When I first set off for my year abroad, I didn’t realize how my hearing loss had prepared me for this adventure. Traveling with hearing loss has helped me be more present and accept situations that are out of my control.

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ashley Derrington. I’m originally from Atlanta, GA, spent the last five years in Los Angeles. Now, I’m living the digital nomad life. What does that mean exactly? I’m traveling with a company called WY_CO, a work-remote travel company. I’ve committed to this program for a year, so I’ll be living in a different country every month for a year. I work as a freelancer across many industries.

The new horror film starring Millicent Simmonds, “A Quiet Place”, is another film to hit the cinemas highlighting deaf culture.

Stars also include John Krasinski (director), and Emily Blunt. The film is set in the future and focuses on a family trying to survive after an alien attack. They use sign language to communicate and defend themselves from aliens. The aliens, who have hypersensitive hearing, rely on sound to hunt, attack and even kill their prey (animal or human) if it makes any sudden noise.

This film features many aspects of deaf culture including sign language, hearing technology and uses sound effects to create an environment for people to have an idea what it is like living in a world with limited sound.

In the beginning of my children’s hearing loss journey, I had no idea the complexity of hearing loss. Frequencies, decibels (dB), audiograms, pitches – were just random words that would eventually form into meaning.

I confess, that with limited understanding of the deaf world, I assumed you were either hearing or deaf. It didn’t occur to me that there was a whole wild world in-between. 

The show “This Close” is premiering February 14 and will be the first Hollywood TV series to have deaf writers, producers, and creators.

This is huge progress and we hope that this sets the standard for TV series and movies to come. The show is written, produced and created by Shoshannah Stern and Josh Feldman. Stern and Feldman are also starring as the main characters in the show. Other #deaftalent in the show includes Marlee Matlin and Nyle DiMarco.

Have you ever wondered what the most googled questions are about deaf people?

Phonak hEARo Jessica Flores wanted to know what the world is wondering about deaf people and made a video answering the top questions.

Six-year-old profoundly deaf actress, Maisie Sly, and former Hollyoaks star, Rachel Shenton, will be jetting off to Hollywood! The film that they star in, The Silent Child,  has been nominated for an Oscar.

The Silent Child, a short film written by Rachel and Chris Overton, tells the story a deaf child called Libby (Maisie Sly) who is born into a hearing family with limited knowledge about deafness. Once a social worker, Joanne (Rachel Shenton), comes along to teach the girl sign language, her family sees a remarkable change in her behavior and happiness.

Got a Sign Language exam coming up?

Any exam can be nerve-wracking, but language exams can be tough because they might mean more than just a paper and pen. Here are five tips to prepare for a sign language exam to help you feel more confident before stepping into the test.

Read more: How to learn sign language

What does it mean to be Deaf, deaf or hard of hearing?

Whether you are heavily involved in the Deaf/deaf/hard of hearing community, just learning about it, or somewhere in between, we would like to celebrate the diversity of deafness with you. We hope that this will clear up some confusion and inspire you to work with us on a goal of breaking down stigmas and spreading deaf awareness.

What is it like to have a father who doesn’t know how to empathize or sympathize with a child’s deafness?

That’s the base of a new movie called Wonderstruck, which stars 14-year-old deaf actress Millicent (Millie) Simmonds, who plays the role of 12-year-old Rose, a deaf child from 1927 who runs away to New York City in search of her favorite silent movie actress.

Directed by Todd Haynes, Wonderstruck is based on the book written by Brian Selznick, who also wrote the scripts for the movie. The movie showcases #deaftalent and highlights themes of deafness in different eras of history.