Ryien Blackwood Smith is creating community for Deaf and hard of hearing women, and championing corporate inclusivity all at the same time.
By: Olivia Carter | PHoto by: Ashlee Blen
At just 22 years old, Ryien Blackwood Smith is changing the way communities view and treat those with disabilities and charging women who are deaf and hard of hearing to advocate for themselves.
And it’s all in pink.
As the CEO and founder of For the Deaf Girl—an organization dedicated to awareness, accessibility, and community building for deaf and hard of hearing individuals—Smith is dedicated to helping deaf women embrace their cultural identity and find their place in the world.
But it first started with her own personal struggle. Born prematurely, she faced several health challenges, including being hard of hearing, a condition that went undetected for years. Growing up, she was often misdiagnosed with learning disabilities, making her school years incredibly challenging.
“I always loved education, but it was difficult to gain respect from teachers and peers because I had to work ten times harder just to keep up,” Smith said.
It wasn’t until high school that she and her family realized her declining hearing was the root of her struggles. Learning this came with mixed emotions: relief at finding an explanation and the daunting task of adapting to her new reality.
In high school, while experiencing increased hearing loss, she felt stress socially as well.
“I started experiencing severe tinnitus and periods of profound deafness, which made it hard to follow conversations and participate in class,” she said.
Despite these challenges, she found a supportive ally in her government teacher, who made accommodations that improved her school experience.
Taking control of her life, Smith pursued higher education at Liberty University, where she minored in American Sign Language (ASL). Her involvement in ASL classes and signing socials introduced her to the Deaf community, where she met influential mentors like the pastor and pastor’s wife of the local Deaf Church.
Through that church, she was able to embrace her identity as part of the Deaf community, which views deafness not just as a diagnosis but as a cultural identity.
“Meeting people in the Deaf community who told me ‘You are deaf enough’ was life-changing,” Smith said.
“It made me realize the importance of advocating for my own needs and the needs of others like me.”
Finally feeling connected with the Deaf community, she now uses ASL 50 percent of the time and considers it her second language.
Because of her own background, she feels like she can offer a new perspective within her community.
“I wasn’t born profoundly deaf. I didn’t have access to hearing aids, due to lack of education, and I decided these are the people I’m gonna be around, this is my calling,” she said. “This is what I’ve been passionate about for a long time without realizing that it connected with my identity.”
This led to the founding of For the Deaf Girl in 2022, a brand dedicated to mentoring deaf women. The organization focuses on helping them understand how their deafness fits into their personal stories and bodies, all while creating a sense of community and connectedness.
“A lot of people don’t realize that deafness has a cultural background. There’s a whole community with its own identity and experiences,” Smith said. “We work with young women to help them embrace this part of themselves and find their place within this community.”
Through For the Deaf Girl, Smith provides mentorship and resources, advocating for equal access in education and the workplace. Her mission is to empower deaf women to prioritize their accessibility needs and feel confident in their identity.
The brand is characterized by its pink and vibrant aesthetic.
“The idea was to create a fun, youthful brand that breaks the stigma around hearing loss,” Smith said.
The name “For the Deaf Girl” was chosen to be straightforward and inclusive, while the logo—a disco ball—symbolizes the beauty and diversity within the Deaf community.
“A mirror ball has a bunch of broken mirrors glued together, reflecting light and showing the diversity of experiences in our community,” Smith said. “It’s a representation of turning something the world sees as broken into something beautiful.”
The brand has grown, evolving into an LLC, and receives messages from hundreds of women who resonate with its mission. The organization offers a variety of services, including one-on-one mentoring, accessibility reviews for businesses, and cultural awareness training. It also hosts Deaf and Hard of Hearing hangouts, providing a supportive and celebratory space for women to connect.
“It’s just a fun way to celebrate youthfulness and fun and get to kind of celebrate your girlhood,” she said.
Her advocacy extends to practical advice for businesses on how to be more accessible, emphasizing that accessibility doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated.
She says restaurants can offer pickup orders through a mobile app instead of having to order over the phone. Another way to make a business more accessible is to keep a whiteboard behind the counter.
“That way if a deaf or hard of hearing person or someone who is nonverbal wants to order something and there might be communication barriers, this might be a method of communicating back and forth,” she said.
If someone asks to repeat something, just repeat it, or try rephrasing it.
“A lot of times, if you rephrase something, a person may understand that,” she said. “When someone lip reads, it’s best just to talk at your normal pace. Make sure you’re enunciating your words, but don’t yell over-pronounce or talk way too fast because that only makes it harder.”
Through For the Deaf Girl, Smith hopes to normalize hearing loss and empower women who have it.
“It’s about empowering women to advocate for themselves and ensuring they feel valued and seen,” she said.
