Slides:    • What If You Couldn't Talk? (Slides) |...  

Justina Miles discusses the challenges faced by the Deaf community due to language deprivation. Miles advocates for the importance of American Sign Language (ASL) in cognitive development and social inclusion, calling for greater acceptance and integration of Deaf culture.

Introduction: Alberto Medero, ASL Artist Justina Miles is a Deaf performer, who went viral during her performance at Super Bowl LVII. She is the first person to perform the ASL rendition of The Black National Anthem at the Super Bowl and the first Deaf woman to perform ASL for the Halftime Show. Justina has shared her story across prominent media outlets such as ELLE, CBS This Morning, The View, and British Vogue, where she graced the May 2023 cover. She has performed at numerous musical and cultural events, such as CNN's Juneteenth Concert, Broccoli City Fest, Dreamville Festival and more. Justina was also a Deaflympics track athlete, representing Team USA and taking home a silver medal at the 2021 Summer Deaflympics. Justina’s mission is to show the world more authentic representations of Deaf people, and her long-term goal is to open her own nursing practice at Gallaudet University, a specialist school for the Deaf and hard of hearing, so that there can be more Deaf nurses. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx