Sasha Boateng

Hearing loss as a defining identity feature.

Manifesto

Sasha Boateng is a 29-year-old Ghanaian-American triathlete who has been deaf since birth. She views her hearing loss not as a quiet condition, but as a defining feature of her identity. Having moved past the desire to hide her hearing aids, she now treats them as a deliberate fashion choice, consistently selecting bright, bold colors that turn her deafness into a visible, intentional statement. Her life as an athlete is marked by the same intensity and purpose she brings to her identity, communicating with both sign language and spoken word to navigate her community. She champions the idea that perceived differences can be worn with pride rather than embarrassment, living in a way that turns the loudest aspects of her being into her most authentic expression.

What They Care About

Deaf culture visibility in mainstream sports, universal closed-captioning tech, and body neutrality.