New Film Features First Deaf-Blind Actor in a Lead Role

Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults (HKNC), a division of Helen Keller Services (HKS), has announced that Feeling Through, the first film ever to feature a deaf-blind actor in a lead role, will have its New York City premiere on December 3rd at The Landmark at 57 West beginning at 7:45 pm. A 24-minute documentary on the making of Feeling Through will also be shown followed by a panel discussion with members of the film and the deaf-blind community. Presented in partnership with HKNC, the entire 90-minute evening is billed as The Feeling Through Experience — an opportunity to entertain, inform and connect. Filmmaker Doug Roland will be present with cast members and HKNC sign language interpreters.

Feeling Through is a coming-of-age short film about the unlikely connection between a teen in need and a deaf-blind man that grew from Roland's encounter with a deaf-blind man in New York City years earlier. "It occurred to me that I had never met anyone who was deaf-blind before,” Roland stated, “and I certainly had never seen a deaf-blind individual in a film.”

Committed from the start to accurately representing the deaf-blind community, Roland reached out to HKNC Executive Director Susan Ruzenski and a strong collaborative relationship developed between the filmmaker and HKNC. It was through Ruzenski and HKNC that Roland discovered Robert Tarango, the deaf-blind actor featured in Feeling Through.

“We are all thrilled for Robert, Doug, and everyone associated with the film,” Ruzenski observed. “Working on this project has been an absolute pleasure. Everyone at HKNC is looking forward to the New York City premiere, which will be fully accessible with interpreters, captions and descriptive audio. It’s an opportunity to bring the deaf-blind community together with others to discuss the film’s themes as well as topics related to people who are deaf-blind.”

More information on Feeling Through is available at www.FeelingThrough.com.

About Helen Keller Services/ Helen Keller National Center

Headquartered in Sands Point, New York, HKNC provides comprehensive vocational and independent living training on a national level to youths and adults who are deaf-blind. It offers support and learning opportunities to professionals and family members and maintains a National Registry of Persons who are deaf-blind. The Center partners with other agencies across the United States to build their capacity to work with individuals who are deaf-blind.

For more information, go to www.helenkeller.org/hknc.

About Filmmaker Doug Roland

Based in Los Angeles and raised in NYC, Doug Roland is an independent filmmaker with a passion for telling stories about often overlooked individuals and communities. His most recent film, Jada, has garnered awards in film festivals worldwide and has had more than 15 million views online.