When? When I apply, at the time of interviews, or after I've received a job offer?
Do you think employers discriminate against deaf people this way?
I have been working since I was 16, so I have 30 years of interviewing experience. (Keep in mind that I did ALL of my job hunting on my own...I did not have anyone like VR helping me) I have learned the following:
- If you mention "I am deaf" anywhere on your resume, you will most likely never hear from them, or get a letter that says "we are reviewing your resume and will contact you if we need to".
- Employers don't want to hear about your disability, they want to know what you can do for them without costing them money.
- Back in the '80's and '90's, I used a phone number of a hearing person as a contact. When an employer calls and leaves a message, I use either the relay service or an interpreter to call back while using my own voice. This seemed to improve my odds of getting an interview. Putting down "TTY relay service" on the resume almost guaranteed no replies.
- These days, email is a great way of communicating, and I used it to set up a few interviews. When I announce that I am HOH upfront, most employers don't have an issue, but they will think twice once they find out that I just can't pick up the phone and talk.
- How well you and the employer understand each other will make or break the interview. I had an interview with a few men from the Middle Eastern countries, and they were very hard to understand with their thick accents, and I could tell they were very uncomfortable with me. Never heard from them again.
One person I know told me that deaf people are more likely to be hired because employers get tax credits for hiring "disabled". I don't really know.
This only applies to large corporations, and is probably no longer valid.
Businesses are required to be 'diverse' as they get bigger, but that rule differs from where the business is, how large, what kind, etc, etc. Many businesses want diversity for PR status (public relations), not because they want tax breaks.
No one is REQUIRED to hire minorities or the disabled.
When an employer is looking for help, they will get a pile of resumes. They sift through each resume, and narrow it down to the most likely candidates.
They look for work experience, years of experience, and for patterns like quitting every 2 years, etc.
Once they have decided on a few resumes, they set up interviews with those people.
Anyone that says "I am deaf, you will need to make special accommodations for me" is pretty much going to be dismissed. That is why you need to downplay your deafness as much as possible and concentrate on how good you are at your job.
Many people confuse ADA's purpose. The ADA does not have anything to do with the hiring process, they are only there to help those that are already hired.
NO employer is obligated to hire a deaf person just because they are deaf.
Employers want an employee that will not be a burden on the company. This is why you should not bring up any special requests until after you are hired, or if they ask you what you will need to do your job. (VP-200, tty, etc).
Bottom line is, YOU have to 'sell' yourself as their savior. You are competing with MANY other interviewees, and 99% are not deaf.
Fortunately for deaf people these days, the availability of new communication devices makes life much, much easier for all....at the same time, it is unfortunate that jobs are not as plentiful as they used to be.
The main AITP also has monthly networking meetings and discussions at local restaurants, that are reasonable prices. Our group also holds fundraisers and monthly hands-on volunteer opportunities. We even have a t-shirt with nerdy binary code design. 
