I Was The Youngest And Only Girl

I Grew Up In The Suburbs Of Chicago, And In Spite Of What Most People Might Have Expected From A Young Girl Growing Up Deaf, Life For Me Was Like One Long Episode Of The Brady Bunch. Despite Whatever Barriers Were In My Way, I Imagined Myself As Marcia Brady Skating Down The Street Saying “hi” To Everyone, Whether They Knew Me Or Not.

Everybody's Got A Job To Do, And I Do Mine As Best I Can.

I Was 21 Years And 218 Days Old When I Received The Academy Award For Best Actress. I Had Just Stepped Into An Imaginary World That I'd Seen At A Distance For Years.

I'm The Only One In My Family Who Is Deaf, And There Are Still Conversations That Go Around Me That I Miss Out On. And I Ask What's Going On, And I Have To Ask To Be Included. But I'm Not Going To Be Sad About It. I Don't Live In Sad Isolation. It's Just A Situation I'm Used To.

I Have Made The Choices That Work Best For Me. I Know I Cannot Please Everyone, And That's Fine.