How my life changed when I wore my hearing aids
March 5, 2020
Watch: How a connexin 26 family thrives with help from Phonak hearing aids
March 9, 2020Nyle DiMarco’s “Love is Blind” parody is perfectly relatable
Photo credit:instagram.com/loveisblindfans/
Deaf model and activist Nyle DiMarco posted a parody video of the popular Netflix show “Love is Blind” that is going viral on social media.
In DiMarco’s “Love is Blind” parody, he shows what it would be like to have a deaf person be a part of the show. In Netflix’s “Love is Blind” dating contestants seek to find their true love through conversations with each other that take place in separate rooms with a wall in between them. The date continues without the contestant seeing the person they are on a date with, only hearing their voice.
“Love is Blind” parody
Deaf people often communicate using sign language or by reading lips, both of which require seeing a person to communicate. Therefore a deaf contestant on the show would not be able to take part without accessibility changes.
DiMarco makes this clear as he created a humorous video to show his perspective featuring a hearing person, played by his interpreter Greyson Dale, verbally talking and a deaf person, played by DiMarco himself, signing in American Sign Language (ASL) with a wall in between them.
“Hi! My name is Nyle,” DiMarco signs to the wall as he looks around for a camera that he can face as he is signing. “Umm, I’m not sure how this works. Is there a camera anywhere?”
“Hi! My name is Grey!” Dale says, then waits after a long pause to speak again. “What is your name? The quiet type…”
DiMarco continues to sign explaining his deafness to his potential date on the other side of the wall, when the hearing person shouts, “Are you deaf?!”
DiMarco posted the video with the caption, “Either Love is Blind… or he is Deaf 
“
Either Love is Blind… or he is Deaf 😂 pic.twitter.com/gMXmTMILB6
— Nyle DiMarco (@NyleDiMarco) March 2, 2020
The video now has over 160,000 views on Twitter and over 300,000 views on Instagram.
Spreading deaf awareness
DiMarco works hard to spread deaf awareness particularly when there is a lack of accessibility in the world of pop culture. When singer Ariana Grande released her music video for the song “thank u next” without closed captions, DiMarco made his own video in ASL to Grande’s song “7 rings.” After seeing his video Grande was sure to include captions when her “7 rings” music video was released and she added captions to her “thank u, next” music video.
Read more: Nyle DiMarco makes deaf-friendly version of Ariana Grande video
Tips for dating with hearing loss
If you are dating someone with hearing loss, be sure there are no walls involved! HearingLikeMe writer Ashley Derrington shares her top tips for dating someone with hearing loss.
1) Communicate clearly
2) Set your TV to show closed captions
3) Let them pick optimal seating
4) Be willing to repeat yourself
