One of the great things about social media is that all kinds of people can make their voices heard about an infinite number of topics. And that goes double for marginalized people and folks with disabilities.
In short, it’s a megaphone for anyone who really wants to shine a light on subjects that the general public doesn’t really know that much about.
And that’s exactly what a young, deaf woman named Scarlet Waters does for her 4 million followers on TikTok.
Waters posts all kinds of videos to her account, but her main goal is to bring awareness about people who are hearing impaired.
@scarlet_may.1
One of her most popular (and most viral) videos is called “A Day in the Life of Deaf Ears.”
The video takes viewers through a typical day in Waters’ life and showcases the many obstacles that hearing-impaired people have to deal with on a daily basis.
@scarlet_may.1
“The most surprising aspect for me was how many people didn’t truly think about what it means to be deaf.
I feel like a lot of people knew, like, OK we can’t hear.
But I don’t think they realized how much they depend on their hearing for little things and the fact that we’re not able to do those things.”
@scarlet_may.1 Love you guys tho it’s just funny 😂🤣
She added,
“The most popular apps are not accessible to us: YouTube does automatic closed captions, [but they’re] not correct and the words will be all over the place.
Instagram does not provide closed captions, so think of all the educational videos you guys see.
We miss out on the important events daily. TikTok, the most popular app out right now, has nothing!”
That’s a good point that people who are not hearing-impaired have probably never considered before…
What do you think about this issue?
Does social media have a long way to go in regard to accessibility?
Sound off in the comments! Thanks in advance!
