"IT IS ONLY IN OUR SILENCE THAT WE LEARN TO HEAR GOD."
SUE THOMAS

by Stan Griffin, Deaf Friends International Special Contributor

One of this season’s new TV series is a "precedent-setting ... ground breaking ..." program. It’s the very first about real-life experiences and career of a deaf person with a hearing-impaired performer as star. The two young women involved in this project are: Sue Thomas, former F.B.I. agent; and actress Deanne Bray. The series is titled, "Sue Thomas, F. B. Eye."

Ms. Thomas spent 3 ½ years working at the Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters in Washington, D. C. Beginning in the fingerprint division, she graduated to undercover surveillance because of her lipreading ability.

Her life before the F. B. I. years contained arguably as much drama as the television production. What started out as a personal tragedy prodded her onward to accomplishments and fame she probably couldn’t have imagined. Born near Youngstown, Ohio Ms Thomas suddenly (at age six months) became aware that she couldn’t hear at all. She says, "No specialist in this country can tell me how or why I lost my hearing ..." When her parents realized what her problem was, they took her to several physicians who performed various operations and experimental procedures, none of which improved Ms. Thomas’ condition.

She underwent extensive therapy at Youngstown’s Hearing and Speech Center where she mastered lipreading and learned to speak naturally with the help of voice and drama coaches.

Her experience in elementary school was unpleasant, at times. Classmates made fun of the nasal sound of her speaking voice. "I talked awful funny" she said. Parental support and encouragement to become a functioning part of the hearing world gave her confidence.

Ms. Thomas took music lessons (piano and trumpet). She also began to roller skate, and this became her favorite activity. She entered competition. At the age of seven she won a trophy as the youngest Ohio freestyle skating champion in history. Her trophy was bigger than anything classmates had; that was a boost to her self-esteem.

Ms. Thomas received a degree in political science and international relations from Springfield College in Massachusetts  (1976). "It took me eight years to leave the place," she says. Then came post-graduate work in counseling at Cleveland’s Case Western University. Returning to Youngstown, she was learning sign language when an opening in Washington’s F. B. I. office came to her attention. She submitted an application; and at the age of 30, she began her new job.

Ms. Thomas’ first assignment was classifying fingerprints. While working in that department, she helped start a program to train other deaf people. The theory was that their hearing impairment would eliminate distractions. Ms. Thomas found the work, counting lines on fingerprints 40 hours a week, monotonous and dreary.

After a few months, she was asked by field agents to look at a surveillance tape without a sound track (caused by a camera malfunction). With her superb lipreading skill, she was able to tell what each person was saying so that the agents could continue their investigation.

Her success in this operation brought Ms. Thomas a welcome promotion to undercover surveillance. She could interpret live conversations among criminal suspects in public places viewed from long distances, although most of her time was spent in front of a television screen looking at videotapes. She worked on cases of white-collar crime like embezzlement and diamond smuggling. During her spare time, Ms. Thomas conducted tours of F. B. I. headquarters.

Ms. Thomas left the F. B. I. in 1983 for "medical reasons." She could have returned had she chosen but decided "I wanted more than the Washington, D. C. scene."

She attended Columbia Graduate School of Bible and Missions in South Carolina. (1984-1985) Her family had instilled in her a strong Christian ethic. As a child, a picture of Jesus was on the wall of her bedroom. Her life desire was to " ... proclaim the love and forgiveness of God through his Son ..." Ms. Thomas believed that with God’s help she could do anything. She also said that often " ... when He closes one door, another opens ..."

Ms. Thomas moved back to Ohio in 1994 to be with her aging parents. The three of them planned to take up residence in a condominium; but two months before moving day, her father died.

The idea of turning her life into a TV series saw the light of day shortly after her autobiography, "Silent Night," was published. (1990) Twelve years later, after many conferences, rejections, and disagreements, it was ready for broadcast.

An e-mail finally turned the trick. A new network, PAX, was in the market for an original series. Two brothers, Dave and Gary Johnson, had been hired to write a screenplay from Ms. Thomas’ story. Busy with a previous commitment, they kept postponing any action. She sent an e-mail, reminding them she was still alive and was praying about the project and their involvement. Coincidentally, they read her note on the same day that a network deadline ran out. Then and there they decided to go forward with "Sue Thomas, F. B. Eye."

The series " ... presents a working girl in an exotic job who lives a Christian lifestyle ..." It’s based "somewhat loosely" on Thomas’ experiences in Washington, D. C. She was very much involved with the production, helping revise scripts and sometimes visiting the set in Toronto, Canada where it is filmed. She played a prominent part in the selection of the actress who portrays her–Deanne Bray.

Ms. Thomas has the help of a "hearing-ear" dog, one trained to assist the deaf by letting them know when someone is at the door or calling on the phone. In the series, he is named Levi and is a golden retriever. In reality, she says she got Levi, not a golden retriever, after leaving the F.B.I. (He is no longer living.) Currently she has a golden retriever named Gracie who unfortunately has cancer. She says, " So, I have both of my dogs in the show."

Ms. Thomas was once detained with her dog in Hawaii because of a state law requiring animals new to the islands to be quarantined three months. She is now suing the state to have hearing-ear dogs exempt from that regulation. The case goes to trial in February, 2003.

Ms. Thomas became a popular motivational speaker, traveling to various cities across the nation. To publicize the program, she was interviewed by "TV Guide" and appeared on the "Today" show. She is also working on a new book.

Last year at age 51, Ms. Thomas was faced with a new challenge: a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS). The condition not only affects her walking, but her eyesight (vital for her lipreading) is slowly fading. She refuses to blame God, considering herself on " ... a new journey ..." She also says, " ... God is showing me the many paths people are on ... (so) I can be more understanding ..."

Ms. Thomas hopes that all people can learn from her TV character, especially children with disabilities and parents struggling with an afflicted child. "It’s my goal that it will bring hope."