Male model and activist Nyle Dimarco has a foundation that seeks to improve the lives of Deaf children around the world. He was the winner of the 22nd season of “America’s Next Top Model,” and he also suffers from the condition.
This 28-year-old supermodel heads a non-profit organization called “The Nyle DiMarco Foundation,” which aims to improve access to early language acquisition among deaf children. His foundation believes that each child, no matter what his or her condition is, deserves love and language.
The focus of his advocacy is on literacy development and bringing language to these children.
This will be carried out through a bilingual teaching approach, the official website said.
“Ninety percent of deaf children are born to hearing parents. And so often, when parents find out that their baby is deaf, it’s the first deaf person they’ve met in their entire life,” the model shared in his video on NowThis. “So naturally, they do not know what to do. They do not know if deaf people can have successful lives.”
Even deaf children have dreams
His foundation is driven by the reality that children can grow up to be anything they want. Whether they dream to become a firefighter, policeman, doctor, computer expert, college professor, actor or an internationally-acclaimed supermodel, language is key to defining their future.
The Nyle DiMarco Foundation strives to improve access to these resources, especially among parents of deaf children. When parents have concerns and doubts about this condition, they will know where exactly they can find the right answers.
DiMarco was born to a family with the condition, as 25 members of their family are suffering from it.
But that did not stop him from doing what he wants and fulfilling his dreams.
He bested the other contestants during the 22nd season of “America’s Next Top Model,” after winning the grand prize. He is now practicing his craft as a professional model, touring the world for photo shoots, castings, campaigns, and projects.
Statistics
According to his foundation’s website, there are around 70 million deaf individuals around the world, and around 400 million immediate family members. Only two percent of their population has access to sign language teaching.
Statistics for those who can communicate with their deaf children is also small. Parents who communicate with their children with the use of sign language only comprise 25 percent of the deaf children’s family members.
