Oscar-Winning Actress Marlee Matlin Educates & Enlightens At Broward College Speaker Series

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Academy Award winning actress Marlee Matlin never let her disability get in the way of her determination and success.

Matlin was in South Florida recently talking about her remarkable TV and movie career and her colorful life, as part of the Broward College Speaker Series.

CBS4's Lisa Petrillo had the privilege of introducing the actress, author, and all around inspirational woman to the stage at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. The Broward College Speaker Series is a program that features notable speakers from a variety of backgrounds to educate and enlighten audiences on a variety of topics.

On this night, Matlin spoke about her life, career, and overcoming obstacles such as losing her hearing to an illness when she was only 18 months old.

"Clearly, we're talking about a career of over 30 years, there's a lot of growing up in those 30 years and up and downs in the entertainment business.

"I like to speak to students to try to share with them just my experiences. I've had both the good and the bad. It's all out there for their edification one way or another and hopefully they will be able to learn one way or another," she told Lisa Petrillo through her longtime friend and interpreter Jack Jaxson.

Matlin first became famous by winning the Academy Award for Best Actress in the movie 'Children of a Lesser God.' She was only 21 years old.

"I still hold the record for not only to be the first deaf person to win the Academy Award, but still the youngest woman to win the Oscar for Best Actress," she said proudly.

Since then Matlin has starred in a host of hit movies, prime time TV shows and more and in 2009, she wrote a New York Times Best Selling autobiography, entitled 'I'll Scream Later.' This working mother of four has embraced all she has accomplished and had to overcome and does not want any titled confused.

"It's deaf and that's the terminology, deaf with a capital D. Hearing impaired, we are not impaired, that doesn't make sense to us so we choose our identity, we choose our culture and we hope the rest of the world does too with a big capital D," she explained.

For Broward College, having Matlin as their speaker, actually spoke volumes.

"If you know Broward College, you know our students, you know our students are fighters, said Broward College President Gregory Adam Haile. "They overcome challenges and they see the greatness in themselves, notwithstanding any of those challenges, it's hard to imagine anyone who personifies that greater than Marley."

"She's like a role model," said student Carolyn Savage. "What touches my heart is that she says no matter what, if you're deaf or not you have to work hard to get where you want to be."

"I hope people will hear me out and see me and know there is a story to tell," added Matlin. "I have my own voice and I want to change perception. We all have dreams and nothing can ever define who we are."

Next up in the Broward College Speaker Series is former NFL player and TV sports analyst Terry Bradshaw on Monday March 11.