SYNOPSIS

The 25-minute dramatic film, I Sign and I Live, is about Daisy, a Deaf teacher who faces prejudices and stereotypes in society at large. She faces a battle of wills in her own family with her sister over the matter of the upbringing of her niece Dawn. Her hearing sister Kay makes the decision to have her Deaf daughter, Dawn, fitted with a cochlear implant. Daisy is appalled at the decision. It amounts to Kay rejecting Dawn’s Deaf identity. Her sister Kay is under the false impression that having any amount of hearing, no matter how limited and no matter the risk involved in obtaining it, is better than being Deaf and is better than experiencing life as a visual being. Kay has always been prejudiced against Deaf people, though she was able to hide her prejudice until her decision to have Daisy implanted. Daisy is an educated professional and is hurt to discover Kay’s ignorance. Kay is less educated and does not work outside the home. She doesn’t believe that Deaf people can succeed professionally, even though she has witnessed Daisy’s success and her accomplishments. Daisy’s niece is removed from her signing classroom and placed in an oral, auditory-oriented class. She is not allowed to sign with anyone. Dawn is not allowed to interact with Daisy at all. The story of the battle between Daisy and her sister ends with a tragic conclusion. Kay, along with the larger society, tries to suppress the use of sign language, but Deaf people like Daisy continue fighting on to sign–and live.