Sarah Tubert and Carly Weyers Break New Ground With WHAT THE DEAF?! Podcast

What does it mean to be Deaf? With "What the Deaf?!" a new podcast that offers an unfiltered look into the daily lives of two young Deaf women, co-hosts Sarah Tubert and Carly Weyers want to start that conversation. Take a deep dive into the first three episodes, now available at www.whatthedeaf.com or wherever you get your podcasts, with future episodes set to launch every Friday.

"What the Deaf?!" isn't your ordinary podcast. Best friends since meeting at Gallaudet University, the world's only university designed to be barrier-free for Deaf and hard-of-hearing students, Sarah and Carly invite you to explore and share their journeys of dating, working and living in a hearing world, where their voices are in their hands.

According to the pair, no question is off limits. "Trust us, we've heard it all. Well, actually seen it," they laughingly point out in American Sign Language. "We want 'What the Deaf' to be the go-to resource where people can find answers to all their burning questions. For example, Episode 2 is called 'Sirens and Doorbells and Alarms, Oh My!', in which we take a look at how Deaf people navigate everyday things others might take for granted - like waking up, or knowing when someone is at the front door."

"What the Deaf?!" is not only available for listening on all podcast platforms, where Sarah voices herself and Carly is voiced by Jenny Corum, but also for viewing in ASL on the whatthedeaf.com website, at Apple Podcasts, and on YouTube. Sarah and Carly note that the Deaf community is not generally familiar with podcasts, which are usually limited to audio-only. "What the Deaf?!" is accessible to everyone.

In addition to co-hosts Tubert and Weyers and "voice of Carly" Corum, the What the Deaf?! team includes graphic designer Mihai Frankfurt; producer Kristina Netzler; and producer and editor Emily Tubert.

Sarah Tubert is a first generation American, whose father immigrated to the United States from Argentina. When she was three, a surgeon severed her facial nerve, paralyzing the right side of her face and taking her hearing in an operation she didn't need. She used to ask her mother, "Why am I the only one with a crooked smile and a hearing aid?" Her mother would reply, "I don't know why, but this is your journey. Let's see what we can do with it." That is the quote Sarah has continued to live by, and it made her who she is today: the type of person who loves to show people that you can do anything you set your mind to. Sarah is an actress (TNT's Claws, ABC Family's Switched at Birth), captain of the USA National Deaf Women's Volleyball Team, and a signer of songs: the latest is a collaboration with DisneyMusicVevo for the song "Show Yourself" from Frozen II. She is also a motivational speaker with the dream to inspire people and show that everyone has a journey... let's see what we can do with it.

Carly Weyers' first name is pronounced by breaking it down phonetically to (CAR) + (LEE). She hopes she got that right because, yes, she is Deaf. So she Googled how to pronounce her name because otherwise she wouldn't know how - but if you get to meet her in person, she can show you her name sign! Born into a family where everyone is Deaf except her sister, Carly may be part of the Deaf community, but, she points out, there is no one "right" way to be Deaf. In college, Carly majored in Communication Studies and Sociology, which opened her eyes to the many and varied connections between peoples' personal lives, communities, and the world. There are so many layers to the Deaf community, and she is excited to take the dive with the audience to discover how to make this world even more rich and colorful. Because what is life without a little color?

To hear (or watch) current and upcoming episodes of "What the Deaf?!", go to www.whatthedeaf.com or wherever podcasts are available.

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