them, 00:03:45.836 --> 00:03:48.410 and focusing on that imbalance, 00:03:49.028 --> 00:03:51.298 do you think that I would do very well? 00:03:51.979 --> 00:03:54.120 Obviously not, right? 00:03:54.965 --> 00:03:57.908 Because in the back of my mind I'm focusing on the negative, 00:03:57.908 --> 00:04:00.518 therefore creating a negative outcome, 00:04:00.519 --> 00:04:02.769 and I'm certain I wouldn't get that job. 00:04:03.578 --> 00:04:09.407 But, if instead, I use my difference as an advantage and an asset, 00:04:09.407 --> 00:04:13.410 I know that as a Deaf man I have so much to offer their company. 00:04:13.669 --> 00:04:16.800 My experiences growing up are much different from theirs. 00:04:16.800 --> 00:04:20.838 And knowing that allows me to approach the interview positive. 00:04:20.838 --> 00:04:23.268 I can go into that meeting and confidently tell them 00:04:23.268 --> 00:04:25.429 how they will benefit from hiring a Deaf man 00:04:25.429 --> 00:04:27.489 for a multitude of reasons. 00:04:27.489 --> 00:04:32.369 And I can walk out with that job because it's all about mindset. 00:04:33.421 --> 00:04:36.978 So I say first and foremost to love yourself. 00:04:37.653 --> 00:04:42.369 So as I mentioned, the first reason I love myself is my upbringing. 00:04:42.850 --> 00:04:47.129 But many of you may not know that I come from a rather large family. 00:04:47.600 --> 00:04:50.560 I have two brothers who are also Deaf 00:04:51.100 --> 00:04:53.028 along with my parents, 00:04:53.509 --> 00:04:55.218 my grandparents, 00:04:55.218 --> 00:04:59.431 and yes, even my great-grandparents as well. 00:05:00.240 --> 00:05:03.589 I'm the fourth generation in a beautiful family 00:05:03.589 --> 00:05:06.551 with over 25 Deaf members. 00:05:07.978 --> 00:05:11.489 Born to Deaf parents who understood the Deaf experience, 00:05:11.489 --> 00:05:13.917 they knew exactly how to raise me. 00:05:14.339 --> 00:05:16.919 They knew how to provide me with the best opportunities 00:05:16.919 --> 00:05:18.550 and to support me. 00:05:19.719 --> 00:05:23.350 From day one of my existence, my parents gave me language, 00:05:23.350 --> 00:05:25.170 access to education, 00:05:25.170 --> 00:05:26.690 and love. 00:05:27.849 --> 00:05:30.488 Growing up, my life was perfect. 00:05:30.680 --> 00:05:34.538 Imagine, like many of you born to hearing parents, 00:05:34.538 --> 00:05:37.797 I never noticed barriers that simply weren't there. 00:05:38.239 --> 00:05:40.471 I'm sure many of you felt your life was normal, 00:05:40.471 --> 00:05:42.317 the same way that I did. 00:05:42.751 --> 00:05:47.478 Coming from a Deaf family, my world, in every way, was a utopia. 00:05:53.765 --> 00:05:56.568 When it came time for my parents to enroll me in school, 00:05:56.568 --> 00:05:59.720 they already knew that I would go to the Deaf school. 00:06:00.070 --> 00:06:03.348 I would learn in an environment that was designed for me. 00:06:03.769 --> 00:06:05.938 At that time, all of my peers, 00:06:05.938 --> 00:06:07.658 and teachers, 00:06:07.658 --> 00:06:10.450 and even the superintendent was Deaf. 00:06:11.888 --> 00:06:15.290 So, I was still in my perfect world. 00:06:15.290 --> 00:06:19.020 I was in an environment where I could grow and where I could thrive. 00:06:19.020 --> 00:06:22.219 And I had no problems; it was perfect for me. 00:06:22.449 --> 00:06:25.148 And many people don't believe that, but it's true. 00:06:25.148 --> 00:06:30.081 For me, the Deaf community, our world, was the perfect world for me. 00:06:30.908 --> 00:06:33.260 And I remember in the summer before fifth grade, 00:06:33.260 --> 00:06:34.879 I was ready to go back to school, 00:06:34.879 --> 00:06:37.538 and I asked my mom to go to a public school. 00:06:37.761 --> 00:06:39.129 She thought I was crazy. 00:06:39.129 --> 00:06:40.919 She said, "What?! No! 00:06:40.919 --> 00:06:43.580 Public school, it's all hearing kids. 00:06:43.580 --> 00:06:46.359 The Deaf school is a perfect fit." 00:06:46.359 --> 00:06:49.479 And I said, "No, I want to learn what those students are learning. 00:06:49.479 --> 00:06:51.579 I want to see what their classrooms are like. 00:06:51.579 --> 00:06:53.759 What are public school teachers like?" 00:06:54.030 --> 00:06:56.308 So upon my insistence she enrolled me. 00:06:56.308 --> 00:06:58.548 And after two weeks of frustration, 00:06:58.548 --> 00:07:01.488 I came home pleading to go back to the Deaf school. 00:07:01.781 --> 00:07:06.028 She listened very sympathetically and told me, "Nope, too bad." 00:07:06.488 --> 00:07:08.188 I was floored. 00:07:08.488 --> 00:07:10.758 She told me I needed to stick it out for a year 00:07:10.758 --> 00:07:14.038 because I needed to learn how to interact with my hearing peers, 00:07:14.038 --> 00:07:16.007 and that if I gave it a little patience, 00:07:16.007 --> 00:07:18.597 I would learn so much about the world around me. 00:07:18.597 --> 00:07:21.578 Because the reality is the world is hearing. 00:07:21.950 --> 00:07:24.760 I was the only Deaf kid in the entire school. 00:07:25.049 --> 00:07:28.698 Of course, I always had hearing friends, but they could sign like me. 00:07:29.029 --> 00:07:31.088 So that year I gained a lot of insight. 00:07:31.088 --> 00:07:34.107 I couldn't be involved in any of the school organizations. 00:07:34.107 --> 00:07:37.329 My friends never learned enough sign to communicate. 00:07:37.599 --> 00:07:40.869 And every time I tried to play a sport, I'd get benched. 00:07:40.869 --> 00:07:44.800 The basketball coach told me a Deaf kid could never help the team win a game. 00:07:44.801 --> 00:07:46.640 And I was athletic. 00:07:47.831 --> 00:07:51.299 So after a year, I went back to the Deaf school 00:07:51.299 --> 00:07:54.558 where I realized that's my home. 00:07:54.838 --> 00:07:56.489 That's my community. 00:07:56.489 --> 00:07:59.340 And my community is where I can thrive. 00:07:59.800 --> 00:08:01.842 I got involved in the classroom again, 00:08:01.842 --> 00:08:03.970 joined a bunch of school organizations, 00:08:03.970 --> 00:08:08.080 and got back on the basketball team, where I helped win many games. 00:08:08.618 --> 00:08:13.530 So it's without hesitation that I can say the Deaf community is in fact my home. 00:08:14.358 --> 00:08:15.750 After graduating high school, 00:08:15.750 --> 00:08:18.600 I was accepted into the only Deaf university in the world: 00:08:18.600 --> 00:08:21.370 Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. 00:08:21.649 --> 00:08:24.139 It was there I gained my degree in mathematics 00:08:24.139 --> 00:08:26.339 with the intention of becoming a better teacher 00:08:26.339 --> 00:08:28.212 than the ones I had growing up. 00:08:28.559 --> 00:08:33.850 Like many of you, I sat through some math teachers who seriously sucked. 00:08:34.111 --> 00:08:35.350 (Laughter) 00:08:35.350 --> 00:08:37.770 I wanted to be a good math teacher. 00:08:38.060 --> 00:08:42.218 But I also wanted to be a good role model for those students. 00:08:44.778 --> 00:08:49.350 So as time got closer to graduation, of course I was nervous. 00:08:49.599 --> 00:08:52.818 I started questioning if I had made the right decision. 00:08:53.720 --> 00:08:56.198 And I decided to get out - 00:08:56.398 --> 00:08:59.328 to get out of my comfort zone and to travel the world. 00:08:59.580 --> 00:09:02.459 Since then, I've been to over 43 countries. 00:09:03.710 --> 00:09:05.908 And the funny thing about when I travel 00:09:05.908 --> 00:09:08.735 is that I'm constantly meeting hearing people who say, 00:09:08.735 --> 00:09:12.949 "Nyle, you are so brave. How do you travel like this? 00:09:12.949 --> 00:09:15.321 Isn't it hard to be Deaf and travel? 00:09:15.321 --> 00:09:17.390 It looks impossible." 00:09:18.468 --> 00:09:21.670 And let me tell you, traveling as a Deaf person, I think, 00:09:21.670 --> 00:09:25.193 is actually much easier than traveling for hearing people. 00:09:25.620 --> 00:09:28.640 Because sign language is something that gives me access 00:09:28.640 --> 00:09:30.678 to a much larger world. 00:09:33.440 --> 00:09:35.398 I'll tell you one of my favorite stories. 00:09:35.398 --> 00:09:39.878 A few years ago, I was in south Sicily perusing a flea market, 00:09:39.878 --> 00:09:41.969 when I walked into a butcher shop, 00:09:42.409 --> 00:09:46.099 and standing there is an American tourist trying to ask the butcher 00:09:46.099 --> 00:09:48.841 where the meat he was slicing is sourced from. 00:09:49.180 --> 00:09:54.610 So the Sicilian man, speaking no English, is gesturing, right? 00:09:54.610 --> 00:09:56.619 And you know Italians gesture. 00:09:56.619 --> 00:09:58.928 He's trying to explain where the meat comes from, 00:09:58.928 --> 00:10:01.289 and it's going right over the head of the tourist. 00:10:01.490 --> 00:10:04.409 So watching this very comical breakdown in conversation, 00:10:04.409 --> 00:10:06.919 I'm understanding everything perfectly, 00:10:07.189 --> 00:10:10.358 so I pull out a paper and a pen, 00:10:10.358 --> 00:10:12.378 and I translate what the butcher is saying, 00:10:12.378 --> 00:10:14.578 and I hand it over to the tourist and explain, 00:10:14.578 --> 00:10:16.438 "This is what he's trying to tell you." 00:10:16.438 --> 00:10:19.858 So there I am, the Deaf person translating for two hearing people. 00:10:20.108 --> 00:10:24.228 And in that situation, they're the ones disabled, not me. 00:10:24.229 --> 00:10:25.679 (Laughter) 00:10:28.529 --> 00:10:30.268 While that story is ironic, 00:10:30.268 --> 00:10:33.879 it happens so many times when I meet people in other countries. 00:10:33.879 --> 00:10:36.620 I'm always amazed to meet locals in other countries, 00:10:36.620 --> 00:10:39.649 and their ability to gesticulate and communicate with me, 00:10:39.649 --> 00:10:41.650 often quite easily. 00:10:42.930 --> 00:10:46.900 And I would always tell myself to visit the local Deaf schools 00:10:46.900 --> 00:10:49.227 and to make time to meet Deaf locals. 00:10:49.738 --> 00:10:52.174 But with every new Deaf school that I saw, 00:10:52.174 --> 00:10:55.971 I was sad to see that their schools were in terrible condition, 00:10:55.971 --> 00:10:59.382 and their education was greatly lacking. 00:10:59.780 --> 00:11:02.768 Often, I just couldn't believe my eyes. 00:11:03.558 --> 00:11:08.128 When I would meet Deaf adults, I realized a common thread very quickly. 00:11:08.128 --> 00:11:11.508 They either didn't have the same level of education I did 00:11:11.508 --> 00:11:15.640 or their language was incomplete, making it hard to communicate. 00:11:16.869 --> 00:11:19.689 They'd often complain to me that the system had failed them, 00:11:19.689 --> 00:11:21.860 and now they struggled to find work. 00:11:22.100 --> 00:11:23.358 And I kept asking myself, 00:11:23.358 --> 00:11:27.549 why is this happening, and why is this happening so often? 00:11:27.549 --> 00:11:30.270 Why am I somehow more fortunate? 00:11:30.459 --> 00:11:33.470 Growing up, I thought every deaf person in the world was like me 00:11:33.470 --> 00:11:36.098 and had the same opportunities that I did. 00:11:37.059 --> 00:11:38.838 So in returning to the United States, 00:11:38.838 --> 00:11:41.240 I decided to do some research on the topic. 00:11:41.240 --> 00:11:43.500 And what I found shocked me. 00:11:43.668 --> 00:11:46.719 There are currently more than 70 million deaf people in the world 00:11:46.719 --> 00:11:51.120 with only two percent of them having access to education in sign languages. 00:11:51.439 --> 00:11:54.538 Which means millions upon millions of deaf children 00:11:54.538 --> 00:11:56.882 not receiving the education they need, 00:11:56.882 --> 00:11:59.390 also known as education deprivation. 00:12:00.520 --> 00:12:04.309 I also learned that over 75 percent of hearing parents 00:12:04.309 --> 00:12:07.090 don't sign to communicate with their deaf children. 00:12:07.289 --> 00:12:08.858 Which is astonishing. 00:12:08.858 --> 00:12:11.618 Again, imagine millions and millions of deaf children 00:12:11.618 --> 00:12:14.798 without an education, without a language. 00:12:15.848 --> 00:12:18.799 Those children without language and access to education 00:12:18.799 --> 00:12:20.919 exhibit signs of brain damage. 00:12:25.020 --> 00:12:26.738 In my research, I also found 00:12:26.738 --> 00:12:29.448 that I'm a part of an even smaller group. 00:12:29.828 --> 00:12:33.088 Ten percent of Deaf children come from Deaf parents like mine. 00:12:33.088 --> 00:12:34.833 Only 10 percent. 00:12:34.833 --> 00:12:36.699 I'm incredibly lucky. 00:12:36.699 --> 00:12:39.640 I had access to language, an education, 00:12:39.640 --> 00:12:43.161 and I had parents who loved me and put me on a path to success. 00:12:43.331 --> 00:12:46.310 I wouldn't be who I am today without any of those things. 00:12:46.949 --> 00:12:49.739 So it was clear to me that something needed to be done. 00:12:50.878 --> 00:12:53.409 I got to work in setting up my own foundation - 00:12:53.409 --> 00:12:55.258 the Nyle DiMarco Foundation - 00:12:55.258 --> 00:12:56.999 with the goal of improving the lives 00:12:56.999 --> 00:12:59.362 of millions of deaf people around the world. 00:12:59.362 --> 00:13:02.969 We've since partnered with another Deaf organization in the United States 00:13:02.969 --> 00:13:04.838 to introduce legislation - 00:13:04.838 --> 00:13:08.369 a bill that requires all deaf children have access to language 00:13:08.369 --> 00:13:10.670 between the ages of zero and five, 00:13:10.670 --> 00:13:13.118 setting up benchmarks for their success. 00:13:13.329 --> 00:13:14.850 Because before the age of five, 00:13:14.850 --> 00:13:18.040 children have the ability to acquire a foundation in language, 00:13:18.040 --> 00:13:21.678 readying them for the classroom and for a successful life. 00:13:21.830 --> 00:13:26.139 After the age of five, that critical language acquisition window closes. 00:13:27.040 --> 00:13:30.869 I'm working to give every deaf child in the world a future 00:13:30.869 --> 00:13:32.210 filled with a rich language 00:13:32.210 --> 00:13:35.259 and the opportunities I was lucky enough to receive. 00:13:35.568 --> 00:13:37.910 But the Deaf community cannot do it alone; 00:13:37.910 --> 00:13:40.608 we need you to become our allies 00:13:40.608 --> 00:13:43.778 and join us in making the world more knowledgeable. 00:13:44.159 --> 00:13:48.890 We need you to join us, to fight with us and for us 00:13:48.890 --> 00:13:52.530 in the ongoing battle of affording children what they need to thrive. 00:13:56.779 --> 00:14:00.821 So before I go, I want to teach you two very simple but important signs. 00:14:01.259 --> 00:14:02.959 The first is "love." 00:14:02.959 --> 00:14:04.941 The second, "yourself." 00:14:05.154 --> 00:14:06.149 Follow me: 00:14:06.149 --> 00:14:07.639 Love 00:14:08.397 --> 00:14:09.899 yourself. 00:14:10.661 --> 00:14:11.958 Brilliant! 00:14:11.958 --> 00:14:14.619 A-plusses all around! 00:14:14.982 --> 00:14:16.540 Thank you. 00:14:16.540 --> 00:14:18.229 (Laughter)