As a child of immigrants, a grandchild of refugees, a Deaf woman of color, an artist and a mother, I was proud to perform the national anthem and “America the Beautiful” in American Sign Language at the opening of the Super Bowl on Sunday. I accepted the invitation to represent the National Association of the Deaf in partnership with the National Football League because I wanted to express my patriotism and honor the country that I am proud to be from — a country that, at its core, believes in equal rights for all citizens, including those with disabilities. So while Yolanda Adams and Demi Lovato sang on the 50-yard line at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, I signed along on the 40.
Unfortunately, while the performance was broadcast in real time on the jumbo screens in the stadium, those watching on their televisions, computers and phones got a seriously truncated version.
While Fox Sports announced the signed performance of the two songs on Twitter, it did not actually show it. On the television broadcast, I was visible for only a few seconds. On what was supposed to be a “bonus feed” dedicated to my full performance on the Fox Sports website, the cameras cut away to show close-ups of the players roughly midway through each song.
Why have a sign language performance that is not accessible to anyone who would like to see it? It’s 2020: We’ve had the technology to do so for decades. And people noticed. The deaf actress Marlee Matlin, who has signed the anthem at three Super Bowls (in 1993, 2007 and 2016), tweeted:
To ALL networks: next time at #SuperBowl when the signer like @chrisunkim is performing #NationalAnthem & America the Beautiful they should be on the broadcast the WHOLE time, not a few seconds. SHOW the beauty of ASL either in a bubble, split screen or next to singer It’s time! pic.twitter.com/C9gKykgZAI
— Marlee Matlin (@MarleeMatlin) February 3, 2020
To be honest, it was a huge disappointment — a missed opportunity in the struggle for media inclusiveness on a large scale. Though thrilled and excited to be on the field serving the deaf community, I was angry and exasperated.
Still, my pride in being chosen for this performance was genuine. Because of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, I have been afforded the rights and access that have allowed me to live a life on par with my fellow citizens. I am able to watch TV with captions, make phone calls through an online video platform, and have interpreters provided for my education, among many other privileges. I have traveled to many countries and witnessed firsthand the lack of equality for deaf people all over the world, making me appreciate being an American even more. I realize that being a citizen of this country is not something to be taken for granted