Miss-Delectable
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Aiding the deaf -- Career and Workplace, Towson University -- baltimoresun.com
Jennifer Curran
Manager of deaf services
The League for People with Disabilities, Baltimore
Salary // $37,000
Age // 34
Years on the job // 18 months
How she got started // Curran went to college as an education major, hoping to concentrate in special education. However, she decided teaching children wasn't exactly what she wanted. Taking a break from college, Curran worked in customer service at a women's clothing company. She went back to school and graduated from Towson University with a degree in deaf studies.
To keep her signing skills sharp, she began working as a residential counselor at Community Support Services for the Deaf while still in school and after she graduated. Eighteen months ago, she began working for the League for People with Disabilities.
"Sign language was something I always wanted to learn. I took my first class, and I fell in love."
Typical day // Most of Curran's time is spent developing and implementing vocational rehabilitation services for the deaf. These free services include career assessment, job development, job placement and job coaching. Many meetings are spent coordinating how she and her two-member support staff are helping the 40 individuals they serve.
She estimates that between 50 percent and 75 percent of her time is spent working with clients developing skills that will help them in the workplace. Most of the deaf clients at the league have been diagnosed with another disability, such as cerebral palsy.
Another part of Curran's job is to market her department's services to the community, employers and those who provide funding.
Type of signing // What many people don't know, Curran said, is that sign language is not universal. There are several different forms of sign language in the United States alone. She is skilled in American Sign Language and Tactile signing. "It's not English at all in word structure, so it can be somewhat difficult grammatically to pick up."
Hiring people with disabilities // Curran said that while some companies are willing to hire people who are deaf or have other disabilities, many remain closed to the option. "We should all have that opportunity to make our own paycheck. To work for a living. There are so many [employers] out there that are not open to that idea. We're changing it. We're trying to."
The good // The people she meets and clients with whom she works. "It's so rewarding to come home at the end of the day and think I actually impacted somebody's life."
The bad // "Experiencing a failure with one of my clients."
Philosophy on the job // "Stay positive and instill that same positive thought in my clients."
Extracurricular // Curran is also the founder of the Baltimore Rock Review, a Web site promoting the Baltimore music scene.
Jennifer Curran
Manager of deaf services
The League for People with Disabilities, Baltimore
Salary // $37,000
Age // 34
Years on the job // 18 months
How she got started // Curran went to college as an education major, hoping to concentrate in special education. However, she decided teaching children wasn't exactly what she wanted. Taking a break from college, Curran worked in customer service at a women's clothing company. She went back to school and graduated from Towson University with a degree in deaf studies.
To keep her signing skills sharp, she began working as a residential counselor at Community Support Services for the Deaf while still in school and after she graduated. Eighteen months ago, she began working for the League for People with Disabilities.
"Sign language was something I always wanted to learn. I took my first class, and I fell in love."
Typical day // Most of Curran's time is spent developing and implementing vocational rehabilitation services for the deaf. These free services include career assessment, job development, job placement and job coaching. Many meetings are spent coordinating how she and her two-member support staff are helping the 40 individuals they serve.
She estimates that between 50 percent and 75 percent of her time is spent working with clients developing skills that will help them in the workplace. Most of the deaf clients at the league have been diagnosed with another disability, such as cerebral palsy.
Another part of Curran's job is to market her department's services to the community, employers and those who provide funding.
Type of signing // What many people don't know, Curran said, is that sign language is not universal. There are several different forms of sign language in the United States alone. She is skilled in American Sign Language and Tactile signing. "It's not English at all in word structure, so it can be somewhat difficult grammatically to pick up."
Hiring people with disabilities // Curran said that while some companies are willing to hire people who are deaf or have other disabilities, many remain closed to the option. "We should all have that opportunity to make our own paycheck. To work for a living. There are so many [employers] out there that are not open to that idea. We're changing it. We're trying to."
The good // The people she meets and clients with whom she works. "It's so rewarding to come home at the end of the day and think I actually impacted somebody's life."
The bad // "Experiencing a failure with one of my clients."
Philosophy on the job // "Stay positive and instill that same positive thought in my clients."
Extracurricular // Curran is also the founder of the Baltimore Rock Review, a Web site promoting the Baltimore music scene.