It’s hard not to feel like an underachiever when you read about people like Marlee Matlin. Perhaps best known for her Oscar-winning performance in the 1986 film, “Children of a Lesser God,” Matlin was just 21 in 1987, when she became the youngest actress in history to receive the award for Best Actress in a debut film performance. In addition, Matlin was and still is, the only deaf actor ever to receive the award. Thirty years later, Matlin will receive another award—this time for her activism on behalf of people with disabilities.
After her Oscar win, Matlin went on to perform in many films and held major roles in television shows such as “The West Wing,” “Picket Fences,” “The L Word,” “Switched at Birth,” and “Dancing with the Stars.” Matlin is also an author, having published three children’s novels and a New York Times best-selling autobiography, “I’ll Scream Later,” in 2009. Matlin even has an app in which she teaches American Sign Language!
Though widely admired for her work in the arts, many fans are less knowledgeable about Matlin’s philanthropic work. That may have changed last week when multiple news outlets announced that Matlin, a spokeswoman for the National Association for the Deaf, will be honored in June with the Morton E. Ruderman Award in Inclusion for her activism on behalf of people with disabilities.
In a press release from the foundation, its president, Jay Ruderman said “Marlee Matlin is the embodiment of a force that has broken down barriers and changed perceptions of people with disabilities worldwide. Her long and celebrated career in Hollywood serves as a shining example of the value of including people with disabilities in our society.”
Matlin’s philanthropic work doesn’t end there. She also supports nonprofit organizations including the Red Cross, the American Humane Society, Feeding America, the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. During Bill Clinton’s presidency, she also supported and helped to pass congressional legislation that required all televisions made in America to be outfitted with closed-caption technology.
An inspiration for all of us, Matlin says she has “always resisted putting limitations on herself both professionally and personally.” Fortunately for all of the people she has fought for and continues to fight for, the actress also says, “Silence is the last thing the world will ever hear from me.”
