Linguistic barriers and lending gaps
Mortgage paperwork is complex for everyone, but it can be especially alienating for borrowers who are deaf. Many use ASL as a first language, and written English doesn’t always align with how they communicate.
“It’s a language barrier. They don’t look at English like how we would,” Rhude said. “Their terminology’s broken up. It’s a little bit different.”
That gap often forces deaf borrowers to rely on lip reading, family members, or guesswork when reviewing critical documents. Rhude closes that gap by providing direct, clear communication in ASL.
“When they see that I know mortgage, they’re like, ‘Oh my God, you can help us.’ And then they trust me because I can sign. I can communicate.”
Representation and real accessibility
Rhude creates ASL video content for clients, aiming to make the mortgage process more inclusive from the start – not just more palatable after the fact.