Medoff's real breakthrough writing achievement came with his sensitive study of the romance between a teacher and a rebellious hearing-impaired woman, "Children of a Lesser God" (1980). The play won him a Tony Award (and eventually an honorary doctorate from Gallaudet University), and though Hollywood at first resisted what it saw as non-commercial material, the 1986 film version won both popular and critical acclaim and its author an Oscar nomination. Medoff's subsequent screen work has continued his interest in people who stand out from their surroundings. Both "Clara's Heart" (1988) and "City of Joy" (1992) won praise for their nuanced characterizations and tender emotions, yet were criticized for sentimentality and even pretension in some quarters.