Three deaf people awarded Ford Foundation Disability Futures fellowships

The Ford and Mellon Foundations announced on July 17 their 2024 Disability Futures Fellows. Three of the 20 honorees are deaf, and one is a Gallaudet University graduate.

In its introduction to Disability Futures, the Ford Foundation writes, "The stories we tell and the art we create deepen our understanding of the world. Disabled artists, filmmakers, and journalists use the different lenses they carry - including their disability - to push thinking, foster imagination, and advance the cultural landscape."

"Created by, for, and with disabled practitioners, Disability Futures is an initiative - developed in partnership with The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and administered by United States Artists - to spotlight the work of disabled creatives across disciplines and geography and amplify their voices individually and collectively. Each fellowship includes a $50,000 grant to advance each artist's practice."

Warren "Wawa" Snipe, '94, is described in the Ford Foundation announcement as "an acclaimed hip-hop recording artist from the DC/MD/VA area" who "has been a pivotal figure in music since 2005. Snipe's innovative genre, 'Dip Hop' (hip hop through deaf eyes), blends audio and imagery, earning critical acclaim and a growing fanbase. He aims to bridge the gap between deaf musicians and the mainstream, highlighting that disabilities can be strengths. His 2016 album and subsequent releases, Wamilton and Unapologetically in 2022, underscore his message of resilience and empowerment for those facing challenges, especially in music. Beyond the studio, his talent shines through his performances, including the National Anthem at Super Bowl LV and the halftime show at Super Bowl LVI. His appearances on shows like Black Lightning and Fear The Walking Dead further cement his status in the entertainment world as Snipe continues to inspire and challenge societal perceptions of disability and talent."

Contacted for comment, Snipe said, "In one word, I feel humbled! It never occurred to me that I could be recognized for my work in this way. I am simply doing what I love for our community. My goal was, and still is, to push myself further and higher to break more barriers so that the next generation can benefit from it. It is also a huge honor to be aligned with other amazing artists."

Also honored this year are Nancy Rourke and Natasha Ofili. Rourke, a renowned Deaf artist, has been on campus all summer, working on a mural on the west wall of the National Deaf Life Museum in Chapel Hall. This eight-panel mural will depict seven Indigenous figures, representing the two tribes from the Washington, D.C. area, the Piscataway and the Nacotchtank. The seven figures are using Indigenous signs, acknowledging that the land on which Gallaudet sits was originally the home of these two peoples.

According to her Ford Foundation citation, "Nancy Rourke is a Deaf artist, muralist, activist, and Native American. She is an enrolled member of the Mesa Grande Band of Mission Indians in the Kumeyaay Nation, San Diego County [California]. Her paintings bear witness to the experiences of Deaf people who have lived in a world controlled primarily by people who carry the history that 'Deaf people are born senseless and incapable of reason' (Aristotle). To challenge this idea, her paintings show both the truth of how Deaf people are oppressed and how their community celebrates collective identity and culture."

"Rourke found her purpose after exploring her Deaf identity and making political art that addresses social justice, activism, human rights, and Deaf solidarity. She has exhibited art internationally, including at the Silesian Museum, Katowice, Poland; Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, NewYork; Laurent Clerc Museum, La Balme-les-Grottes, France; and the Make Tank Art Gallery, Exeter, Devon."

The Laurent Clerc Cultural Fund (now the Clerc Cultural Committee) of the Gallaudet University Alumni Association bestowed its Laurent Clerc Award on Rourke in 2019. This award was given for outstanding social contributions.

Natasha Ofili is a well-known artist, writer, and storyteller. The Ford Foundation says that "her breakout role as Principal Karen Vaughn in Ryan Murphy's Netflix series The Politician with Oprah Daily singling her out as 'a host of newcomers that manage to steal the screen' from the show's seasoned actors."

"Ofili achieved historical milestones by winning the 2024 Game Accessibility Conference award for Best Representation for her portrayal of Hailey Cooper, the first Black Deaf playable character in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 video game. She also played Hailey in Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales video game. In collaboration with Coldplay, Pulse Films, and Director Ben Mor, Ofili developed the story and creative direction for the music video for Coldplay's first single of their new album, feelslikeimfallinginlove, as the Creative Director and lead performer."

"Ofili's other credits include Amazon Originals' animated series Undone, where she is the first Black Deaf animated character. A Writers Guild of America West (WGA) member, she was a staff writer on the Starz/Warner Brothers' Untitled Show, produced by Ava DuVernay's production company ARRAY. Founder of NIOVISION Productions, she wrote, acted, produced, and directed her award-winning short film The Multi, which was accepted by 14 film festivals, including several BAFTA, Oscars, and Canadian Screen qualifiers. In the theater world, Ofili wrote her first play, The Window, workshopped by NIOVISION, WACO Theatre (founded by Tina Knowles and Richard Lawson), and Deaf West Theatre."

"Ofili advocates for accessibility, authentic representation, and opportunities for the Deaf and Disabled community, especially Black and BIPOC deaf youth."

This is the third, and last, Disability Futures cohort. The previous cohorts, in 2020 and 2022, included five deaf honorees: Christine Sun Kim (2020), Jeffrey Yasuo Mansfield (2020), John Lee Clark, E-'01 (2020), Alexandria Wailes (2022) and Dickie Hearts (2022).

Congratulations to all honorees!

Read the Ford and Mellon Foundations news release.