QUINCY (WGEM) - A Quincy man is using his social media platforms to bring awareness to the deaf and blind communities.

“My name is Ronnie McKenzie. I was born with Usher syndrome, which correlates to being deaf and blind.”

Ronnie McKenzie – also known as King Ron to his more than 2 million social media followers – is a man on a mission. He is using his digital presence to build bridges, particularly between the deaf and hearing communities.

“Basically break communication barriers and just help advocate for the kids that don’t have any resources to help them communicate with their parents,” he said.

Now, he is trying to make communication with hearing people easier by producing videos that teach American Sign Language. He started by making a TikTok video during the COVID-19 pandemic. It immediately found an audience, and he woke up the morning after he posted it with several hundred new followers. The videos aren’t always serious, but they are intended to teach how to use ASL in everyday, real-life situations.

“You never know what I’m going to push out, you know, like it could be something to make you laugh,” he said. “It could be something to make you cry. It could be something educational. It could be curse words.”

He says he draws inspiration from his followers.

“I get tons of comments saying, Oh my goodness, I just followed you a couple weeks ago,” McKenzie said. “And I taught my deaf son this, this and this, that that warms my heart. That puts a smile on a page that know that I’m actually changing people lives.”

He knows the day will come when his sight will fail, but he tries to not be ruled by fear.

“I definitely do have them thoughts, but at the same time it’s like I can’t worry about something that I can’t control, you know, because that’s just going to be a lot, a lot of mental toll.”

Source cite: https://www.wgem.com/2025/05/31/king-ron-using-social-media-make-american-sign-language-more-accessible/