deaf in a hearing job - Page 2

Tousi · 04-04-2008, 01:50 PM

Okay, man. Btw, there's a PM for you on your end....

cterry7799 · 04-05-2008, 10:15 PM

I've never been deaf in a hearing job, but I love reading your posts. It gives ideas for employment and hopes, and what to expect and it's just nice knowing one day that if/when i am in a "hearing" job that people like yourself will have broken some barriers for me.

DragonYoga · 04-15-2008, 01:09 PM

The 2 jobs I had the longest, I was the only Deaf person there. The first (for 2 years) was as a housekeeping staff at an inn. I can speak and lipread very well, and I think I've been spoiled living where I do - I live in a town with a huge Deaf community, so pretty much most people know how to interact with the Deaf. Plus, there's my college with the Deaf Education major, and I cannot tell you how many times I've walked into a store or restaurant and found an employee who knew sign language.

ANYWAY. Inn. The co-workers and boss all knew to face me while talking, and to repeat what they're saying if I don't get it the first time. I quit cuz the pay SUCKED... and found a better one where I stayed for 4 years. I worked in a factory/warehouse, and they have LOUD machines. In a normal environment, I can hear people calling me from behind (with hearing aids), but there, 9 times out of 10, that didn't work.

But they were cool. Meetings, I never had an interpreter, but the information was repetitive and they almost always had powerpoint so I knew the basics of what they were saying. If I missed something, someone always gave me the short short version (they're making us do overtime this weekend. Buttheads...) and I always had a good friendship with my co-workers. As a matter of fact, one relationship was so good we got married :-P

***VamPyroX*** · 04-22-2008, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DragonYoga

The 2 jobs I had the longest, I was the only Deaf person there. The first (for 2 years) was as a housekeeping staff at an inn. I can speak and lipread very well, and I think I've been spoiled living where I do - I live in a town with a huge Deaf community, so pretty much most people know how to interact with the Deaf. Plus, there's my college with the Deaf Education major, and I cannot tell you how many times I've walked into a store or restaurant and found an employee who knew sign language.

ANYWAY. Inn. The co-workers and boss all knew to face me while talking, and to repeat what they're saying if I don't get it the first time. I quit cuz the pay SUCKED... and found a better one where I stayed for 4 years. I worked in a factory/warehouse, and they have LOUD machines. In a normal environment, I can hear people calling me from behind (with hearing aids), but there, 9 times out of 10, that didn't work.

But they were cool. Meetings, I never had an interpreter, but the information was repetitive and they almost always had powerpoint so I knew the basics of what they were saying. If I missed something, someone always gave me the short short version (they're making us do overtime this weekend. Buttheads...) and I always had a good friendship with my co-workers. As a matter of fact, one relationship was so good we got married :-P

That's how it usually is with deaf people in the workplace.

When a deaf person joins a company, most hearing people there aren't familiar with how things work with a deaf person. A million things go through their heads about the possible "negatives" that could happen with that deaf person. However, as time goes by... those workers will slowly get used to knowing that deaf person better. Then, that deaf person becomes known as a great worker.

DragonYoga · 04-22-2008, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VamPyroX

That's how it usually is with deaf people in the workplace.

When a deaf person joins a company, most hearing people there aren't familiar with how things work with a deaf person. A million things go through their heads about the possible "negatives" that could happen with that deaf person. However, as time goes by... those workers will slowly get used to knowing that deaf person better. Then, that deaf person becomes known as a great worker.

Yup, that's what happened! When I quit so I could focus on my education full time, several of my co-workers told me that our supervisor had been trying to find a way to get rid of me because I'm Deaf. I was like, "Figures. His loss."

EVERYBODY was furious about that - he kept giving me the shaft, and blamed me for stuff I wasn't at fault for but "should have caught" and so on. I am SO glad to be gone from there! I would sue to teach him a lesson, except for 2 things: 1. No concrete proof - it's my word against his; and 2., my husband still works there, and he is a vindictive arse.

I'm just sitting back laughing whenever I hear any yummy rumors from my husband (like recently, that supervisor got suspended for a few days for mouthing off at HIS boss over someone else at work)....

jiro123 · 04-23-2008, 01:53 PM

I've had several jobs in hearing world and yes some were challenging but I managed. I've worked as math tutor at Community College, lowly clerk at hospital, electrical engineer at small company, and web developer at Bristol-Myers Squibb & my college. I've recently had a job interview at American Museum of Natural History as web developer and NJ Transit as GIS Specialist and a private catholic college as Network Security. They'll let me know by end of this week... hope I get in one of them...

As for accommodations, I've used emails and notes. I get a recap of staff meetings with my boss/supervisor/coworker for important details.

In my opinion, working for government is usually the best for people with disability because they go extra measure to provide accommodations but companies tend to provide minimum accommodations. Some companies don't like to provide it because accommodations aren't cheap unless you're a valuable asset for them, typically managerial positions or important job positions.

My advice to you is to work hard and make yourself valuable to employers! Don't limit yourself to "invisible jobs" where there's minimum amount of contact with customers/coworkers. Rise up and prove them wrong!

IslandBreeze07 · 04-23-2008, 05:10 PM

Great thread!

Just do the job you're capable of and hired for. Everything falls into place. I'm known as a Jane of all trades in a sense. I've worked in several photo jobs, kitchens, air cargo industry/security and forensic/law enforcement/biomedical photography.

Bosses love employees they can trust and know that they can do the job.

Lots of stories to tell but.......if you can get along with people, it does not matter if your're deaf or not. If problems, DISH IT RIGHT OUT and they will respect you. I've outlasted problem managers and problem employees. I've been supervisor to eight hearing security guys. I went overseas into Latin countries not knowing enough Spanish. If you're good at what you do, you are up there with the best. Veterinary surgeries and overseas flying are the best! I've had battles that would rival that of Hell's Kitchen, including two attempts to get me fired. Jon has been in those himself, and we love watching Hell's Kitchen. It's most realest of reality shows except for Gordon Ramsey's mouth. Most chefs are more respectful than that.

There was only one job that I got to work with a deaf (and black) employee. It was a blast. We would get yelled at by the executive chef for constantly communciating in sign. I'd tell him, okay chef, we'll talk less but you gotta tell the hearies to talk less also.... However, we all know that hearies can talk and work at the same time. No hands to sign. The deaf employee I worked with, what a great guy! I lost track of him......He does well in rest of his food service jobs. Managers LOVE him.

I never wanted accomodations beyond talking with bosses what they expected of me. In my cargo airline job, I'd have an alpha pager for here and my radio calls were directed to the pager or through employees. They were also instructed by the big boss to talk on the radio anytime I requested them to. I've been notrious for reading the newspaper in the mornings on the job but the boss never bothered me because I'd have one eye on the tarmac and other eye in the paper. Only that people would NOT think I'm always watching!

When we got shut down by the FAA, I was a shoo-in for a supervisor job at rival Arrow Air based on my reputation but guess what? Their safety guy said HELL NO when he heard about my deafness. So I went back into the kitchen to pay the bills.

Now I'm a SAHM trying to book caterings and festivals. I also work with a deaf and HoH organization called MelaBuddies. I LOVE what I'm doing these days.

kimpossible · 04-24-2008, 11:28 PM

I'm still young... ! but I am a cook and cashier at a fast food restaurant (A&W). Primarily I work in the kitchen, but I've also been trained for the front. (The longest I've worked the front at a time was one day for 4 hours straight, so it's not really a regular thing.)

Sometimes it comes to my advantage when I'm in the back, because I'll look at what the customers are ordering, since their lips are visible but they're out of hearing range to the other kitchen staff. The order takes a while to show up on the screens sometimes, but I just start making their meals before the other kitchen staff even know what the order is... they ask me what I'm doing, then when the order shows up on the screen they marvel at my alleged ability to see into the future...

As for the front, some customers are really rude. One woman took advantage of my hearing loss... I make it quite noticeable to all customers by tapping my ear when I ask for repeats, and my hair is worn back all the time so my BTE is pretty visible. But this one woman who I'm 99.9% sure didn't order any drinks with her meal told me "where are my 3 root beers?" after I handed her her food.. I just sheepishly gave her some root beers that I hadn't even charged her for, because I wanted to avoid drama. Other times customers are just snappy and impatient if I ask for even one repeat. But primarily the customers are polite, and the orders are easy enough to understand after a while since they're just the same food items being said over and over again. I've also gotten two Deaf customers before, who had their order written out on paper, but they were signing in ASL to each other so I just signed back and surprised them =P

The career I'm aiming for is one in the animation industry. Fall of 2008 will be my second year of college (I'm majoring in Animation), but I have a couple classes called Sound Editing. Don't know if I should look forward to that...

04-15-2008, 01:09 PM	#33 (permalink)
DragonYoga chocolatechocolate! Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: St. Augustine, FL Posts: 153	The 2 jobs I had the longest, I was the only Deaf person there. The first (for 2 years) was as a housekeeping staff at an inn. I can speak and lipread very well, and I think I've been spoiled living where I do - I live in a town with a huge Deaf community, so pretty much most people know how to interact with the Deaf. Plus, there's my college with the Deaf Education major, and I cannot tell you how many times I've walked into a store or restaurant and found an employee who knew sign language. ANYWAY. Inn. The co-workers and boss all knew to face me while talking, and to repeat what they're saying if I don't get it the first time. I quit cuz the pay SUCKED... and found a better one where I stayed for 4 years. I worked in a factory/warehouse, and they have LOUD machines. In a normal environment, I can hear people calling me from behind (with hearing aids), but there, 9 times out of 10, that didn't work. But they were cool. Meetings, I never had an interpreter, but the information was repetitive and they almost always had powerpoint so I knew the basics of what they were saying. If I missed something, someone always gave me the short short version (they're making us do overtime this weekend. Buttheads...) and I always had a good friendship with my co-workers. As a matter of fact, one relationship was so good we got married :-P __________________ MMM...CHOCOLATE!!!

04-23-2008, 05:10 PM	#37 (permalink)
IslandBreeze07 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Sunshine State Posts: 75	Great thread! Just do the job you're capable of and hired for. Everything falls into place. I'm known as a Jane of all trades in a sense. I've worked in several photo jobs, kitchens, air cargo industry/security and forensic/law enforcement/biomedical photography. Bosses love employees they can trust and know that they can do the job. Lots of stories to tell but.......if you can get along with people, it does not matter if your're deaf or not. If problems, DISH IT RIGHT OUT and they will respect you. I've outlasted problem managers and problem employees. I've been supervisor to eight hearing security guys. I went overseas into Latin countries not knowing enough Spanish. If you're good at what you do, you are up there with the best. Veterinary surgeries and overseas flying are the best! I've had battles that would rival that of Hell's Kitchen, including two attempts to get me fired. Jon has been in those himself, and we love watching Hell's Kitchen. It's most realest of reality shows except for Gordon Ramsey's mouth. Most chefs are more respectful than that. There was only one job that I got to work with a deaf (and black) employee. It was a blast. We would get yelled at by the executive chef for constantly communciating in sign. I'd tell him, okay chef, we'll talk less but you gotta tell the hearies to talk less also.... However, we all know that hearies can talk and work at the same time. No hands to sign. The deaf employee I worked with, what a great guy! I lost track of him......He does well in rest of his food service jobs. Managers LOVE him. I never wanted accomodations beyond talking with bosses what they expected of me. In my cargo airline job, I'd have an alpha pager for here and my radio calls were directed to the pager or through employees. They were also instructed by the big boss to talk on the radio anytime I requested them to. I've been notrious for reading the newspaper in the mornings on the job but the boss never bothered me because I'd have one eye on the tarmac and other eye in the paper. Only that people would NOT think I'm always watching! When we got shut down by the FAA, I was a shoo-in for a supervisor job at rival Arrow Air based on my reputation but guess what? Their safety guy said HELL NO when he heard about my deafness. So I went back into the kitchen to pay the bills. Now I'm a SAHM trying to book caterings and festivals. I also work with a deaf and HoH organization called MelaBuddies. I LOVE what I'm doing these days. __________________ MelaBuddies www.melabuddies.webs.com

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04-04-2008, 01:50 PM	#31 (permalink)
Tousi Registered User Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 6,361	Okay, man. Btw, there's a PM for you on your end....

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04-05-2008, 10:15 PM	#32 (permalink)
cterry7799 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: CSUN Posts: 17	I've never been deaf in a hearing job, but I love reading your posts. It gives ideas for employment and hopes, and what to expect and it's just nice knowing one day that if/when i am in a "hearing" job that people like yourself will have broken some barriers for me.

04-23-2008, 01:53 PM	#36 (permalink)
jiro123 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 373	I've had several jobs in hearing world and yes some were challenging but I managed. I've worked as math tutor at Community College, lowly clerk at hospital, electrical engineer at small company, and web developer at Bristol-Myers Squibb & my college. I've recently had a job interview at American Museum of Natural History as web developer and NJ Transit as GIS Specialist and a private catholic college as Network Security. They'll let me know by end of this week... hope I get in one of them... As for accommodations, I've used emails and notes. I get a recap of staff meetings with my boss/supervisor/coworker for important details. In my opinion, working for government is usually the best for people with disability because they go extra measure to provide accommodations but companies tend to provide minimum accommodations. Some companies don't like to provide it because accommodations aren't cheap unless you're a valuable asset for them, typically managerial positions or important job positions. My advice to you is to work hard and make yourself valuable to employers! Don't limit yourself to "invisible jobs" where there's minimum amount of contact with customers/coworkers. Rise up and prove them wrong!

04-24-2008, 11:28 PM	#38 (permalink)
kimpossible Registered User Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: British Columbia Posts: 128	I'm still young... ! but I am a cook and cashier at a fast food restaurant (A&W). Primarily I work in the kitchen, but I've also been trained for the front. (The longest I've worked the front at a time was one day for 4 hours straight, so it's not really a regular thing.) Sometimes it comes to my advantage when I'm in the back, because I'll look at what the customers are ordering, since their lips are visible but they're out of hearing range to the other kitchen staff. The order takes a while to show up on the screens sometimes, but I just start making their meals before the other kitchen staff even know what the order is... they ask me what I'm doing, then when the order shows up on the screen they marvel at my alleged ability to see into the future... As for the front, some customers are really rude. One woman took advantage of my hearing loss... I make it quite noticeable to all customers by tapping my ear when I ask for repeats, and my hair is worn back all the time so my BTE is pretty visible. But this one woman who I'm 99.9% sure didn't order any drinks with her meal told me "where are my 3 root beers?" after I handed her her food.. I just sheepishly gave her some root beers that I hadn't even charged her for, because I wanted to avoid drama. Other times customers are just snappy and impatient if I ask for even one repeat. But primarily the customers are polite, and the orders are easy enough to understand after a while since they're just the same food items being said over and over again. I've also gotten two Deaf customers before, who had their order written out on paper, but they were signing in ASL to each other so I just signed back and surprised them =P The career I'm aiming for is one in the animation industry. Fall of 2008 will be my second year of college (I'm majoring in Animation), but I have a couple classes called Sound Editing. Don't know if I should look forward to that...