Millicent Simmonds took to Instagram to reflect on her American Sign Language (ASL) journey. The 19-year old American deaf artist starred in A Quiet Place and its sequel. She is an active propagator of the cultural movement to encourage artists with disabilities.
She posted this journey to honour Deaf History Month which is celebrated from March 13 through April 15. This month is a perfect time to understand the deaf and hard-of-hearing people and spread awareness about ASL.
About Millicent’s ASL Journey
It’s Deaf History Month and Millicent Simmonds shared a beautiful post of her childhood picture to reflect on her ASL. She wrote, “in honor of Deaf History Month, I’m sharing a look back on my ASL journey and how it’s forever bonded me with my family.”Â
In this post, you can see the little Millicent conversing with her mother in American Sign Language. Fans couldn’t hold back and poured their love into the comments. And why not, she was such an adorable child who grew up even prettier.
One fan wrote, “This is beautiful! Thank you for promoting Language access for Deaf kids!”. Another fan wrote, “Your face is so cute, I can’t stand it.” These pictures are a live example of the fact that your disabilities cannot restrict you from sharing your emotions.
The post symbolises the bond between a parent and a child who makes every effort to connect with their child. Moreover, it reflects the importance of ASL in the lives of people born with hearing impairment.
About Simmonds
Simmonds grew up in Utah. She lost her hearing at 12 months due to a medication overdose. However, her mother did not give up. She learnt American Sign Language to connect with her gorgeous child. Well, they say, communication knows no boundaries.
Simmonds once revealed in an interview that without ASL she would have been lost. She said, “I wouldn’t have a relationship with my own family, I wouldn’t have communication.” Simmonds sees her mother as a role model. She is the one who encouraged her to read books.
Now, Simmonds has a cochlear implant. She made her film debut in “Wonderstruck” when she was just 12. It is based on the deaf-themed juvenile novel “Wonderstruck”. In 2018, she came out with “A Quiet Place” and its sequel “A Quiet Place 2”. She has also appeared in a Disney Channel series “Andi Mack”.
Simmonds’ Deaf Advocacy
Millicent Simmond has become the face of a cultural movement to hire more actors with disabilities. She has also received the “Make An Impact Award” at the Greenwich International Film Festival for her role in A Quiet Place.
Interestingly, she also designed a face mask with a pathology clinical fellow that includes a transparent panel to allow lip-reading and assess facial observations. The proceeds have gone to deaf and hard-of-hearing organizations. She continues to follow the path of helping people with disabilities to achieve their dream.
FYI, 2-3 out of every 1000 children in the United States are born with hearing loss or a detectable level of partial or complete hearing loss. What do you think about the importance of ASL?
