Making Silent Change by Faith

Making Silent Change by Faith - June 2020 Scholarship Essay

As I am a teenager with severe hearing loss, I am eminently passionate about advocacy for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing individuals. With a combined desire to advocate and a love for rhetoric, composition, mise en scene, and literary symbolism, plan to become a film director and a simultaneous writer and motivational speaker. With my potential contributions in literature, I plan to normalize Deaf individuals, something that I was unable to experience when I was diagnosed with hearing loss at 13.
I refuse to limit my capabilities to a post-education status, so I currently strive to learn about film techniques and screenplay techniques that will benefit me in the future. My current screenplay revolves around a teenage girl who is Hard-of-Hearing and the social aspects of her disability. Through a unique approach, the audience does not realize the main character has hearing loss until the end of the film, which serves to normalize Deaf individuals as they are not unlike hearing individuals, contrary to popular belief. The eventual publishing of the short film is just my first step in bringing awareness to Hard-of-Hearing individuals by depicting them in literature. As my current short film is just the very beginning of my current journey to becoming a film director, I am learning how to incorporate Deaf characters in film, which is what I intend to do in the future. By being a film director, I would strive to bring aspects of the Deaf community within the films I direct. Most importantly, all characterizations and pieces of information within my films would be accurate, as they are a way of educating the audience. With such inclusion, I hope to bring awareness to Deaf individuals as most individuals in society are impacted most by forms of media, which includes film.
In addition to developing technique and skill for screenwriting and film direction, I plan on writing both fiction and nonfiction that integrates information, experiences, and stories that elaborate on the realities of being Hard-of-Hearing. By writing children’s books, I hope to introduce children to characters with hearing loss. Through the introduction of Deaf characters to a young age group, I hope to normalize hearing aids, cochlear implants, and other devices that would otherwise scare or intimidate children, as they already do. By writing novels for older audiences, I hope to introduce more Deaf characters in literature and contribute to eliminating stereotypes that are already present within modern-day culture. Through nonfiction works, I strive to inspire and influence others, as I have already experienced the effects of doing so. In my freshman year of high school, I was privileged to be on the cover of the magazine, Hearing Our Way, as well as have a featured article about my experiences. Through sharing my experiences, both positive and negative, in two pages of a magazine, I was told by dozens of individuals that my words motivated, educated, influenced, or inspired them. With the understanding that my words have the potential to truly impact others’ lives, I am utterly eager to publish my unique stories and experiences to educate individuals about hearing loss, as the majority of individuals do not truly understand enough to acknowledge the daily struggles that an individual with hearing loss experiences.
Lastly, through my hypothetical prestige as a hypothetical film director and published author, I plan to travel to schools, conferences, and events to speak about hearing loss. As the majority of the population lacks the education and knowledge to understand, much less accommodate, the struggles of an individual with hearing loss, I plan to reach out to those who lack education and understanding. By doing so, I hope to contribute to eliminating the stereotype that surrounds Deaf individuals, such as the belief that individuals with hearing loss are mute. By becoming a motivational speaker, I hope I can speak to those who would otherwise never be spoken to about the topic.
As I am a teen with hearing loss, I grew up without societal influence, as well as the daily repetition of explaining why my inability to fit a certain stereotype does not eliminate the validity of my disability. Through my love of the English language and my desire to advocate for Deaf individuals, I plan to write, direct, and speak wisdom and experience into the world of literature. My dream is to use my words in such a way that one exits a movie theatre, closes a book, or leaves an auditorium with sympathy, understanding, and appreciation for Deaf individuals that they would otherwise not possess.