Elevated

Representation in climbing ideally involves inclusion and access for climbers of all abilities, and rock-climbing guide Sonya Wilson is facilitating that in a big way—first in the climbing gym and now outside. Everyday life in the hearing world is a challenge for Sonya and others in the Deaf community; she perceives the negative experiences she has had with people because of her deafness as the true barrier.

But out in nature, these social constraints fall away. With her climbing retreats in Joshua Tree, Sonya has created the community she herself was missing as a child, and in this way, she can share the feeling of freedom she experiences when climbing with other Deaf adults and children—and in the film “Elevated”, with us as well.