By Carol Colmenares

We met Ricardo early one morning over Zoom to continue learning about our advisors.  We decided to conduct the interview in English as Ricardo feels at ease in English, Spanish and ASL.  “I am deaf; I was born deaf” is the first thing he tells us. Ricardo was born in Puerto Rico to a hearing family that did not know anything about deafness.  “Back in the old days, my family didn't know how to communicate with me or had any deaf family members. So, when I was about four years old, that's when they found out. Obviously, I hadn't developed any sort of language.”

At that early age, Ricardo started going to speech therapy, an intense process of learning how to vocalize, verbalize, and communicate in Spanish. His mom, a public school teacher, taught him how to read and write. “In the 1970s, Puerto Rico was very behind. Their understanding of the needs of students with disabilities was not there, and especially for the deaf. No interpreters in the classroom, I never had a note taker. I was just very proactive, kind of did it on my own and navigated through the educational system.”

At age seven, Ricardo remembers struggling to communicate. Having a hearing aid did not make things any easier as people assumed he could perfectly hear with it. “I don't have the best memories; I know that I struggled a lot to understand what the teacher was saying in the class. Plus, the classmates were not very friendly.”  Books and comic books were Ricardo’s window to the world.  He particularly remembers The Green Song, by Doris Troutman Plenn, about a Puerto Rican coqui, a tiny island frog, who travels to New York and, despite hardships, finds his way back to the island. “The sky was different; it was gray, there were skyscrapers, there was no greenery, no water like in Puerto Rico, and people were very dismissive and not friendly, rude, actually.”   That’s how Ricardo learned about the world; that’s how he learned to appreciate things.

Once he reached high school, Ricardo blossomed. He found other deaf friends and met teachers that supported him.  He also discovered he had a fantastic ability to bridge the gap between deaf and hearing people.  Perhaps his experience navigating the hearing world made him skilled at interpreting irony and grasping nuances.  One memorable moment was at a deaf club, where some of his peers were misled by a post from the National Enquirer, a tabloid famous for its sensationalist stories and often exaggerated news coverage. Ricardo stepped in and explained, “This is what's called fake news; this is a fake story. It's not true. Let me show you the picture, and look how it's been changed.”  That was a truly impactful moment for Ricardo. Being able to connect with people and give them the correct information was transforming.  

This ability to communicate, coupled with his fascination with television, started to shape Ricardo’s dreams and professional career.  He finished all four years of his bachelor’s degree at the University of Puerto Rico, having taken classes in psychology, education, and business.  Right before graduation, he started going to Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) as they had a specific program working with deaf clients and guiding them in all the nuances of getting a job, from interview attire to the formalities of seeking gainful employment.  Luck would have it that he met a friend there who had gone to Gallaudet University and he encouraged Ricardo to apply.  “At the time I was a little bit frustrated on the island because I wanted to learn more. That was my passion. I wanted a challenge. I wanted a new thing.”  He filled out the application and soon enough was invited for an interview. He immediately felt at home. “I kind of looked around the campus, saw what the community looked like, and thought, this is my calling. I'm being pulled to be here.” He received a letter of acceptance and, not thinking about it twice, moved to Washington DC, becoming the first person in his family to attend a University in the U.S.  Needless to say, it changed his life forever.  He met people from all states, from all backgrounds, some hearing, some deaf “I just felt that that was the time when I actually grew.”

After finishing his graduate studies, Ricardo found a job in Ohio as a reading and Spanish teacher. For three years, he felt miserable, but looking back, Ricardo feels this experience was essential “it helped me understand more about the world and how it works  from a different perspective.”  Seeking other opportunities, Ricardo returned to Washington DC and worked in a variety of jobs: a Puerto Rican government entity with offices in DC, several non for profits, including one he fondly remembers, supporting artists with disabilities, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.  Despite enjoying the work in the various positions he held, Ricardo still harbored a desire to go back to education.  Not one to sit back and wait for things to happen, Ricardo took some certification courses at the University of Maryland. In the blink of an eye he graduated with his second master’s degree in Library and Information Science. 

Ricardo is currently the coordinator for Learning Media resources at Gallaudet University which serves elementary through high school students.  “I think the most challenging part is making sure that the program that I'm working on remains relevant. It’s been 15 years, and every year, there’s always something different. Each student has a different need.”  Ricardo works with students, teachers, and parents alike, and he sometimes supervises students who come to Gallaudet for practices or community services. He does it all.  Ricardo takes life in strides, and even when speaking about challenging situations, he remains calm and turns them around into positive experiences.   His proudest moment, he tells us, was graduating from the University of Puerto Rico. “I felt that for my family to see me graduating as a deaf person, probably thinking when I was born, not having high expectations for their son, you know, the standard narrative of not being able to get a job or not be able to go to university and the stigma that comes with being deaf.  But as time went on and I graduated elementary school, high school, and the  University of Puerto Rico, even though I went through a lot of trials and tribulations, somehow, I made it through. I think that gave me a sense of purpose and resiliency as well, to say, I can get this done. And I feel like I owe it to myself to do well, and that a deaf person can do it. Being deaf doesn't define me.”

Ricardo loves performing arts, as a performer and as a spectator. His smile lights up as he recalls his role in Hairspray, his school's  latest musical production. “I love theater and I've always loved theater since high school. I've always been so fascinated with that.”

In this musical , he had the opportunity to play the father role. Dancing, learning lines, blocking the scenes are all part of the magic that captivates Ricardo. “There are deaf performers and deaf students. Some of the students are profoundly deaf, but we do have some students who have some residual hearing, or could feel the vibrations a little bit more. We found one or two people who could feel or hear the music a little better. So then they're kind of guiding us and leading us.”

We then turn the conversation to the far and few representations of deaf people in cinema and theater.  He recalls seeing The Miracle Worker back in the 60’s where the story of Hellen Keller was represented.  Twenty years later, Children of a Lesser God brought Marlee Matlin, a deaf actress, to the Oscars. In 2021, CODA, the oscar winning film,  made history by casting deaf actors—Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur, and Daniel Durant—in all the deaf roles.  Although this authentic casting was praised for its representation of the deaf community, it feels like a movie every twenty years representing and casting deaf actors is not enough.  For Ricardo, who loves all genres of  movies, to catch a film which offers closed captions is still a hit or miss despite the new regulations.  

In his free time, Ricardo can be found exploring new interests, whether it's trying out paddle ball, hiking, or traveling. Despite being far from home, his love for Puerto Rican culture remains ever-present—he still cherishes the cooking lessons passed down from his mother and grandmother, especially when recreating his favorite dish, mofongo.

Reflecting on his life, Ricardo knows that his journey has been anything but easy. He has faced countless challenges—often feeling caught between the hearing world and the deaf community—but each experience has only deepened his sense of purpose. 

From a young boy who struggled to understand and be understood, to a man who is a guiding force for others in education and media, Ricardo’s life is a testament to strength, resilience, and determination. He has not only defied expectations but has set new ones—showing that no matter the obstacles, it is possible to rise above and change the narrative.