Can D/HH people become engineer?

Chimajo,

Have you talked with your parents about learning that deaf people can be engineers? If so, did that help change their views?
 
Engineer, HoH and non native English speaker

Chimajo said:
I have a question. People who want to become engineer must know English as a native language. What if deaf people in engineering have to understand English since their first language is not English?
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I am an electrical engineer, and Italian is my native language.

I took a BS (2 yrs) and a MS (3 yrs) in Electrical Engineering here in Italy, I never thought about studying abroad because 1) it is much cheaper in Italy; 2) the Italian level of education is pretty good, although it has too much theory and very little practice; 3) I wasn't sure about the outcome attending lessons in a foreign language - I had enough issues with Italian classes.

When attending the university, I never asked for assistance and none of my classmates knew/know I am hard of hearing. I just played the silly-part when I asked something that had just been said, or if I missed something during classes. I don't suggest you to do so because it would have been so much better (to my benefit) having someone knowing about my issue and helping me out, rather than settling for the "whatever".

Most of classes required taking notes and there were no written materials, except expensive books - for consultation only, since each professor had their preferred topics and schedule. I missed most of what was being said since either I looked at the professor or at the notepad where I was writing down.
Anyway I managed to copy notes from my classmates. I never shined at school since I lost my hearing at the age of 10 (I was top of my class, before that), and I suffered a lot for being "behind" everyone else, even behind those who weren't very smart or skilled.

Anyway, back at being an engineer. I took all of my internships (2) in a power plant. I loved it. After my graduation I was offered to work there, but they never hired me on a permanent basis. Turns out I didn't have the physical requirements for 90% of the jobs there: I wasn't allowed to go alone around the plant because my hearing assessment was done without hearing aid, so I couldn't hear a forklift approaching or the emergency siren wailing.

Of course I wear my hearing aid 100% of the times, but the occupational physician said that the assessment is done in the worst possible scenario, i.e. if my hearing aid is broken.

I wasn't allowed to be a control room operator since they use radios and phones and PA announcements.
I wasn't allowed to be a maintenance engineer since they need to call suppliers, and have on-call days/nights (they are called over the phone and should deal matters over the phones, or come physically to the plant).

I was allowed to work alone in front of my computer, but I wasn't allowed to go to public offices on behalf of the company because (god forbid!) I could misunderstand or miss something I was said.
In the end I worked in the technical archive, sorting things out. Of course I was the best archivist they've ever had. :D
Then I was employed as a self-taught VBA programmer - it was interesting but a struggle since I had to research everything on the internet.
After that I worked in the EHS department, but I knew very well that I would never been the one calling entities or agencies, nor the EHS manager that should take calls from the public regarding environment or safety issues, or deal with emergencies.

So, my suggestion is: either you become a designer, working mostly face to face with your team, or alone in front of your computer, or you become a web developer, or IT/TLC master, working mostly through your computer.

When I chose which faculty to attend, I chose wisely taking into account my hearing issue - I crossed being a physician (what if I misheard symptoms or intolerances to drugs?), being a lawyer (what I didn't understand what they said during a trial?), being a veterinarian (I can't even take a pulse, let alone hear a pet's breath).

Now I am unemployed and I am looking for a job, but any time I read a job ad, I think about all the things I can't do because I am HoH.
Plus, the Italian job market is a mess and I can work legally in the US, so I am looking for a job in the US and I am not even an English native speaker! (another disadvantage!)

I taught myself English from the little English I learned at school here in Italy, and I am doing very good in writing and reading.
But I learned to speak English after my hearing loss and I talk in an awkward way, only partially due to the fact that English is not my native language - I can't learn English "by hear", and English pronunciation is different from word to word (whereas Spanish pronunciation would be much easier to learn, for me). I am afraid I will never reach such a level of spoken English that even non-native & uneducated immigrants reach!

Understanding spoken English is always a dare - it depends on the speaker sex/age (better if young female, they have a higher pitch), their accent (I understand Californians very well, for examples, but I can't understand British or Scottish English), how fast they talk, etc.
Of course this is valid also for my native language, Italian, but to a lesser degree because it is easier to guess what I could have been said.

Nevertheless, I strongly believe I can work in an English speaking environment beautifully, provided I am helped as much as any English speaker who is deaf or hard of hearing. I would never think of learning ASL - I think I just need to practice oral English with people who are aware of my issue and are looking to help me out. What I lack, is an education for the deaf/HoH in spoken English.

I am not dumb, I am more skilled than a lot of hearing people! And besides, a lot of deafy are engineers since they're known to have a better imagination for abstract entities (such as mathematical entities). Now, I don't think that being deaf makes you more gifted on the abstract side, but for sure that proves that you can be a deaf engineer as many others!
 
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Isadora, if you need any help with relocating to Minnesota should you find an Engineering job in the Twin Cities (which I've seen plenty of in the Ads) let me know and I'll see what I can do to help you as well as the Deaf community here. You wont be alone.
 
Chimajo said:
I want to become an engineer. I am very good at math. Although my parents thought it is too hard for me to study engineering, I disagree with them.

Have anyone who are deaf or hard of hearing already become engineer?
What do they do in engineering?
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Yes, you can go into any STEM field you want.

Rochester Institute of Technology has a deaf/hoh student population being instructed in these fields.

Also, there is a Facebook group for Deaf/HoH STEM people.

http://www.facebook.com/groups/478214995559473/
 
Jiro said:
my dad wrote me this email last week when I told him that I'm doing well and fine at my new job -



Chimajo, I'm disheartened to see your parents not being very encouraging to you but perhaps you should show them a courage by being an example. study hard and work hard... and your parents will see you in a whole new light.
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Your father sounds awesome....but lets not jump on this young man's parents. Parents want the best for their children and they hate to see them disappointed. People can be difficult to deal with, and cruel, especially to the disabled. They probably want to protect him and may be overly protective....out of love. I'm sure they'd give their child the world if they could.

Laura
 
I might be a little late to this thread, but I wanted to let you know deafness has absolutely no bearing on one's ability to become an engineer.

I know this because I am a deaf person with BS and MS degrees in engineering. I am also working on a PhD degree in materials science/engineering. My thesis work consists of trying to better understand the properties of thin-film solar cells.

If you'd like more information, feel free to ask.
 
Hey, my parents told me I couldn't be a Paramedic... and oh look! I'm a Paramedic. =P Your hearing loss only has the restrictions you let it have on you. =D GO BE AN ENGINEER!!! =D!!!
 
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