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East Volusia News - newsjournalonline.com
Finding a job in a tough economy is not easy, but imagine the frustration felt by John Wilson, who can't even hear the voices of his prospective employers.
The 38-year-old from Daytona Beach, who has been deaf all his life, filled out about 20 applications before getting help from a local Easter Seals program.
"You just see their faces and know it's not going to work out," Wilson said through an interpreter.
But with help from the Deaf Advocacy Program at Easter Seals Volusia and Flagler Counties, he started working in January at the Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic in Daytona Beach through a contract with Stewart-Marchman-Act Behavioral Healthcare.
Faith Novella, 38, of Palm Coast, who is deaf, has faced similar struggles. She received certification in medical billing and coding in 2008 after being a stay-at-home mom but has not been able to find a job in that field after applying for numerous jobs. Instead, she accepted a job where she will start teaching sign language in January.
Both Wilson and Novella got help in finding jobs through the Easter Seals program, which started in July 2007. The program helps people who are deaf find jobs, provides sign language classes to families and co-workers of deaf persons and assists employers with making their workplace more conducive to employees who are deaf.
The nonprofit agency recently received a $10,000 grant from Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundation to continue the work of Easter Seals Deaf Advocate Amy Barber, who is also deaf. The program started with a $45,000 grant from The Able Trust, also known as the Florida Governor's Alliance for the Employment of Citizens with Disabilities.
Lynn Sinnott, president of the local Easter Seals, said one of the goals of the program is to improve communication between employers and employees who are deaf. Barber also helps clients use other resources and agencies in the community.
Sixteen employees at DaVita Laboratory Services in DeLand took classes earlier this year and paid for additional weeks to learn more, according to Easter Seals.
Verena Lang, a DaVita hematology manager, said the employees wanted to take the classes to help co-worker Kim Wright, who is hearing impaired, feel at home and for them to get to know an aspect of her life they didn't fully understand.
Wright, a medical technologist who has been with DaVita the past year, said in an e-mail that her co-workers learning sign language helped her feel comfortable going to work every day by "not being nervous or frustrated."
"I feel the program brought us all together," she said.
The Easter Seals program has worked with 66 people since starting, including helping 30 find jobs, Sinnott said. About 28 businesses have worked with Easter Seals in hiring people who are deaf. Locally, Sinnott said there are about 3,000 people who are deaf and about 70,000 who are hard of hearing.
In addition to helping people with jobs, Easter Seals teaches people in the community sign language and helps in providing special phone equipment for the elderly.
Barber, 52, who has taught sign language for about 20 years, said through an interpreter that a lot of people who are deaf don't understand why "hearing people don't empathize and understand" that people who are deaf do not choose to be deaf. Some people grew up in families, she said, who have not learned sign language.
"You feel alone," Barber said. "You feel there are walls too big to overcome."
Novella, who used to be a certified nursing assistant in Pennsylvania, took time off from work when her daughter, Aliyah, who is now 5, was born. Her husband, who is also deaf, works for Publix Super Markets.
She will start teaching sign language in January for Flagler County schools' adult and community education program and start another job with Helping Hands of Flagler Counties that works with people with developmental disabilities. After not being able to find a job in medical billing, she said in an e-mail that she wanted to do something to "help hearing people understand us. We are all human beings."
She also would like to see more people learn sign language.
"It helps deaf people feel more at ease because there are other people learning our language," she said through an interpreter.
Meanwhile, Wilson, who works evenings cleaning the four waiting rooms at the veterans outpatient clinic, communicates at his current job by reading the movement of a person's lips and mouth. He also writes messages on paper with his boss. The Easter Seals program and Barber helped him find his current job and helped him write his resume.
Robyn Jones, contract supervisor at Stewart-Marchman-Act, which contracts with the outpatient clinic, said Wilson is one of her best employees, "always on time and willing to lend a helping hand."
deborah.circelli@news-jrnl.com
Learn sign language
Easter Seals Volusia and Flagler Counties teaches classes in American Sign Language to employers and people in the community. For employers who have a deaf employee, the agency has a program that will pay for the first eight weeks of classes.
For the community, classes are $40 for an eight-week session. The next session is in January. For more information, call 386-255-4568 ext. 306 to register or go online at easterseals-volusiaflagler.org and click on Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services.
Finding a job in a tough economy is not easy, but imagine the frustration felt by John Wilson, who can't even hear the voices of his prospective employers.
The 38-year-old from Daytona Beach, who has been deaf all his life, filled out about 20 applications before getting help from a local Easter Seals program.
"You just see their faces and know it's not going to work out," Wilson said through an interpreter.
But with help from the Deaf Advocacy Program at Easter Seals Volusia and Flagler Counties, he started working in January at the Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic in Daytona Beach through a contract with Stewart-Marchman-Act Behavioral Healthcare.
Faith Novella, 38, of Palm Coast, who is deaf, has faced similar struggles. She received certification in medical billing and coding in 2008 after being a stay-at-home mom but has not been able to find a job in that field after applying for numerous jobs. Instead, she accepted a job where she will start teaching sign language in January.
Both Wilson and Novella got help in finding jobs through the Easter Seals program, which started in July 2007. The program helps people who are deaf find jobs, provides sign language classes to families and co-workers of deaf persons and assists employers with making their workplace more conducive to employees who are deaf.
The nonprofit agency recently received a $10,000 grant from Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundation to continue the work of Easter Seals Deaf Advocate Amy Barber, who is also deaf. The program started with a $45,000 grant from The Able Trust, also known as the Florida Governor's Alliance for the Employment of Citizens with Disabilities.
Lynn Sinnott, president of the local Easter Seals, said one of the goals of the program is to improve communication between employers and employees who are deaf. Barber also helps clients use other resources and agencies in the community.
Sixteen employees at DaVita Laboratory Services in DeLand took classes earlier this year and paid for additional weeks to learn more, according to Easter Seals.
Verena Lang, a DaVita hematology manager, said the employees wanted to take the classes to help co-worker Kim Wright, who is hearing impaired, feel at home and for them to get to know an aspect of her life they didn't fully understand.
Wright, a medical technologist who has been with DaVita the past year, said in an e-mail that her co-workers learning sign language helped her feel comfortable going to work every day by "not being nervous or frustrated."
"I feel the program brought us all together," she said.
The Easter Seals program has worked with 66 people since starting, including helping 30 find jobs, Sinnott said. About 28 businesses have worked with Easter Seals in hiring people who are deaf. Locally, Sinnott said there are about 3,000 people who are deaf and about 70,000 who are hard of hearing.
In addition to helping people with jobs, Easter Seals teaches people in the community sign language and helps in providing special phone equipment for the elderly.
Barber, 52, who has taught sign language for about 20 years, said through an interpreter that a lot of people who are deaf don't understand why "hearing people don't empathize and understand" that people who are deaf do not choose to be deaf. Some people grew up in families, she said, who have not learned sign language.
"You feel alone," Barber said. "You feel there are walls too big to overcome."
Novella, who used to be a certified nursing assistant in Pennsylvania, took time off from work when her daughter, Aliyah, who is now 5, was born. Her husband, who is also deaf, works for Publix Super Markets.
She will start teaching sign language in January for Flagler County schools' adult and community education program and start another job with Helping Hands of Flagler Counties that works with people with developmental disabilities. After not being able to find a job in medical billing, she said in an e-mail that she wanted to do something to "help hearing people understand us. We are all human beings."
She also would like to see more people learn sign language.
"It helps deaf people feel more at ease because there are other people learning our language," she said through an interpreter.
Meanwhile, Wilson, who works evenings cleaning the four waiting rooms at the veterans outpatient clinic, communicates at his current job by reading the movement of a person's lips and mouth. He also writes messages on paper with his boss. The Easter Seals program and Barber helped him find his current job and helped him write his resume.
Robyn Jones, contract supervisor at Stewart-Marchman-Act, which contracts with the outpatient clinic, said Wilson is one of her best employees, "always on time and willing to lend a helping hand."
deborah.circelli@news-jrnl.com
Learn sign language
Easter Seals Volusia and Flagler Counties teaches classes in American Sign Language to employers and people in the community. For employers who have a deaf employee, the agency has a program that will pay for the first eight weeks of classes.
For the community, classes are $40 for an eight-week session. The next session is in January. For more information, call 386-255-4568 ext. 306 to register or go online at easterseals-volusiaflagler.org and click on Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services.
