Breaking Stereotypes

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deidra

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I was wondering:

If anyone has a job or a career that you would not usually see a deaf or hard-of-hearing person doing. In other words, is anyone doing a job that requires you to speak and hear very well and if you don't - it can be very bad for you and your clients?

For example, I am studying to be a nurse. I've learn that assessment (of temperature, heart, blood pressure, etc.) is a BIG part of the well-being of hospital patients. And doing assessments include listening to the heart (with stethescope - most made for the hearing person) and listening to patients (who may have voices too soft or accents too strong for the HOH person to understand). And one wrong move - no matter how small - can really screw up everything for the patient and the nurse.

So...anyone? I want to know who is doing big and great things in the job field and breaking stereotypes that says that deaf and HOH people cannot do certain jobs.
 
Hmm...12 views and no replies. I guess no one is really doing something like this. I hope they are!
 
I worked as cashier and had hard time communicating with customers.

And teenager was buying a rifle and I didn't know that I had to check his ID

So I quit.
 
deidra said:
Hmm...12 views and no replies. I guess no one is really doing something like this. I hope they are!
Click to expand...

Sometimes, certain posts/threads may go unnoticed as there are many topics in various of forums here in AD...give it time--

{Mod Edit: Thread's moved to appropriate forum-- }
 
I work primarily on the telephone in a sales dept of a retail corp (not telemarketing, I couldn't do that ~ too much pressure!!) :) Because I'm only HOH I can use a very amplified phone to do the work without a lot of difficulty. If there is a customer I just can't communicate with (if their phone is too quiet or I just can't understand them) I can transfer them to another rep.
 
I'm studying with the intent to ultimately be the CEO of a tech firm... Not many significant dhh CEOs out there. I'd like to believe that my intelligence, and hopefully the success of my business, will be evidence to a fair number of people that stereotyping dhh people as stupid, weak, or disabled is fundamentally wrong.

Realistically, even if I am successful in business I probably won't make a huge impact on the prejudices of hearing people against dhh people. But one can hope, no?
 
I have been compiling a list of prominent deaf figures who have succeeded in mainstream society. Unfortunately, I don't have the list with me. What I have is off the top of my head:

Successful Living Deaf Professionals and Individuals
Seth Bravin, Analyst, Booz Allen Hamilton (Cornell MBA)
Chris Sano, Software Engineer, Microsoft
Drago Renteria, CEO, DeafVision
Gary Malkowski, Canadian Politician, Ontario New Democratic Party
.
.
.

Other Notable Living People with Hearing Loss
Steve Jobs, co-founder Apple Computer
Vinton Cerf, PhD, founder Internet Society (ISOC)
John Howard, Prime Minister of Australia
Evelyn Glennie, Scottish virtuoso percussionist
.
.
.

If you have other names, please add them here. I'd love to see!
 
Two of my doctors are deaf! They have special devices to enable them hearing the heartbeat, and lungs as well. They DO take blood pressure reading not even a problem!
For me, I wouldn't be able to do so, even thoug sometimes I wish I can talk and hear like hearies. But I am very happy that I am deaf, and can't talk.
 
Yeah, I have heard that a deaf or HOH doctor's stethoscope costs like 5 thou bucks!
 
Interesting--didn't know that about Steve Jobs and John Howard. I'm pretty sure Jobs has got to be one of the smartest guys living. I heard it said that one reason Apple didn't succeed at first the way Microsoft did was that Jobs was so far ahead of his times with his ideas. And now the guy is king of the iPod and Pixar. :)

Diehardbiker--I'm curious, what kind of devices do these doctors use? Do they look a lot different from the usual kind used by hearing doctors?
 
I've worked in telemarketing, nursing assistant, collections and skip investigating, school bus driver, over-the-road truck driver. I have been on-the-air in broadcasting and hope to continue after I complete my education. I am also a writer, so, I don't see any occupation that would prohibit anyone from being what they want to be. The possible exception is airline pilot. At the same time, however, there is a deaf private pilot's association, so there are stilll possibilities, even as a private or corporate pilot.
 
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