Deaf and HOH Journalists/J-School Students - I need to talk to you!

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seastar

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Hi there,

I'm a Journalism student, hard-of-hearing, and struggling to find resources and tips on how to make it in the field of journalism.

So I thought I would start a project and make a toolbox of resources and ideas that we can all use.

I would love to hear from d/Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing or even anyone involved in helping deaf students succeed about what we can do to make it in the field of Journalism.

Right now, it is largely a hearing occupation. I know I can't be the only deaf J-schooler out there!

Any tips, anecdotes, ideas, suggestions or thoughts, by anyone, are HUGELY appreciated!

I'm not really sure where to post this, so I hope this is the right forum.

Many, many thanks!
-SEASTAR
 
Also - if you know someone who might be interested, please forward this link! Many thanks! :)
 
Sorry for bumping this, just really hope to find somebody! Thank you ! :)
 
I'm not a journalist and I work as a computer programmer (10+ years). Surviving adulthood so far as a HoH person what I have to offer is to figure out something where your hearing would not be an issue and even an advantage.

For example, in journalism, is there a field that focuses on social media or online sources? You don't need perfect hearing to do that. You might also want to research potential employers and just send out emails asking for feedback/advice. I can only offer general advice and don't know what would apply to journalism. Good luck!
 
I'm hearing, so that's my perspective, but I was a Navy journalist for 24 years, so I do have a few comments that might help.

The field of journalism is varied and broad. What area are you interested in? Electronic media? Print media? Hard news? Feature writing? Photojournalism? Small-town newspaper? Topical magazine? Technical writing? Community relations? Speech writing?Ghost writing? Not all areas of journalism are dependent on hearing.

Whatever aspect you're interested in, be prepared and willing to start at the bottom and take constructive criticism graciously from your mentors.

Start building your portfolio even if it's volunteer work that you do for free--get those bylines.

Get out and pound the pavement--don't do all your work in front of a computer.

Join local press associations and start networking.
 
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