Deaf Family Matters

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Deaf Family Matters ✨Empowering the Deaf community & sharing culture
📍Chicago-based | Deaf AF
Cooking + fashion enthusiast
📧 Email me for collaborations or bookings!

10/05/2026

“Never mind, I’ll tell you later” might seem harmless, but for Deaf people, being dismissed repeatedly means being left out again and again.

As we get older, some of us reach that “I don’t give a f**k anymore” point. We stop asking and stop wanting to hang out with family or hearing people who keep excluding us. Why keep showing up if we’re never included?

If we ask what was said, repeat it, sign it, or type it. Let us decide whether it’s important. Access and belonging matter.



VD: QB has long blonde hair, red lipstick, and tattoos. She wears a red-and-white striped heart-print top against a pink background. Text reads, “When someone says ‘Never mind, I’ll tell you later.’” Age labels change from 5 to 10, 15, 20, and 30 as she acts out different reactions: holding a colorful toy at 5, staring at 10, rolling her eyes at 15, expressing “Now I need to know!” at 20, and dismissively waving toward the camera at 30, expressing “Bye Felicia! I’m out of here!”

09/29/2026

Hahahahaha!!! I had to try the “Hotel Lobby” trend Imagine me rapping too 😂 (laughing)

VD: Two versions of me, both with long platinum-blonde hair and wearing matching dark green outfits, pose side by side against a bright orange background. A microphone hangs between us as one version gestures toward the camera.

09/17/2026

Happy Deaf Awareness Month! I was honored to perform the 7th Inning Stretch in ASL at Cubs Deaf Inclusive Night alongside Johnny Galecki who sang it on the microphone. Such a beautiful and inclusive moment for our Deaf community!

Thank you Chicago Hearing Society for having me! CHS (Chicago Hearing Society)

VD: QB performs the 7th Inning Stretch in American Sign Language while Johnny Galecki sings into a microphone at Wrigley Field during Cubs Deaf Inclusive Night.

09/06/2026

POV: You’re the only Deaf guest at a hearing party.
They find out you’re Deaf and ask YOU if you need an ASL interpreter.

No fighting for access.
No having to ask first.

Just inclusion.
Because of the interpreter, I could communicate, connect, laugh, meet new people, and enjoy the party with everyone.

Hearing world, THIS is what accessibility looks like.
One Deaf guest is still worth accessibility.

Happy Deaf Awareness Month!

VD: A sunny rooftop pool party filled with guests socializing, swimming, and enjoying the celebration. QB the only Deaf guest at the party is seen communicating and connecting with hearing guests with the support of an ASL interpreter.

09/03/2026

September is Deaf Awareness Month. Yes, I’m Deaf, and this little girl dancing is me.

I’ve LOVED dancing my whole life.
When I was younger, I couldn’t hear the music the way the hearing girls around me could. I relied heavily on my EYES. I watched the other girls, their movements, timing, expressions, and choreography, to know when and how to move.

My eyes became one of my greatest tools. I learned early that music doesn’t have to be experienced in only one way. Deaf people can experience music through vibrations, visual cues, rhythm, movement, and other forms of access.
But there’s another part of my Deaf story people didn’t see.

Growing up, I didn’t always have access to a professional interpreter. For much of my life, my mom was the person I relied on to interpret for me.

I will forever love and appreciate my mom for everything she did to make sure I had access.

But when I became an adult, especially when I became pregnant as a single mom, I realized I needed something every adult deserves

PRIVACY.
INDEPENDENCE.
ACCESS.

There were personal conversations about my body, pregnancy, relationships, and my future that I didn’t want my mom to have to interpret.

Not because I didn’t love or trust her.

Because she is my MOM. She will forever be my mom, but she shouldn’t have to be my personal interpreter forever.

That is why professional ASL interpreters and communication access MATTER.
Deaf people deserve the same privacy, independence, choices, and direct access to information as everyone else. Family members should not have to take the place of professional interpreters. Deaf Awareness Month isn’t about feeling sorry for Deaf people.

It’s about ACCESS.
It’s about LANGUAGE.
It’s about INDEPENDENCE.
It’s about PRIVACY.
It’s about EQUALITY.

We dance.
We become parents.
We have careers.
We have relationships.
We live full lives.

We may experience the world differently, but different does not mean less.

That little Deaf girl grew up.

I’m still Deaf.
I’m still dancing.
And I’m proud of the woman and mother I’ve become.

HAPPY DEAF AWARENESS MONTH!

Make access the standard, not an afterthought.

09/01/2026

Back to school accessibility tip for Deaf parents!

Did you know you can use Convo for Zoom to get an ASL interpreter right in your Zoom meeting? As a Deaf mom, communication with my children’s teachers is so important to me. Sometimes waiting for an in person interpreter can take time, so I wanted to show other Deaf parents another way we can have accessible communication.

Open Zoom → Apps → Convo for Zoom → Get an Interpreter → THAT’S IT!!!

Whether it’s meeting your child’s teacher, a school check in, or another important conversation, knowing what accessibility options are available can make a difference.

Big thank you to the teachers who were willing to help me demonstrate how it works!

Save & share this with another Deaf parent who may not know about this yet!

08/17/2026

🇹🇭 [Thailand flag] 🔥 [fire] Come try some REAL Thai street food in Chicago with me!

I stopped by Kin Yum Tum Zaab and WHEWWW 😮‍💨 [face exhaling] 🔥 [fire] The food was sooo good!

🧋 [bubble tea] Thai iced tea — MY FAVORITE!! 10/10
🐟 [fish] Teriyaki salmon — 9/10
🥟 [dumpling] Crab Rangoon — THAT’S THE S**T! 😂 [face with tears of joy] 🔥 [fire] 10/10
🥜 [peanuts] Cashew — soooo good! 10/10
🍚 [cooked rice] Thai fried rice — WHEWWW! This right here?! Soooo gooood! 10/10 🔥 [fire]
🍮 [custard] Thai custard — my first time trying it! Interesting! 👀 [eyes] 8/10

The Thai iced tea, Crab Rangoon, and Thai fried rice were definitely my favorites! 😮‍💨 [face exhaling] 🔥 [fire]

Thank you so much KinYumTumZaab for having me! 🫶🏽 [heart hands] 🇹🇭 [Thailand flag] I had such a great time trying everything!

If you’re in Chicago and looking for some REAL Thai street food, check them out! 🇹🇭 [Thailand flag] 🔥 [fire]

Which one would you try first?! 👀 [eyes]

VD: QB with long platinum blonde hair and wearing a tiger print top, tastes and rates different Thai foods and drinks at Kin Yum Tum Zaab Thai Street Food in Chicago. She signs to the camera while showing her reactions to each dish.

08/16/2026

POV: You surprise a Deaf nail tech student who had NO idea you were going to be her client.

Her teacher reached out to me about Dulce, a Deaf nail tech student who wanted me to come get my nails done… so of course I had to surprise her!

The excitement when I walked in!! And y’all… Dulce did an AMAZING job. Look at these nails! She did THAT!

Supporting Deaf students and Deaf professionals MATTERS. When we show up for each other, support each other’s skills, and invest in our community, we help create more opportunities for Deaf professionals to thrive.

📍 IM Beauty School - Cosmetology, Nail Technology, Esthetics - 1236 N Roselle Rd, Schaumburg, IL 60195

ladulcenails, keep going! You got this!

VD: QB with long platinum blonde hair wearing a green strapless dress visits a beauty school to surprise Dulce, a Deaf nail tech student. Dulce reacts excitedly when she sees her. Clips show Dulce doing her nails and the two communicating in ASL. Dulce introduces herself to the camera, and the nail set is shown up close. The video ends with the two smiling together while Dulce holds a bouquet of red roses.

08/15/2026

I dated a hard of hearing guy who told me he wasn’t interested in the Deaf world and preferred the hearing world… but when we were dating, he needed me to use captions on my phone because he didn’t know ASL that well.

There’s nothing wrong with being in the hearing world, but if you’re hearing or hard of hearing and you want to date a Deaf woman, especially seriously, you gotta put in the effort too. Learn sign language. Learn our culture. Meet us halfway. You can’t expect us to always adjust to your world.

Transcript: I dated a hard of hearing guy who told me he wasn’t interested in the Deaf world and preferred the hearing world.

But what’s crazy is, when we were dating, he wanted me to turn captions on my phone while he was expressing himself because he didn’t know ASL that well.

If y’all hearing or hard of hearing guys date Deaf women or want to get serious with Deaf women, y’all gotta learn sign language and learn our culture.

You can’t expect us to always adjust to your world.

VD: QB with long platinum blonde hair wearing a leopard print top, gold jewelry, and red lipstick signs to the camera. She is standing in front of a soft pink background.

08/05/2026

I’ve seen a lot of questions about Deaf interpreters at concerts, so I wanted to explain how it works.

A Deaf interpreter isn’t interpreting alone. They work as part of a team with hearing interpreters. The hearing interpreters listen to the music, lyrics, and announcements, then relay that information in ASL to the Deaf interpreter. The Deaf interpreter then delivers the message in a natural, visually rich, and culturally appropriate way for the Deaf audience.

Deaf interpreters bring lived experience, deep knowledge of Deaf culture, visual language, and regional signing styles. Hearing interpreters bring their expertise in accurately receiving and relaying the spoken information. Together, they create meaningful access.

This video features Deaf and hard of hearing interpreters including me! My hope is to educate people about the important role Deaf interpreters play and encourage more concerts, festivals, and live events to include more Deaf interpreters on stage while continuing to work alongside hearing interpreters. There are many talented Deaf interpreters out there who deserve the opportunity to share their skills and help make live music more accessible for our community.

Have you ever seen a Deaf interpreter at a concert? Share your experience below!

VD: This video features clips of Deaf and hard of hearing interpreters, including me, interpreting live concerts on stage.

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