For me, 'The Brady Bunch' is just a part of the fabric of my career, but for a lot of people, that's it.

When I first went to New York I was right out of high school, I was 17 years old, and I had never seen a building over two stories high.

I frequently am contacted by people who want to thank me for 'The Brady Bunch.' Whether they grew up during the show's original television run or are brand-new fans of the present generation, they tell me how important 'The Brady Bunch' has been in their lives.

Being a mom makes you far more compassionate. You have more empathy for people, more love. I was always taught to say thank you, and I'm very grateful. And my kids have that quality, too.

Raising me as a single parent, my mother held many jobs. Most of them had to do with the betterment and the advancement of our community and society at large. I grew up seeing her active in ministries at our church, with the homeless, as a social worker, with elderly, with youth, as a children's rights organizer with the Urban League of Chicago.

I'm the curvy one of the family.

At the end of the day, 'My Deaf Family' is about a typical family that all of us can identify with but told from an unusual and what I believe will be a fascinating perspective.

I always had an interest in wanting to act, but my family wasn't in the entertainment industry at all, and we didn't know anyone. We didn't really even know how you begin to crack that nut.