MATTHEW KELLEY
Kelley, 22, of Westford, is a DJ. He spins house, trance, drum-and-bass, and hip-hop, mixing one beat seamlessly into another. Kelley, who also plays guitar, was born deaf. ''I'm not like Beethoven," he says. ''I didn't know what music sounded like."
Kelley is in the PhD program at UMass-Amherst, where he's studying to be an audiologist. He wants to give back what he so gratefully received when he was young. ''If I didn't get help when I was a kid, I wouldn't be where I am today," he says.
Kelley recalls falling asleep as a youth to the vibrations from the music his father, a band member, performed. ''When I spin, I want to feel the vibrations so I spin very loud," Kelley says. ''A vibration can be as beautiful as a sound."
Kelley feels that a lack of understanding leads to stereotypes and misconceptions about the deaf. ''People think you're stupid," he says. ''When I was a kid, I felt uncomfortable [when people would stare], but now I see it as a fascination. I love it when people come up to me and ask questions about it. I don't mind at all.
''I never viewed this as a handicap. I gotta work harder. It made me strive for my PhD, and I'll be able to help people. It's been beneficial."
That is such an awesome story about Matthew. I never met a deaf DJ before, and it would be so great if I did meet one. Imagine just through vibrations, he can actually feel the music and what kind of music he is playing, and enjoying.
