sound of metal

The first Muslim nominee for best actor eschewed the reductive roles that were readily on offer post-Sept. 11, making his achievement all the more remarkable.

On a soundstage in Brooklyn, Jeremy Lee Stone pulls you in with a sample of his American Sign Language (ASL) slam poetry. “To state it as simply as possible, ASL is art,” Stone told NBC New York. The Harlem native, who was born deaf, has been spreading that message for years as an ASL teacher and founder of ASL Elements,…

‘The Sound of Metal’ is up for Best Picture at the Oscars – but it probably wouldn’t have been possible with one Brooklyn American Sign Language teacher. Gilma Avalos talks to him.