The employment challenges of the Deaf

National Deaf History month kicked off on Friday the 13th. It marked the anniversary of ‘Deaf President Now’ movement at Gallaudet University. Located in Washington D.C., Gallaudet University is a liberal arts college for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing. The movement succeeded in persuading Gallaudet University to have a deaf president. I. King Jordan became the first Deaf president in 1988. This reflects the determination of those who fought for what was best for our deaf community.

Today, we are continuing the fight. One of our struggles is employment. We’re still proving our abilities to do what others can do despite our hearing losses. Many have asked me to share my experiences with my employment such as interviews, the process of getting jobs and what it’s like to work as a deaf person in a hearing dominant environment.

While I was a student at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Rochester, NY - I majored in criminal justice. One of the requirements for graduation was an internship. RIT was able to provide internship or you could find one on your own. They gave me the opportunity to work at the probation department. I decided to also seek other options. I got an interview with Advocacy Services for Abused Deaf Victims (ASADV) and then decided which one I felt was the best fit. The ASADV interview and the meeting with the mentor at the probation department were scheduled on the same day. Since ASADV was an agency based on providing support to the deaf community, I didn’t have to ask for an interpreter. I was interviewed by two female Deaf employees whereas we chatted using sign language for an hour. There was no struggle, and communication came very easy. In the afternoon, I met with the mentor at the probation department and we discussed what the tasks and expectations would be. The mentor and I communicated via paper and pen for the entire conversation which took 5 minutes.

I walked out of the probation department to the car where my mom was waiting for me. We traveled to Rochester together that day over the summer since school wasn’t in session. As soon as I got in the car, I excitedly said “I’m gonna do Probation!”. My mom was surprised and asked if I needed more time to think this through, and I didn’t. I was surprised at myself too but I knew in my heart that this was where I was meant to be.

My experience with probation turned out to be one of the best! It set the bar really high for future employment. I showed up to work every day excited. I never once felt out of place at probation despite being the only deaf person surrounded by hearing co-workers. Biweekly, I met with the clients for the report day when they check in with their progress of their probation terms. For this, I had an interpreter to help with the communication. I never felt different from other probation officers. I had the ability to do the job because I had an interpreter. I received the same respect from the clients (well, most!) that other clients gave to their probation officers. Sometimes, I had to visit the county jail if my clients got arrested. Again, I had an interpreter with me for most of these visits.

Sometimes, the probation officers need to talk with family members or friends of the clients related to their cases. I recall one day when the phone rang for me to come down to assist with an interview for a deaf girlfriend of a client. I met with the probation officer who I never worked with before. I didn’t have my interpreter with me that day so I asked him to show me the questions that he wanted me to ask the girlfriend. While he typed out the questions on the computer, I communicated with the girlfriend using sign language then telling him her responses. I never had been in a situation where I was on the other side. I felt needed. I FELT VALUED! It was a great feeling. This situation turned into a few more of other probation officers needing my assistance with communicating with deaf people.

What I remember the most from probation is that I enjoyed the co-workers, especially my mentor. I had so much respect for my mentor. She NEVER looked at me with the disability I had; she knew my ability of doing the job. She praised me for every time I did a good job. Other people have shared their positive feedback too. I worked hard and I enjoyed every minute of it. It was particularly hard to leave when I made the move to Connecticut. I had no idea what was ahead for me, but I knew it would be difficult to top the experience at the probation department.

I will be releasing a series of the experiences I have had in the last 10 years. The probation department was my first experience coming into the life post-RIT. Stay tuned for the next one!

All opinion in this blog are my own. It does not reflect the opinions of other deaf members.