The Quiet Cajuns is a short documentary film that tells the story of hundreds of DeafBlind Cajuns who have never heard a fiddle waltz.  Born profoundly deaf, they  also slowly lose their vision because of a genetic quirk that came here with the Acadians over two centuries ago. The film describes Acadian Usher Syndrome, which has sprinkled many Cajun family trees with deafblind aunts, uncles and cousins. Documenting the genealogy of families like the LeJeunes, Babineauxs, Desormeauxs, Heberts and Benoits helped researchers uncover its molecular basis and bring us to the brink of a cure. Now technology, services and education are eliminating isolation, thus setting yet another vibrant culture on the path to assimilation.

Click on Resources for more links to information about Usher Syndrome.

Phyllis Griffard, UL-Lafayette Biology and Conni Castille, UL-Lafayette Moving Image Arts