Friday, December 22, 2023
Students at Wisconsin's School for the Deaf in Delavan are eagerly anticipating the January 2024 release of the new Disney+ series Echo. That's because the star of the series is played by none other than 2015 WSD graduate Alaqua Cox. The character Echo is Marvel's first ever deaf superhero and is also Native American and has a prosthetic leg, just like Cox. Cox grew up on the Menominee Reservation in Keshena and graduated from the Wisconsin School for the Deaf in 2015 along with eight other students.
Check out the WISN video and story about WSD students' excitement.
Buzz surrounding the Marvel series has been growing not just because of its Wisconsin connection. Echo will be the first short Marvel series released under the umbrella of the “Marvel Spotlight” banner focusing on “grounded, character-driven stories” instead of the larger MCU story.
Anyone who knows about the Wisconsin School for the Deaf and the amazing educational opportunities it provides might not be surprised that a former student has rocketed to nationwide acclaim.
"[Students] have access to communication and American Sign Language, ASL," longtime art teacher Susan Dupor told WISN. "It's an amazing place to be, and it's a special place here in the state of Wisconsin. We as a school ... felt very excited to see what [Cox has] accomplished as a now actress." Dupor said Cox ran track and performed in at least one play during her time as a Wisconsin School for the Deaf Firebird. "For her to be a Marvel character, I'm not surprised because that is who she is," Dupor said.
"I think it's really important that hearing people can see what deaf people can do, what they can achieve," Dupor said. "And she's definitely made this visible for everybody."
"I think it's really neat that a deaf individual is an actor now and famous, well-known, that came here to such a small school like it is," WSD student Amber Robarts said. "That means really any one of us could definitely be like her."