Im In My Mid-30s, Ive Won An

It Was Ability That Mattered, Not Disability, Which Is A Word I'm Not Crazy About Using.

All I Can Say Is I've Been Reading The Lips Of Bleeped-out Words, Angry Baseball Players, And Stoned-out Rock Stars On Awards Shows For Years And It's Been Hilarious. Everyone Is Always Asking Me What The Bleeped-out Parts Are Saying.

I Hope That Through My Example, Such As My Role On 'the West Wing,' I Can Help Change Attitudes On Deafness And Prove We Can Really Do Everything... Except Hear.

If I Were Offered A Cochlear Implant Today, I Would Prefer Not To Have One. But That's Not A Statement About Hearing Aids Or Cochlear Implants. It's About Who You Are.

I'm A Proud Person Who Happens To Be Deaf. I Don't Want To Change It. I Don't Want To Wake Up And Suddenly Say, 'oh My God, I Can Hear.' That's Not My Dream. It's Not My Dream. I've Been Raised Deaf. I'm Used To The Way I Am. I Don't Want To Change It. Why Would I Ever Want To Change? Because I'm Used To This, I'm Happy.