Oscar wins for 'CODA' bring tears, elation to Deaf community

When “CODA” won the Oscar for best picture in Los Angeles, movie stars from Samuel L. Jackson to Nicole Kidman waved their hands instead of clapping in recognition of the Deaf community. At home in suburban New York, Laurie Ann Barish cried, overcome by what she said was a long overdue feeling of acceptance.

Like the film’s acronymic title, Barish was raised by a deaf parent, her mother, now 85. She said she saw her own life in the story about a Massachusetts family “that wants to be heard” and to be seen as no different from anyone else.

“The deaf world is finally unmuted,” said Barish, a 61-year-old personal assistant who lives in Long Beach, New York. “I wish this happened when I was younger, for my mom. It was a wonderful gift. It was for the world to see that we’re all the same. We’re all the same.”

“CODA” is a tender, coming-of-age tale about the only hearing member in a deaf family that became a crowd-pleaser and earned widespread critical acclaim to become the first film with a largely deaf cast to win best picture. It stars a trio of actors who are deaf, while offering an authentic depiction of Deaf life. For many in that community, the Oscar win provides an unprecedented feeling of affirmation, while offering a measure of Hollywood's recent progress.

“CODA” was the first film that “allowed Deaf people to be normal, hard-working individuals trying to raise a family, and navigate the world,” said William Millios, who is deaf and works in freelance videography and web development in Montpelier, Vermont.

“It showed their very real frustrations, without making them into pitiable objects that needed to be saved,” the 56-year-old added.

The film won two other Oscars. Troy Kotsur won best supporting actor to become the first male deaf actor to win an Oscar, and...