Lex Luthor is deaf but doesn't identify as Deaf until his 30s. He spent his whole childhood/teen years struggling with lip reading and the Kent's attempt to teach him ASL. There was a teacher at Smallville Public Library every Wednesday. Lex & the Kents would go together in the Kent's truck.
However, the teacher was hearing & taught them the wrong signs (hearing people should NOT teach ASL.) Lex was frustrated and started reading ASLbooks (but not Deaf culture books, even as an adult he ha internalized audism)
Lex did meet Pete Ross there. They'd gone to school together but he hadn't paid attention to him outside of "Clark's other friend". He assumed Ross was hearing because he only use ASL at home. (This would change when he moved out of Smallville for G.allaudet University.
Lex was isolated again, even as the Kent's tried they didn't know enough signs. They would constantly say "nevermind, it's not important", as well meaning as the Kents were.
Lex went to Metropolis University a semester after everyone else, due to poverty more than anything else. He met the Deaf community there and made close friends he still talks to today. But he always made excuses when invited to Deaf events. (He still uses primarily oral English at this point, again due to audism) When he reaches CEO of LexCorp he keeps himself firmly in the hearing world for fear of backlash.
When he hired Mercy as a security guard, she mentions she is a CODA and starts encouraging him to attend Deaf events. (read: bother him about it like always) She is a certified ASL interpreter and "passed the test" for Themysciran Sign when she was a teenage Amazonian.
Lex began to attend Deaf events, finally part the community. His hatred of Superman didn't earn him any points. Nor did being a technological scientist with Strong Opinions on CI. (which I'll talk about after more research on CIs) But he was a vocal Deaf advocate, using his pull & money to implement better acessability technology and video interpreters in almost every business in Metropolis, especially schools & hospitals.
He makes new Deaf friends and reconnects with old ones. (I'll flesh out his friends later) He also begins to sign as a CEO and pays for everyone at the company to learn at least ASL 101. Its satisfying, the silence. LexCorp begins to attract a decent chunk of Metropolis' Deaf community as his laboratories & marketing needs expand.
Superman signed at him when they first met. Lex noticed he's making the same sloppy mistakes Clark did once. (He had other evidence, this was just the final straw.)
"You haven't improved since Smallville, Clark."
((( I'll add more later.)))
