Netflix announced on Friday it will release a documentary series featuring a close-knit group of Deaf students coming-of-age at Gallaudet University. “Deaf U” will have eight episodes that are about 20 minutes long each, according to Deadline Hollywood.

The streaming service also released a trailer (which also highlights six other projects Netflix has released or will be soon, for their “Celebrate Disability” campaign) and is expected to premiere October 9.

https://twitter.com/GallaudetU/status/1286761751170691074

Gallaudet University, located in Northeast D.C., is the world’s only school specifically designed to be barrier-free for students who are deaf and hard of hearing. Founded in 1864 by an Act of Congress and a charter signed into law by Abraham Lincoln, the private university is officially bilingual. Instructors and students use both English and American Sign Language in their learning and instruction.

One of the executive producers of the series is 2013 Gallaudet graduate Nyle DiMarco, who has gone on to have a career as an actor, model, and Broadway producer. He’s probably best known for, in 2015, becoming the first Deaf contestant — and winner — of the reality series “America’s Next Top Model.” He also won ABC’s reality show “Dancing With The Stars” in 2016.

On Friday afternoon, he tweeted about the series,  saying a “group of friends navigate the high, lows, and hookups of college life together, their stories offer an unprecedented, unfiltered, and often unexpected look inside the deaf community.”

https://twitter.com/NyleDiMarco/status/1286743489980465152

In recent weeks, Gallaudet University, like every other local university, has had to adjust to the realities of COVID-19. Earlier this month, the school announced they will start the fall semester remotely. They will slowly bring students back for in-person learning based on recommendations from the school’s reopening task force and D.C. officials.