Christy Smith | |
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| Born | (1978-09-13)September 13, 1978 (age 47) Aspen, Colorado, U.S. |
| Television | Survivor: The Amazon |
Christy Smith (born September 13, 1978) is an American activist and television personality. She is the firstdeaf contestant on theCBS reality television seriesSurvivor: The Amazon and co-founder of Discovering Deaf Worlds.
Christy Smith was born premature, weighing less than 2 pounds (0.91 kg). As a baby, she pulled out her air tube and ended up losing 90 percent of her hearing.[1] As such, she is skilled inlip reading andAmerican Sign Language. She resided inBasalt, Colorado.[2]
Smith attended high school and college inWashington, D.C. She obtained aBachelor of Artsdegree in sociology with a minor in criminology fromGallaudet University in 2000.[3] After graduating from Gallaudet, she worked at Aspen Camp School for the Deaf as a guide.[4] After competing onSurvivor, Smith createdChristy's Kids: Challenge Yourself, a television show that debuted on Rocky Mountain PBS in April 2005.[5]
In January 2007, Smith co-founded Discovering Deaf Worlds, an organization which uses world travel to increase deafness awareness.[6]
Smith is the firstdeaf contestant to appear on theCBS reality television seriesSurvivor. As a contestant onSurvivor: The Amazon, Smith shocked her tribe members on the first day when she announced her disability. She competed onSurvivor to bring awareness of deaf culture and in the hope of bringing home the prize money.[4]
On Day 33 of the show, Smith was voted out in a 4-2 decision byJenna Morasca,Heidi Strobel, Matthew von Ertfelda, andRob Cesternino. Smith came in sixth place and became the fourth member of the jury of seven that would ultimately vote for the winner of the show. In the end, Smith voted for Morasca to win the $1,000,000USD grand prize.
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