Trend on Deaf Actors in Films?

Lately there seems to be of lot of gripes by some Deaf people about how actors (a term I use to describe both female and male actors) who play deaf characters are not, ahem, "deaf enough" and that Deaf actors should be doing the play acting instead. Also, along the line of these gripes is that people seem to complain that there isn't enough shows, movies or televisions that have Deaf people in them.

First off, I feel all of this is a bit of a hyperbole of expression coming from some of these complainers about the "lack" Deaf actors in films or shows. Secondly, there continues to be a trend of more Deaf and deaf actors playing deaf character roles lately over the last 10 years than it did the previous 10 years. Just like we're seeing a trend in technology that offer better communication access to people with hearing loss. Still we get these certain types of people who are NEVER satisfied (I call them 'whiners' because they take things to the extreme) with anything and think in terms of "continuous oppression" mentality. What a load of....

Ok.

There are about 30 million people in the United States (out of 300 million) that have hearing loss. Approximately 900,000 of them are considered to be a part of the Deaf population which makes them to be the pretty small minority of people with hearing loss. And guess which audience will Hollywood cater mostly to? Yep. The mostly hearing population part. Not a surprise.

Over the last 10 years (1997 - 2007) there were many more films produced that have ASL components to it and/or with deaf actors in than compared to 10 years earlier (1986 - 1996). So, it's pretty obvious on the increasing number of Deaf actors in films and television shows. But is not just in the United States that we are seeing more Deaf/deaf actors play the roles of Deaf/deaf characters but elsewhere in other countries.

These kinds of progression in films and televisions do not happen overnight but the trend has been positive so far. However, many Deaf people are adamant that Deaf actors should not play dual roles where one could either sign or talk. Just as Marlee Matlin has done.

Matlin has played the lead role in Against Her Will: The Carrie Buck Story, a made for television movie based on the true story of a landmark Supreme Court case that addressed the experimental sterlization of mentally challenged women. Most fans who have seen Matlin’s performances on television or in film agree that her ability to speak is so refined that they cannot tell she is hearing impaired.

And when she did use her voice in one film (or in the case at the Academy Award) mass outrage ensued by many Deaf people over Marlee Matlin who dared to use her voice and not sign.

Gasp! The world crumbles! ASL will soon be obsolete! Aeeeiiii!

Now, what's wrong with Deaf actors who can play dual roles as a signer or be able to use his/her voice in another role? Or even do a bit of both in films? And they object? A little tight in the underpants are they perhaps?

Now let me end this by saying that there is no active central database on the internet that covers which movies, shows, television parts (e.g. news, specials such as PBS, etc) or plays that have Deaf/deaf actors or have Deaf/deaf contestants or competitors (e.g. Christy Smith in Survivor) for example that people can access and add to (see John Lubotsky as a possible source to update) that list . This sort of database would greatly add and expand on whats really out there for people to more fully informed. For example, information about a possible deaf contestant in Big Brother or an upcoming move such as Dummy Hoy would be one way how such a database could be used. If people were smart enough and have the time to do this massive compilation they would start compiling these information into an online central database over the internet. Doing so would allow anyone to query that database and look for a specific show, topic (e.g. such if a Deaf/deaf actor used his/her voice, signed or used Cued speech, etc) or person. In short a deaf Google of sort. Not just a Deaf Google but deaf Google since not everybody who is deaf or hard of hearing is Deaf.