Miss-Delectable
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http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20050604-9999-m1m04tfescon.html
ESCONDIDO – When Jaime Mendez moved to Escondido from Oaxaca, Mexico, the teenager was eager to find work.
Like many deaf people, however, Mendez found few job opportunities. To make matters more difficult, the 16-year-old had little education and didn't know English.
Today, Mendez is employed at Major Market in Escondido, where he bags groceries and collects carts from the parking lot.
After just two years, the 18-year-old is fluent in American Sign Language and is attending Escondido High School, from which he is scheduled to graduate next year.
Major Market received an award this year from the California Department of Rehabilitation for its record of hiring individuals with hearing loss and learning disabilities. In four years, the market has trained and promoted six hearing-impaired students from Escondido High School.
Major Market currently has two deaf employees, Mendez and German Resendiz, who graduated from Escondido High School last year.
Store manager Toby Truitt, who accepted the award, recalled hiring his first two hearing-impaired employees.
"All of these young men and women have stories of reasons they have been denied employment at different places," Truitt said. "In the end, we couldn't think of a good reason not to."
Kathe Robbins is coordinator of Escondido High's program for deaf and hearing-impaired people, which includes students from surrounding communities.
"Many employers are hesitant to hire the deaf because they are afraid of communication problems," Robbins said. "They don't always understand that the deaf are very visual learners and can find alternative ways to communicate."
The school works with several employers to help place deaf students.
Though communicating with the public can be a challenge, Mendez said he enjoys his job.
"I can't talk, but I wave 'Hi' and smile at customers," Mendez said, using sign language translated by interpreter Yvonnia McIntosh. "My supervisor signs words like 'Break?' and she can finger-spell words to me."
Truitt said employees have been enthusiastic about working with deaf co-workers.
"We've had a number of checkers that have actually gone out and taken classes to become fluent in sign language," he said. "Everybody on the front end that has worked with these guys has picked up something, whether it's 'Hello,' 'Goodbye,' 'Paper or plastic?' – the basics."
Mendez said being deaf makes the job hard at times.
"I have to be really careful collecting the carts," he said. "I can't hear the car horns."
The youngest of seven siblings, Mendez has a sister and brother who also are deaf. Although he was born in Escondido, Mendez moved to Mexico with his mother as an infant. He attended school briefly at age 5.
"I had a really bad teacher," Mendez said. "He would hit me, grab my hair or my ears. It made me really angry, so I quit school."
Mendez worked as a goat herder until he was 16.
The thought of returning to school two years ago was overwhelming, he said, but with the help of Robbins and interpreters at Escondido High, Mendez began to make progress in his studies.
At home, Mendez teaches sign language to his niece and nephew.
"For two years of school, he is just so smart," Robbins said, "but it's frustrating because you say, 'I'm 18, and I don't want to go to school one more year.' "
Addressing Mendez, Robbins added, "You've made a good decision."
Mendez and Resendiz are saving money to attend Palomar College.
Truitt said the unwillingness of some employers to consider deaf applicants often boils down to "a laziness on the part of employers." "These people are out there," he said. "They want to work."
ESCONDIDO – When Jaime Mendez moved to Escondido from Oaxaca, Mexico, the teenager was eager to find work.
Like many deaf people, however, Mendez found few job opportunities. To make matters more difficult, the 16-year-old had little education and didn't know English.
Today, Mendez is employed at Major Market in Escondido, where he bags groceries and collects carts from the parking lot.
After just two years, the 18-year-old is fluent in American Sign Language and is attending Escondido High School, from which he is scheduled to graduate next year.
Major Market received an award this year from the California Department of Rehabilitation for its record of hiring individuals with hearing loss and learning disabilities. In four years, the market has trained and promoted six hearing-impaired students from Escondido High School.
Major Market currently has two deaf employees, Mendez and German Resendiz, who graduated from Escondido High School last year.
Store manager Toby Truitt, who accepted the award, recalled hiring his first two hearing-impaired employees.
"All of these young men and women have stories of reasons they have been denied employment at different places," Truitt said. "In the end, we couldn't think of a good reason not to."
Kathe Robbins is coordinator of Escondido High's program for deaf and hearing-impaired people, which includes students from surrounding communities.
"Many employers are hesitant to hire the deaf because they are afraid of communication problems," Robbins said. "They don't always understand that the deaf are very visual learners and can find alternative ways to communicate."
The school works with several employers to help place deaf students.
Though communicating with the public can be a challenge, Mendez said he enjoys his job.
"I can't talk, but I wave 'Hi' and smile at customers," Mendez said, using sign language translated by interpreter Yvonnia McIntosh. "My supervisor signs words like 'Break?' and she can finger-spell words to me."
Truitt said employees have been enthusiastic about working with deaf co-workers.
"We've had a number of checkers that have actually gone out and taken classes to become fluent in sign language," he said. "Everybody on the front end that has worked with these guys has picked up something, whether it's 'Hello,' 'Goodbye,' 'Paper or plastic?' – the basics."
Mendez said being deaf makes the job hard at times.
"I have to be really careful collecting the carts," he said. "I can't hear the car horns."
The youngest of seven siblings, Mendez has a sister and brother who also are deaf. Although he was born in Escondido, Mendez moved to Mexico with his mother as an infant. He attended school briefly at age 5.
"I had a really bad teacher," Mendez said. "He would hit me, grab my hair or my ears. It made me really angry, so I quit school."
Mendez worked as a goat herder until he was 16.
The thought of returning to school two years ago was overwhelming, he said, but with the help of Robbins and interpreters at Escondido High, Mendez began to make progress in his studies.
At home, Mendez teaches sign language to his niece and nephew.
"For two years of school, he is just so smart," Robbins said, "but it's frustrating because you say, 'I'm 18, and I don't want to go to school one more year.' "
Addressing Mendez, Robbins added, "You've made a good decision."
Mendez and Resendiz are saving money to attend Palomar College.
Truitt said the unwillingness of some employers to consider deaf applicants often boils down to "a laziness on the part of employers." "These people are out there," he said. "They want to work."
