BC Hands & Voices

By Joy Santos

In January of this year, my daughter, Teanna, responded to a casting call from CBC Kids looking for Deaf individuals to tell stories in American Sign Language (ASL). The show is called Teeny Tales, and it aims to re-tell classic fairytales with a Deaf twist. The project was spearheaded by Deaf leadership. Associate Producer, Sheridan Riggillo, a CODA, teamed up with Deaf artists and crew, such as Director, Alexa Hickox, to create an accessible show for children.

As a parent, I was excited for her involvement in such a project! There were not very many children’s shows on mainstream media that were made for the Deaf community, by Deaf individuals, and involving Deaf talent while Teanna was growing up. Captioning was helpful, having an on-screen ASL Interpreter provided language modeling, but a show with Deaf characters would be next level. I was excited for what learning this new experience would bring her, and for the new people she would meet. I truly hope the existence of shows like this becomes normalized.

Side note, CBC Kids offers various children’s programs with ASL interpreting. We discovered them on the CBC Gem app, and on the CBC Kids YouTube channel.

Below, I interviewed Teanna about her experience from auditioning to filming.

How did you hear about the audition, and why did you choose to respond?

I heard about the audition through BC Hands & Voices. My mother is on the board of directors of this organization. She received an email about the audition and forwarded it to me. It was the night before the deadline, and I just went ahead and applied for it. I was really curious about it and thought it would be a great experience/opportunity for me. I had been involved in many ASL Literary Competitions in elementary and high school for things like poetry, prose, and stories. So I thought I should try this out and see if my skills can also be used for acting.

What was the audition process like? How long did it last, and what were you expected to do?
After signing up for the audition, I received a virtual audition invitation within a week and a half. They sent me two scripts via email, and I had to choose which one I would use. I had less than a week to practice the script before my audition date!

Aside from just receiving the script, I did not receive any other instructions about what they expected from me. So I practiced two ways. One was telling the story from the perspective of the character I chose to audition for. The other way was to just memorize the script lines for the character.

On audition day, I had an hour session. I had to audition for two people- the associate producer and director. I introduced myself and asked how they wanted me to perform. They told me to just perform how I felt it should be done. I was so nervous! I was worried I would do it wrong and it would not be their expectation. I chose to tell the story and began performing the script. I even forgot some parts and panicked and asked to start over! After that, they told me I did well – then they asked me to do it in a song version, which was last minute and I was not prepared for that! I tried to clarify what they wanted, and they told me to try my best. I ended up telling the story to a beat.

How long did it take to hear back from someone after you auditioned?

They made their decision and contacted me around three weeks after the audition.

How did you feel when you received the news?

I was at work when I received an email of acceptance to be casted. I was both elated and nervous, feeling the adrenaline rush! My entire body was shaking so much that I immediately messaged my mother and family to share the exciting news.

How about filming? What was that process like?
Filming was in the CBC Studio in Toronto, so I needed to travel there. There was one day for rehearsal and costume fitting, which lasted for three hours. The filming day was long. I worked overtime, and the day lasted about 10 hours. Before filming day, I was very nervous because I needed to memorize the lines. I spent several hours practicing that night. I filmed a total of five episodes.

During filming, I felt awkward with the camera. It was hard to “act natural” and pretend like there wasn’t a camera a few feet away. It was a first-time experience for me to be professionally filmed, and I also had to use a stool because I am short, which was quite funny! The other actors were much taller, so I had to somewhat match their height.

What were some challenges that you faced throughout the entire process?
Personally, my challenge was my Sign Language fluidity. Like a lot of Deaf people, I come from a hearing family, so even though I identify as culturally Deaf and am deeply involved in the Deaf community, I feel my signing is not always as clear or fluent as I want it to be. I tend to compare myself to ASL users who come from a generationally Deaf family. That was a challenge for me throughout the process, because I was worried about what my ASL would look like on screen, and whether II would represent the language and culture appropriately.

On the positive side, I practiced constantly and had an amazing ASL coach on set. It was a huge advantage to have someone there to give me direct feedback and help me improve! It helped ensure that my ASL was clear and correct.

Another challenge was remembering my lines. In one episode, “FaceTime,” I had to do a 40-second long visual vernacular monologue in one take. I made mistakes several times and felt so embarrassed and frustrated. I was worried I was wasting everyone’s time. The crew reassured me that this was a normal part of the process, and they offered me breaks so I could recompose myself. At some point, the director noticed my frustration, and offered to try and find an alternative way to perform the piece. I declined because I really wanted to perform the way the script had intended.

When was the series released, and where can we watch it?
The series was released on May 25th, 2026, on the CBC Gem app.  

The show aired on the CBC Television Channel from June 1st to 5th, and was also uploaded to a YouTube playlist.

Find all the Teeny Tales Episodes here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPZ40gM7aDFDUyu_G6Y9988zAUsuFvtqF

What were some valuable takeaways that you had during this experience? Anything you would like to share with parents / families who have DHH children? Advice you would give the younger generation of DHH children and youth?

My biggest takeaway was the importance of learning to get out of my comfort zone. It tested my capability to handle some unfamiliar situations! I am a pretty shy and introverted person, but my mother always exposed me to opportunities that helped build my confidence and comfort level.

To parents, keep exposing your children to as many experiences as you can, both within the Deaf Community and the mainstream world. Encourage your child to try new opportunities, and teach them that failure is an opportunity to learn and improve.

My mom kept me connected to the Deaf community and also prepared me for the mainstream world, by making sure I know how to advocate for my access, and also life skills like safety while traveling. I am forever grateful for that. I feel that because of that upbringing, I am confident in my identity as a Deaf person, and also how to navigate the mainstream world.

To the younger DHH generation, do not let self-doubt stop you. Find DHH role models who inspire you, and never hesitate to ask for guidance. Seeing people like you out there makes it easier to believe in your own dreams. Do not be afraid to try new things, and never stop learning! Achieve that DREAM!

This essay was originally published as the 2nd prize winning entry in the Gallaudet National Essay Contest in 2005, which is a writing and American Sign Language (ASL) competition open to all deaf and hard of hearing students in grades 2-12. The original essay is republished here in its entirety.

by Rosalind Ho

I have always loved to read and to learn more about the world from the time that I was a little girl. When I read a story, I am not a young Canadian deaf girl, but am Viola aka Cesario, coping on my own far from home; the detective Hercule Poirot solving the unsolvable mystery; or the teenage wizard Harry Potter battling the evil Lord Voldemort. I can travel throughout the cosmos, visiting distant stars and planets, without ever leaving the comfort of home.

As a little girl, my primary interests were my family, playing with my friends, and reading. I loved running around playing games with my older brother Casey, or playing jump rope or four-square with my friends. At the time, I was reading short stories such as The Little Mermaid or slightly longer chapter books such as Miss Pickerell Goes to the Arctic or The Twits.

When I was seven, going on eight years old, Casey was eleven. Close friends, despite the differences in our ages, Casey and I spent many a rainy day playing together. I can still remember him scrunching up his nose and eyes into what we called his “funny face”. I was only seven and it was easy to make me laugh.

I remember my seventh summer as a typical hot and steamy summer, which meant days on end of bright blue skies and scorching sunlight. Casey and I regularly escaped to the basement guest room simply to get away from the oppressive heat waves. We would plump down on the black sofa bed, open the blinds to let in the light, and spend our long summer afternoons playing together or quietly reading.

One warm afternoon, I was downstairs with Casey, wishing that it wasn’t so hot so that we could go outside to play. Casey showed me a novel he had borrowed from the public library and suggested that I read it. I shook my head and said no, protesting that the book would be too difficult. Casey insisted that I could do it, that it wouldn’t be hard for me to understand, but I ignored him. Most people, especially a young boy who was enjoying his short summer holiday, would have given up arguing with a stubborn little kid like me soon enough on such a hot and languorous summer afternoon. But he kept at me, finally promising to give me some of my favourite candy if I would just try to read the book.

So I picked up The Great Brain and started reading. Surprisingly, it wasn’t that difficult; I remember it was a funny story about a boy named John whose older brother Tom was always trying to outwit and swindle the rest of the world out of their money and usually succeeded. It was a lot more interesting and complex than Cinderella or The Lion King, stories that I already knew by heart. I begged Casey to get me the rest of the stories in the Great Brain series. Then he lent me his copy of Bruce Coville’s Book of Aliens II. Many more interesting stories followed one after the other, such as Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

As I grew older, I sometimes wondered why an eleven-year-old boy would have spent his summer holiday trying to get me to read more when he could have spent his time playing at the park with his best friends from down the street. It wasn’t until recently that I realized why. When I was in grade 10, I switched into an advanced English class so that I could take English Literature 12 the next year (grade 11) and then AP English 12 in grade 12. Before I went ahead with the decision, I discussed my concerns about the challenges such a study path would entail with Casey and my parents. My parents were supportive as all parents are, but my final decision was settled in (great) part by Casey’s encouragement. He said that I could do whatever I set my mind to do. Which I now realize was the exact same thing that he believed when he told a seven-year-old girl to try reading something more challenging.

Over the years, my interest in reading broadened to cover a wide range of topics. I enjoy reading and learning about how people such as Helen Keller or King Arthur lived in earlier times and how different their worlds and lives must have been from our own. I love learning more about the world and what forces have shaped the country that we live in today. But I sometimes wonder if my desire to read and my thirst for knowledge would ever have been as strong as it is if Casey hadn’t, on a hot summer day a long time ago, persuaded me to pick up The Great Brain.

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Author’s Note: Casey has continued to encourage me to challenge myself and to stretch my horizons. When I was close to graduating from UBC with a degree in English Literature, he persuaded me to apply to the Summer Institute for General Management (SIGM) program that he had previously attended at the Stanford Graduate School for Business. I was initially hesitant as the program was very competitive with a 15% admission rate and business was a new field for me, but I decided to go for it with the support of Casey and my parents. Casey cheered the loudest when I called my family to tell them of my acceptance into the SIGM program.

Today, Casey is an accomplished software engineer and leader in the United States. He continues to be my champion and role model as I explore new dreams. Also, reading is still my favourite thing to do ☺!