They Looked at the Interpreter, Not at Me

Part of the Personal Anchor series – moments that root identity and meaning.

I still remember the moment clearly.

I was signing, sharing my thoughts, my story, my truth, and every pair of eyes in the room turned to the interpreter instead.

Not to me.

Not to the person speaking.

Not to the person living the experience.

In that instant, I felt myself disappear.

It was as if my voice existed only when filtered through someone else’s.

Moments like that stay with you.

They shape how you see power, visibility, and the quiet ways Deaf people are pushed to the sidelines, even when we’re the ones speaking.

But awareness brings clarity.

And clarity brings change.

I share moments like this because no Deaf person should ever feel invisible in their own conversation.

For my son. For Deaf generations.

That’s why I keep speaking up.

Do people looking at the interpreter instead of you feel dismissive?