"This validates the fact that we deaf actors can work just like anybody else," Marlee Matlin said while accepting the award for CODA Benjamin VanHoose is a Staff Editor on the Movies team at PEOPLE.

Aaron Sorkin, who wrote a part for her in “The West Wing,” dispelled the notion it is difficult to write for deaf actors. When “CODA” came around, the studio wanted to cast an A-list ...

It shows how deaf people react and act on screen in an honest and authentic way. We are different from hearing actors, we are so much more visual storytellers, it’s not about relying on sound ...