Oscars 2018: Rachel Shenton signs her acceptance speech as a promise to the six-year-old star of her film
'So I want to say the biggest of thank yous to the Academy for allowing us to put this in front of a mainstream audience'
Oscar-winner Rachel Shenton became one of a short list to include sign language in their acceptance speech at the 2018 Oscars.
Shenton had won for The Silent Child, which she wrote and starred in, taking to the stage alongside its director Chris Overton. The Silent Child tells the story of Libby (Maisie Sly), a profoundly deaf four-year-old girl, who lives isolated until a social worker (Shenton) teaches her how to communicate through sign language.
"I made a promise to our six-year-old lead actress that I'd sign this speech," Shenton began. "Our movie is about a deaf child being born into a world of silence. It's not exaggerated or sensationalised for the movie."
"This is happening. Millions of children all over the world live in silence and face communication barriers. And particularly access to education. So, deafness is a silent disability. You can't see it and it's not life-threatening."
"So I want to say the biggest of thank yous to the Academy for allowing us to put this in front of a mainstream audience."
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