Rikki Poynter is a prominent deaf YouTuber and activist who has made significant strides in raising awareness about Deaf culture and accessibility issues. Initially starting her career as a beauty vlogger, she quickly transitioned to a lifestyle vlogger, utilizing her platform to advocate for Deaf rights and the importance of closed captioning. Her YouTube channel, RikkiPoynter, has garnered over 91,500 subscribers and more than 6.8 million views, showcasing her ability to connect with a broad audience through engaging and informative content.
Poynter’s activism is particularly focused on improving closed captioning on YouTube, where she highlights the inadequacies of automatically generated captions. Through her videos, she educates creators on the importance of accurate captions, encouraging them to manually enter their own. Her campaign, #NoMoreCraptions, has successfully mobilized other YouTubers to advocate for better captioning practices, demonstrating her leadership in the community.
In addition to her online presence, Poynter actively participates in public engagements, leading workshops and panels at events like VidCon and Buffer Festival. These sessions aim to educate creators about Deaf culture and the necessity of accessibility in media. Her contributions extend to writing for DTV News and serving as a social media specialist for Deaf Women in Film, where she supports Deaf representation in the film industry.
Through her multifaceted career, Rikki Poynter has become a vital voice for the d/Deaf/HoH community, using her platform to foster understanding and promote inclusivity. Her dedication to advocacy and education continues to inspire many, making her a key figure in the movement for Deaf rights and accessibility.
