Did you see the Deaf family on Shark Tank? Deaf pizza makers Melody and Russell Stein along with their hearing adult children stepped into the tank in the 17th season finale, hoping to score a deal that will help expand their frozen pizza business, Pi00a. 

From the thrill of seeing successful Deaf business owners sharing their business acumen and confidence to simply bringing ASL and interpreter access to the mainstream, it was exciting to see. As a Deaf person, I’m always appreciative when we are represented so faithfully.

But through television, I got to zoom out and see a little more of the hearing perspective of this. And I realized that hearing people may take away something completely different than I did.

The success story is real, and hard-earned

The Steins embarked on their pizza journey back in 2011 when they opened up their famed Mozzeria restaurant in San Francisco. Certified pizza makers by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN), this was some serious Neopolitan pizza. Mozzeria was also cool because it was Deaf-owned and operated, meaning they hired other Deaf people to run it with them.  Hearing people didn’t seem to mind pointing (or signing) to order food and drinks off the menu, either. This was a hopping restaurant for 9 years, only closing the San Francisco location in 2020 during Covid due to the logistics of operating in a pandemic. 

Instead, they shifted Mozzeria to their successful food trucks, which have pizza ovens in them, and restaurant franchises were opened in Washington, DC and Mesa, Arizona which also follow their business model of Deaf ownership and operation. 

After closing the San Francisco restaurant, together with their now adult CODA children Taysia and Rylan, they have been focused on Pi00a, their gourmet frozen pizza business. After several years in business, they found they were having to turn down larger orders because they need different equipment.  To help them scale, they approached the Sharks asking for a deal for $200,000 in exchange for 5% of their business. 

“Inspirational” framing misses the point

Understandably, there wasn’t enough time on the show to hear about the Steins’ whole business history. But I just want to put it out there: this wasn’t their first rodeo. 

To get on the show (“in the tank”) I assume you need some pretty beefed up biz cred and they absolutely have that.  That’s why they were there. 

But because they are also Deaf, the word “inspirational” was thrown around… a lot.

Every Shark, even Mr Wonderful, had tears in their eyes. 

The Steins didn’t. This was a business meeting, no?

It made me wonder: 

At what point do people see they’ve bellied up to the same craps table they did and are here to play? Sure, they’ve just jumped over more hurdles to get here, but they’re here–on the same hardcore merit it takes. No need to cry, folks.

Don’t get me wrong. Their emotional reactions were genuine. But, they also reflect how rarely Deaf professionals are seen as peers rather than exceptions.

Sure, a lack of access often interferes, and Deaf professionals can miss opportunities.

But Deaf business owners who do break through those barriers are still not truly seen as peers. Instead we’re inspiring. 

People get blinded by that inspirational light.  Only to have it dim when access logistics come into play. 

The camera problem 

The camera angles themselves seemed to symbolically illustrate what I’m talking about here. Even with the best intentions, the hearing perception of a situation can skew the message.

The family of 4 enters the Shark Tank with two ASL interpreters who walk in from behind them and position themselves to the side of the sharks. The Steins introduce themselves, their Pi00a business and give their presentation all in ASL, with the interpreters providing the spoken English interpretation (voicing).  

I was looking forward to seeing their bit because it’s not too often I get direct access on TV like that. 

Unfortunately, I had to rely on the captions. I couldn’t follow the ASL consistently during the core presentation, because the camera kept switching to the interpreters who were speaking what the Steins were signing. 

The Steins were the show. The point. The interpreters were their accommodation. An artistic choice for sure, but even so, it broke up ASL users’ access due to being focused on inspirational perceptions.

This isn’t about inspiration, it’s about opportunity

Melody Stein said, “We’ve felt invisible.” That resonated with me and I’m sure many other Deaf people. 

The statistic the Steins have sought to highlight since the opening of Mozzeria and again here in Shark Tank is that Deaf people are broadly under-employed. In their businesses, they specifically look to hire and train Deaf people which not only helps to combat this, it also provides more direct access in communication and it also helps provide an accessible employment model where Deaf people are true peers.  

Deaf people don’t need admiration. We need access and opportunity. 

Hire us. See us as peers. 

Don’t look down or up at us, but straight across, because that’s where we are. 

Moving forward

Deaf Representation on shows like Shark Tank provides exposure that doesn’t happen every day. That visibility has a lot of value.

But what’s also important is what happens afterward.

Here are some practical ways to ignite a shift in perspectives:

• When you encounter Deaf professionals, assume competence first, not exception.
• Communicate as directly as possible.
• Support Deaf-owned businesses because they’re excellent and unique.
• Keep your business accessible. See providing access as part of doing business.

For businesses and employers, there’s a clear takeaway here. The Steins didn’t just build a successful company, they built a model. One where Deaf employees are hired, trained, and able to operate the business itself. That’s not inspirational, it’s replicable.

Let’s normalize this.

So when a Deaf-owned business walks into the next Shark Tank, the reaction won’t be inspiration or tears.

It’ll just be respect.

And to the Stein family, congratulations on everything you have built and continue to build. Thank you for your continued support of the Deaf ecosystem and our world. We are richer for it.

Shark Tank season 17 finale is now streaming on ABC and Hulu