An engaged couple from Chatsworth recently published about a dozen sign-along music videos meant to bridge the gap between the hearing and deaf communities.
Tina Cleveland and her fiancé, Paul Sirimarco, began posting videos of themselves interpreting popular songs into American sign language on YouTube in July.
Their videos have since been seen by millions, with a rendition of “You’re the One That I Want” from the 1978 musical “Grease” reaching almost 1.3 million people by Sunday.
“It’s about bringing awareness to, really, the hearing world,” Sirimarco said. “The hearing world needs to know that there’s these beautiful, intelligent, smart, talented people that are out there and available to be part of the entire community.”
Cleveland was a sign-language interpreter who has taught her fiancé the signs for each song since they began.
She said the positive feedback from families has been the most rewarding part of the experience.
“We didn’t expect parents to share videos and photos of their children enjoying us doing the sign-alongs,” Cleveland said.