Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Marlee Matlin not worried about Dancing with Stars

The media is making much of Marlee Matlin's hearing impairment now that it is official that she will be on ABC's new season of "Dancing with the Stars."

Matlin explains in USA Today Feb. 18 that "Deaf people can do anything except hear. My deafness will limit my ability only if I let it."

The media see her as the heiress to Heather Mills' "disability spot" on the show, and I mean that as sarcastically as it sounds. Mills has a prosthetic leg and competed well, and Matlin has a serious hearing impairment and will dance wonderfully on the show I'm sure (she has danced in several scenes in "The L Word," where she is a cast member.) One thing that people don't understand is that music is felt, not just heard. (See my blog post on deaf percussionist Evelyn Glennie where she explains how people experience music with their whole body.)

I thought the lead of the USA Today story had a negative tone: "Heather Mills competed with a prosthetic leg on Dancing With the Stars. Next up: a woman who can't hear the music."

Hopefully Matlin's time on the show will help educate the entire country about the many abilities of deaf and hearing impaired people, which is what she hopes the audience will take from her participation. But she says the most important reason for saying "yes" to the show -- her husband and four kids love "Dancing with the Stars."