How Amy Duarte navigated the film industry with hearing loss

Amy Duarte grew up in Indonesia where she suffered profound hearing loss. Indonesia is a developing nation where opportunities for individuals with disabilities are limited.

Duarte was fitted with hearing aids and enrolled in speech therapy at a young age.

She knew she wanted to make movies but also knew she would have to work hard to succeed. Her first big break came when a commercial director saw her sketches which eventually led to full-time employment.

She found early on in her career that being able to communicate efficiently was going to be vital to her success. That is when she decided to upgrade her hearing aids to cochlear implants.

Her communication improved greatly after receiving cochlear implants. Duarte says her cochlear implant was a “heaven-sent blessing” that has empowered her and given her the freedom to communicate without assistance.

Duarte has worked on many movies including, Fantastic Four, Monster House, Spider-Man 3, and most recently Indiana Jones and Dial of Destiny. She is currently a visual effects artist for Industrial Light & Magic.