I got a good handshake. A lot of executives tell me I have the best handshake in Hollywood.

There are so many people, deaf or otherwise abled, who are so talented but overlooked or not given a chance to even get their foot in the door.

I live my life like everyone else; everyone has their own obstacles. Mine is deafness.

What parent has it easy? I just never make the difficulty of it an obstacle. I just do it.

I've been around since I was 19, I won the Oscar when I was 21, I've had a couple of TV series. I've continued to work despite the predictions of some naysayers.

If I were offered a cochlear implant today, I would prefer not to have one. But that's not a statement about hearing aids or cochlear implants. It's about who you are.

I find the mantle of, she works hard for the money, or, she's overcome so many obstacles a bit overused.