‘Courage plus dreams equals success’

Do not let anyone stand in your way of learning, Academy Award-winning actress & activist Marlee Matlin told a crowd of over 150 people tonight in the Texas Southmost College Performing Arts Center in Brownsville.

Matlin is the first guest for the 19th season of the Distinguished Speaker Series and was accompanied by her interpreter Jack Jason.

She became the first deaf actress to win an Academy Award for her acting debut in the 1986 film “Children of a Lesser God.” 

Matlin is also known for her role in “CODA,” a three-time Academy Award-winning film that portrays deaf culture.  

During her conversation with students, faculty, staff and the public, Matlin focused on her upbringing and overcoming barriers.

She signed about how a famous movie critic wrote she won an Academy Award out of pity and she did not deserve it because she was deaf. 

“Thanks to the example set by my parents and the support of mentors and friends, I rewrote that formula for success for a deaf person,” Matlin signed. “And, along with the idea that somebody shared to me, which was ‘If you will it, it is not a dream.’ I eventually came to realize that no matter what I set my sights on, all my dreams can come true if I work to achieve them.” 

She also signed about audism that occurs in her career.

Merriam-Webster defines audism as “discrimination or prejudice against individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.”

Matlin explained she talked to a producer about a show about a deaf judge but the producer asked if she could speak the lines instead of signing. 

“I did my best to explain to him that giving summation and speaking … in a courtroom without the benefit of an interpreter would not be authentic for a profoundly deaf person who happened to be a judge,” she signed. 

The award-winning actress and activist advises parents of deaf children to explore every action or method to find the best education opportunities that match their childrens’ needs. 

“If you embrace that philosophy … that it’s about the child not the disabilities, barriers can be overcome,” Matlin signed. 

In the closing of her speech, Matlin taught the audience how to sign “courage,” “dream” and “success.”

“Take those three words … put them into a formula, courage plus dreams equals success and you will have the formula that will turn into a wonderful, wonderful formula for success that should be taught in every school and shared wherever someone faces a barrier,” she signed. 

Matlin said the audience should commit to being a force for good when it comes to focusing on inequalities. 

“Please remember to be loud and never stay silent,” she signed. 

For more information on the Distinguished Speaker Series, visit its webpage.