Liam O’Dell: And the award for inaccessibility goes to…

It’s telling that Oscar winner Troy Kotsur’s acceptance speech in American Sign Language was interpreted for a hearing audience, yet for Deaf viewers of this year’s glitzy award ceremonies, no access was available.

The Oscars and BAFTAs gushed over CODA – the Apple TV+ film about a child of Deaf adults – as a heart-warming coming-of-age drama, but clearly, they weren’t paying attention to the isolation that comes with inaccessible environments. The BAFTAs even got lead actress Emilia Jones on stage with two sign language interpreters, but didn’t think to keep these in shot throughout her performance.

There’s also the small matter of BAFTA host Rebel Wilson’s unnecessary joke about the ‘sign for Putin’. 

While the relevant film academies heap praise on CODA for its feel-good factor, their actions have shown us, once again, that the hearing gaze remains. 

Sign language is still a gimmick to them, and interpretation is only required when it benefits hearing audiences. Why aren’t the ceremonies interpreted in full for Deaf audiences?

According to Deaf musician Sean Forbes, the Grammys last weekend did the same, in that “99% of the live stream was not ASL [American Sign Language] accessible”.

“There is supposed to be an ASL livestream right now for the awards but I can’t find it […] not entirely accessible,” he added.

Yet in the middle of such damning inaccessibility, there was a glimmer of hope, as “Good 4 U” singer Olivia Rodrigo was commended online for bringing an ASL interpreter with her for red carpet interviews.

Thank you ⁦@oliviarodrigo⁩ for having an ASL interpreter with you on the red carpet! You ROCK! 🤟🏼🤟🏼 #grammys #asl #accessability pic.twitter.com/4mKivtG6k9

— Marlee Matlin (@MarleeMatlin) April 3, 2022

 

Of course, there is a sense where we shouldn’t be celebrating people doing the bare minimum expected of them in terms of access, but when institutions as big as the Grammy’s are failing in making their ceremonies accessible, attendees taking on the task – and demonstrating just how easy it is – is a powerful display of allyship.

It also demonstrates just how far we need to go. There is a risk, I feel, that CODA’s success will see the usual promises made to do better, only for these commitments to disappear the moment something bigger comes along.

We saw it at the Super Bowl, when Deaf rappers Sean Forbes and WaWa were hyped up as performers during the Half-Time Show, only to be relegated to their own separate stream. The American national anthem was interpreted into American Sign Language, thankfully, but not without individuals walking into show.

There is another name for promising access and then failing to deliver – performative allyship – and there’s no prizes for performances like that.

For televised events to only provide access when there’s a Deaf person present in the audience/involved in a programme is baffling, ignoring the obvious fact that Deaf viewers will be tuning in at home, too.

It also places a requirement on Deaf people to come forward and notify organisers of their access needs, and while I like to think many of us have the confidence to champion our own communication requirements, some Deaf people aren’t there yet.

It’s a dangerous approach to take where we only provide access when a Deaf and/or disabled person makes themselves known. Accessibility should be in place regardless.

We must of course celebrate the successes now, but when the next awards cycle comes around, we’ll be waiting to see where their intentions lie, and we’ll be watching…

Photo: BAFTAs and @MarleeMatlin/Twitter.

By Liam O’Dell. Liam is an award-winning Deaf freelance journalist and campaigner from Bedfordshire. He can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.