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Deaf actress moves Seattle crowd with message of courage
For some people, the tears came during the story of a deaf girl who hit the big time in Hollywood. Others grabbed for tissues as teachers were thanked for speaking up on behalf of those who can't speak themselves.
A few got choked up just seeing Marlee Matlin, the Academy Award-winning actress who was the keynote speaker Wednesday night at the Council for Exceptional Children Convention and Expo.
Her speech gathered about half of the roughly 4,700 educators expected this week at the convention, which runs through Sunday at the State Convention and Trade Center. Most are from school districts across the nation.
"I know," the acclaimed actress told the crowd, "that I am here today because people like you listened to me."
Though most people there knew her story, Matlin explained that her parents wanted her to grow up doing what she loved -- and to be accepted doing it.
Matlin's mother encouraged her go into acting, and she debuted as Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz," performing at a community theater near Chicago. When Henry Winkler visited near the peak of his fame, then-13-year-old Matlin insisted on meeting him and saying she wanted to be an actor just like him.
Her mother pulled the "Happy Days" star aside and asked him to choose his words carefully. Matlin's mother worried that if her daughter went to Hollywood, she'd only experience pain and disappointment.
"Marlee, sweetheart, you can be whatever you want to be," she recalled hearing from Winkler, who as a child had teachers insult him because of undiagnosed dyslexia.
Nine years later, Matlin won the Oscar for Best Actress for her role in "Children of a Lesser God."
Carol White isn't a crier. But after hearing Matlin's speech, she, too, couldn't help the tears.
"Her message is soul inspiring," she said of the actress, who also appeared on "The West Wing" and "Dancing With the Stars." "It touches you deep."
White, a program facilitator in Clark County, Nev., said she was impressed with the support Matlin's parents provided.
When Matlin was teased for wearing hearing aids, her dad coached her to overcome it. When a yellow sign was put near their house to warn cars about a deaf child, Matlin's parents convinced their daughter it wasn't negative, rather a sign for friends to know where she lived.
"It's just so important for parents to put their kids on the right path," White said. "You wonder where she would be without the support of her parents."
White thought of her own son, Andy.
White said Andy was was born with learning disabilities and is emotionally handicapped. White was told early that her son wouldn't be successful. Some thought he might end up in jail because of his behavior.
"When you're a poor learner you act out a lot," White said.
Matlin's path wasn't always easy, either. She spoke of a critic who wrote that she won the Academy Award based on sympathy, and that her later career wouldn't be remarkable.
Some kids growing up were cruel. A television executive once asked on a set if Matlin's character would be deaf all season. On a flight, an attendant once pulled away a regular menu and brought back one in Braille.
But Matlin, now a mother of four, wasn't deterred. And with a supportive family, Andy White found his path, too.
Now 28, he has a successful job fighting wildfires in Northern California.
Though Matlin didn't hear his story, it seemed to fit the message she tried to convey to the audience: combining courage and dreams will lead to success.
"I will always be listening to my children and any child that wants to be heard," Matlin signed to the crowd. "In the end, silence will be the last thing the world will ever hear from me.
"And I know and can feel that it's the same for you."
For some people, the tears came during the story of a deaf girl who hit the big time in Hollywood. Others grabbed for tissues as teachers were thanked for speaking up on behalf of those who can't speak themselves.
A few got choked up just seeing Marlee Matlin, the Academy Award-winning actress who was the keynote speaker Wednesday night at the Council for Exceptional Children Convention and Expo.
Her speech gathered about half of the roughly 4,700 educators expected this week at the convention, which runs through Sunday at the State Convention and Trade Center. Most are from school districts across the nation.
"I know," the acclaimed actress told the crowd, "that I am here today because people like you listened to me."
Though most people there knew her story, Matlin explained that her parents wanted her to grow up doing what she loved -- and to be accepted doing it.
Matlin's mother encouraged her go into acting, and she debuted as Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz," performing at a community theater near Chicago. When Henry Winkler visited near the peak of his fame, then-13-year-old Matlin insisted on meeting him and saying she wanted to be an actor just like him.
Her mother pulled the "Happy Days" star aside and asked him to choose his words carefully. Matlin's mother worried that if her daughter went to Hollywood, she'd only experience pain and disappointment.
"Marlee, sweetheart, you can be whatever you want to be," she recalled hearing from Winkler, who as a child had teachers insult him because of undiagnosed dyslexia.
Nine years later, Matlin won the Oscar for Best Actress for her role in "Children of a Lesser God."
Carol White isn't a crier. But after hearing Matlin's speech, she, too, couldn't help the tears.
"Her message is soul inspiring," she said of the actress, who also appeared on "The West Wing" and "Dancing With the Stars." "It touches you deep."
White, a program facilitator in Clark County, Nev., said she was impressed with the support Matlin's parents provided.
When Matlin was teased for wearing hearing aids, her dad coached her to overcome it. When a yellow sign was put near their house to warn cars about a deaf child, Matlin's parents convinced their daughter it wasn't negative, rather a sign for friends to know where she lived.
"It's just so important for parents to put their kids on the right path," White said. "You wonder where she would be without the support of her parents."
White thought of her own son, Andy.
White said Andy was was born with learning disabilities and is emotionally handicapped. White was told early that her son wouldn't be successful. Some thought he might end up in jail because of his behavior.
"When you're a poor learner you act out a lot," White said.
Matlin's path wasn't always easy, either. She spoke of a critic who wrote that she won the Academy Award based on sympathy, and that her later career wouldn't be remarkable.
Some kids growing up were cruel. A television executive once asked on a set if Matlin's character would be deaf all season. On a flight, an attendant once pulled away a regular menu and brought back one in Braille.
But Matlin, now a mother of four, wasn't deterred. And with a supportive family, Andy White found his path, too.
Now 28, he has a successful job fighting wildfires in Northern California.
Though Matlin didn't hear his story, it seemed to fit the message she tried to convey to the audience: combining courage and dreams will lead to success.
"I will always be listening to my children and any child that wants to be heard," Matlin signed to the crowd. "In the end, silence will be the last thing the world will ever hear from me.
"And I know and can feel that it's the same for you."