Mansfield, who is deaf, first gained recognition by making YouTube videos in which she told Christmas stories in American Sign Language.

The following year, her request for automatic captioning on Instagram drew attention from several media publications and became popular on Twitter.

[2] At a Disney park in 2013, Mansfield met a staff member dressed as Tinker Bell who could sign.

At the park, the family filmed an "Unforgettable Stories" advertisement,[a] in which they met an actor dressed as Minnie Mouse who had recently begun learning sign language.

[9] The New York Times's Margaret Lyons described it as earnest and the families featured as "incredibly compelling, thoughtful and telegenic".

[8] In 2019, Mansfield made her acting debut as Michelle, a homeless, deaf girl, in the Disney+ film Noelle.

[10] In July 2019, Netflix announced Mansfield had been cast in its film Feel the Beat,[12] which received ambivalent reviews.

[13] In 2021, Mansfield appeared as Peyton, the deaf daughter of Kim (Amy Smart) and Brad (Peter Facinelli), in 13 Minutes; The Hollywood Reporter said she had a "very natural screen presence".

The show's original intent to depict a boy was adjusted to a girl, who was named and modeled after Mansfield.

[5] Mansfield asked Instagram's chief executive officer, Adam Mosseri, to add automatic captioning to the network.