Deaf Role Models: People Who Show Us What is Possible

What is a Deaf Role Model?

A deaf role model is a deaf person who shows other deaf people that they can be successful and happy. Role models use sign language and are proud of being deaf. They work in many different jobs and help other deaf people feel confident about their future.[1][2]

Politicians and Government Leaders

Sofia Isari from Greece is the current President of the European Union of the Deaf and works as a kindergarten teacher and sign language expert.[3]

Helga Stevens from Belgium is a member of the European Parliament and was the first deaf person in Belgium to get a law degree.[4][1]

Ádám Kósa from Hungary was the first deaf member of the European Parliament.[5][1]

Helene Jarmer from Austria was a member of the National Council and chaired the Austrian Association of the Deaf.[4][5]

Lawyers and Legal Professionals

Dr Gergely Tapolczai from Hungary is chair of the Deaf Lawyers Working Group at the European Union of the Deaf and works on human rights issues.[6][7]

Sofia Kalinova from Bulgaria is a barrister who works with the Deaf Lawyers Working Group.[7]

Christos Dagres from Greece is a lawyer who contributes to deaf legal rights work.[7]

Filipe Venade from Portugal is a legal expert working on sign language legislation.[7]

Teachers and Educators

Berglind Stefánsdóttir from Iceland was the first deaf principal at a deaf school in Iceland and former EUD President.[8][9]

Dennis Hoogeveen from the Netherlands is a teacher who runs his own company and was Secretary-General of the European Union of the Deaf Youth.[10][11]

Annelies Kusters from Belgium is the UK’s first deaf professor of Deaf Studies at Heriot-Watt University.[12][13]

Lydia Gratis from Ireland is the founder and director of Saved By The Sign (SBTS), a global initiative focused on social justice and inclusion within BIPOC deaf communities, and a former president of the European Union of Deaf Youth.[82]

Mental Health Professionals

Herbert Klein from the UK is a deaf mental health professional who worked for over 30 years in the NHS and is President of the British Society for Mental Health and Deafness.[14][15]

Jeantine Janse from the Netherlands is a deaf psychologist and psychotherapist specializing in EMDR, CBT, and SFT at Doof & Co clinic in Amsterdam.[16][17]

Dr Sara Rhys-Jones from the UK is a deaf clinical psychologist who provides sign language therapy for deaf children and adults.[18]

Dr. Sanjay Gulati, born in England and now working in the USA, is a deaf child psychiatrist known for his research on language deprivation syndrome.[19][20]

Aleluya Peña from Spain is a deaf health psychologist and sexologist who offers accessible psychological, sexual and couple therapy in sign language and works with deaf and deafblind clients.[83]

Artists and Painters

Hendrick Avercamp (1585–1634) from the Netherlands was one of the first Dutch landscape painters and was known as “de Stomme” (the mute).[21]

Juan Fernández Navarrete (1526–1579) from Spain was called “El Mudo” (the mute) and communicated through his drawings.[21]

Paul Ritter (1829–1907) from Germany became deaf at age four and was known for his large architectural pictures of old Nuremberg.[22]

Arnaud Balard from France is a contemporary deaf artist who pioneered a unique form of art in Europe called “surdisme”.[23]

Actors and Film Stars

Anne Zander is Germany’s leading deaf actress who calls for more opportunities for deaf actors in European films.[24]

Emilia Jones from the UK learned sign language for the Oscar-winning film CODA and became a strong advocate for deaf actors.[25]

Nadeem Islam from the UK is a deaf actor known for roles in The Bay and other productions, and is active in promoting Deaf representation in film and media.[26][27]

Several other deaf actors appear in European films and TV shows, helping deaf children see themselves represented in media.[26][27]

Musicians and Composers

Ludwig van Beethoven from Germany composed his greatest works, including Symphony No. 9, after becoming completely deaf.[28][29]

Bedřich Smetana from Czech Republic composed “Vltava” (The Moldau) while deaf.[29]

Gabriel Fauré from France continued composing despite hearing distortions that made everything sound out of tune.[29]

Chefs and Restaurant Owners

Sid Nouar from France was the first deaf person to open a restaurant in France with his Moroccan restaurant “1000 & 1 Signes” in Paris.[30][31]

Christophe Taveirne from Belgium owns Soepbar Sordo in Ghent, the first deaf-owned restaurant in Belgium.[30]

Unnur Pétursdóttir from Iceland won the international Deaf Chef cooking contest in Denmark.[32]

Fashion Designers and Models

Laura Tailor from Latvia is a deaf fashion designer based in East London and was nominated for the Commonwealth Fashion Exchange Award in 2018.[33]

Luke Christian from the UK is founder of fashion brand DEAF IDENTITY and won awards for his work with deaf and LGBTQI+ communities.[34]

Gergely Szabó from Hungary is a deaf fashion designer who sells handmade clothes in downtown Budapest.[35]

Imy Harris from the UK was featured in British Vogue modeling designer hearing aid covers.[36]

Writers and Authors

Pierre Desloges from France was the first deaf person to publish a book in 1779, defending the use of sign language in education.[37]

Sara Novic is a deaf author who wrote the novel True Biz about deaf students at a residential deaf school.[38][39]

Sarah Marsh from the UK wrote A Sign of Her Own, exploring deaf experiences in 19th-century Boston and London.[39]

Sports Athletes

Charlotte Payne from the UK is a British champion hammer thrower who competed at World Championships.[40]

Danii from Scotland is a deaf swimmer who holds 10 world records and won gold medals at the Deaflympics.[41]

Many other deaf athletes compete across Europe in various sports, showing that deaf people can excel in any athletic field.[42][41]

Journalists and Media

Noemi Churlet from France founded Médiapi, the first deaf-owned media company in France producing news in sign language.[43]

The Deaf Journalism Europe network connects deaf journalists across multiple European countries.[45]

Scientists and Inventors

Dimitri Kanevsky is a deaf researcher at IBM who holds 159 US patents and developed technology to help deaf people communicate by phone.[46]

Emerson Romero was a Cuban-American deaf engineer who designed special alarm systems for deaf parents and workers.[47]

European researchers work on projects to understand genetic causes of hearing loss and develop new treatments.[48]

Why These Role Models Matter

These deaf role models across Europe show that deaf people can excel in any field. They promote sign language and deaf culture, inspire deaf children to dream big, and demonstrate that deafness is not a barrier to achievement.[1][4]