Calvin Young was born in California, and raised in Austin, Texas. He, along with his two Deaf brothers are the third generation of his Deaf family in Austin, and his brother has two Deaf kids who are the fourth generation. He grew up going to the Texas School for the Deaf. He then pursued a BS degree in New Media Marketing at Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. Following this, he went on to launch three businesses on his own – a videography freelance, real-estate software with seven Deaf employees, and Seek the World.
Calvin Young, a traveler, adventurer and vlogger was in Oman recently and he replied to some of our queries. Here are excerpts from the interview…
What inspired your decision to become a travel vlogger?
I left my real estate business to travel around the world. During that time, I shared all fun videos with my friends and family only. When I returned to the US, they all asked me to continue sharing my videos. I thought it’d be fun to share my videos with the Deaf communities around the world. So, I started Seek the World. I only intended for it to last for about a year…but it’s been almost five years now.
Tell us about Seek the World.
I launched Seek the World, a blog and vlog, to inspire and empower Deaf people and those with disabilities from all over the world to travel on their own or reach their dreams without fear. I mostly upload videos via Facebook, where I have over 320,000 followers. My videos are full of adventures, culture, sign languages, Deaf culture, Deaf stories, Deaf-owned businesses, and much more.
As a Deaf adventurer, what were your fears before your started out?
In the past, I was scared of interacting with hearing people due to my bad experiences during school years. I’ve always assumed that hearing people look down on me and other Deaf. Through travelling I realised I was wrong. I was the one who closed the bridge between myself and the hearing world. I rebuilt it and I am now more connected to all.
What are some of the challenges you have faced during your travels?
Discrimination and disbelief. For example, some people believe I cannot take up scuba diving due to my inability to talk. I asked them how they communicate in the water. Gestures! Let’s imagine what sign language can do. It really changed their minds. There are many discriminations like that, I always grab a chance to educate people on what we, the Deaf community, can do.
What is the biggest misconception people have about someone from the Deaf community travelling?
I think it has to do with ‘how do you communicate’. They all rely on speaking, but there are so many different languages out there. So how do they overcome the barrier of language? They use google translate and gestures. I do the same thing.
How many countries have you visited and which has been your favourite?
I’ve visited 68 countries in the world. No countries are my favourite because I do not compare them. My favourite experiences are – hiking and camping in New Zealand; scuba diving in the Philippines; food in India; culture shock in Bhutan and India; and adventure in Turkey and Indonesia.
Tell us about your experience in Oman.
Oman’s locals are friendly and easy to get along with. They were naturally good at gesturing with us. We enjoyed Oman’s food the most. Hiking in the canyon is way different than most canyons I have visited in the world. We enjoyed camping, hanging out with Deaf Oman, and cooking some meat in the sand dunes. I met amazing Deaf entrepreneurs who have learned how to make a living by starting their businesses – tea making, clothing lines, ancient crafts, Deaf Oman Sports, Deaf Communication Organizations, Deaf Anchors, so on.
What did you hope to achieve when you first started this journey? Have your goals changed over time?
Goals have changed over the course of my journey. Videos used to be the main focus. Now, I’ve shifted to discovering what I can do for the Deaf community. I’d like to start a business that generates income and provides the Deaf community jobs with great salaries. That’s the goal I have for now.
What are your hopes for the future? Any exciting travel plans in the coming months?
I hope to have Oman invite me back and to film more stories of the Deaf community! I am uncertain about the future but I’m going to go with the flow. I’m currently travelling in Sri Lanka and intend to visit India and Nepal in the next two months.
seek the world