I was inspired by The Cat Lady's (Sara) blog post the other day and wanted to write a bit more about this issue.
But wait, some background information first!
There is a term called audism that means the discrimination of a person or a group based on their ability to hear. Most often, it is discrimination by the majority to the minority (oppression), although other types exist - discrimination by the minority to the majority, internalized discrimination, etc.
(as an aside - here's to everyone who said my minor was useless and wouldn't amount to anything. SEE!!! I JUST EDUCATED PEOPLE ABOUT DEAF CULTURE!)
I know I have some readers who don't truly understand Deaf culture, so I'm going to explain something here. There are two terms in use - Deaf and deaf, and even though the word is the same, the capitalization changes everything. The term, Deaf, refers to a group of people who are culturally deaf and have a strong deaf identity. Maybe they attended a deaf school, or have a deaf family. A deaf person (not Deaf) is most often deaf in the medical sense. This person may not have a deaf identity, or chooses to avoid Deaf culture.
I am culturally Deaf, and I'm proud. I don't hide my Deafness.
Except.
Except.
Except. For one thing.
My job application materials. Nowhere in there does it blatantly say "I'm Deaf!" Of course, in my education section I mention that I received a BS with a minor in Deaf Cultural Studies. Later in my resume, when I list my scholarships and awards, I list that I was selected as the Outstanding Graduating Student of 2015 by the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) Student Congress. I also list multiple scholarships that I received from NTID.
But when you go to Rochester Institute of Technology, home to one of the largest collegiate populations of D/deaf students in the world, many people do minor in Deaf Studies. Many hearing students do get involved with the Deaf community. Many do receive awards along the like that I did.
Nowhere else do I mention that I have a Deaf family, that I attended two deaf schools before I was mainstreamed.
There has been so many instances where potential employers or recruiters just fell off the face of the earth as soon as I mentioned I was Deaf. For example, a few years ago I was living in Rochester for the summer, alone in my apartment, while I was taking summer classes, working, and studying for the GRE (which sucked, by the way). My summer class ended in late June, and my summer job was from 9am to 3pm during the week, so I had a LOT of free time, since I studied for the GRE in the early mornings (since I was taking the GRE in the morning). I decided it would be a good idea to apply for a part-time job.
And since I lived literally a two minutes' walk from a bookstore, I decided to apply there. This store was on the edge of the RIT campus, and was used to Deaf people since it's also the textbook distributor for RIT students. I headed over, asked if they were hiring (yes), and filled out an application and dropped it off. A few days later, the manager contacted me, asking for an interview. I listed a few available times, confirmed a date and time. Then I mentioned, "Oh, I'm Deaf. I will need an interpreter. I should be able to get one, but just wanted to let you know!"
He contacted me, "We will no longer need to interview you. We have found another person to hire."
okay..... He was enthusiastic up until I mentioned I was Deaf. And I mean, I could have been a great asset. I love books, I knew the store like the back of my hand, and it always took me under a minute to find a book I wanted, because I knew how the store organized its books.
This isn't the only instance, but one that stands out the most.
Now, as I go forth, applying for "real" jobs for the start of my adulting stage of life, this is a constant fear. Will I get turned down? Will I never get an interview, because of my hearing loss?
Let me tell you something. When I interned at the Conservators' Center, I worked 40 hours a week without an interpreter. I was able to get by fine because I could lipread decently, and I was a good, hard worker. I learned how to prep and skin chickens, rabbits, rats and mice in under three minutes, by watching others. The only time I had an interpreter was when we had our classes on Wednesday afternoons, but the interpreter never went out with me into the compounds.
You know what? If I was able to intern there in a high-risk environment with hungry, large carnivores and not get injured worse than a cut from a can lid, I know I can handle a lot of things.
These employers? They hear, "Oh, I'll need an interpreter for my interview," and they think, "She can never work for us. She can't do the work."
If potential employers can wake up and realize that this is discrimination, and a lot of Deaf people don't speak up because they're used to it (unfortunately), so. many. more. people. could be hired.
It's not as simple as "Get a freaking job!" (someone has said this)
But why should I, a fantastic potential employee, be passed over because I can't hear anything even with hearing aids, and relies on lip reading? I have a graduate degree. I scored in the 93rd percentile for the vocabulary section on the GRE. I had thousands of dollars in scholarships through college. I could pass any background check with flying colors. I know how to interact with people. I can drive very well (the only black mark might be the dozens of parking tickets I got through RIT....). I know how to deal with people, I know how to operate in a high-risk, high-energy situation.
So, tell me, why am I not being picked because I can't hear?
Something's gotta give.
But wait, some background information first!
There is a term called audism that means the discrimination of a person or a group based on their ability to hear. Most often, it is discrimination by the majority to the minority (oppression), although other types exist - discrimination by the minority to the majority, internalized discrimination, etc.
(as an aside - here's to everyone who said my minor was useless and wouldn't amount to anything. SEE!!! I JUST EDUCATED PEOPLE ABOUT DEAF CULTURE!)
I know I have some readers who don't truly understand Deaf culture, so I'm going to explain something here. There are two terms in use - Deaf and deaf, and even though the word is the same, the capitalization changes everything. The term, Deaf, refers to a group of people who are culturally deaf and have a strong deaf identity. Maybe they attended a deaf school, or have a deaf family. A deaf person (not Deaf) is most often deaf in the medical sense. This person may not have a deaf identity, or chooses to avoid Deaf culture.
I am culturally Deaf, and I'm proud. I don't hide my Deafness.
Except.
Except.
Except. For one thing.
My job application materials. Nowhere in there does it blatantly say "I'm Deaf!" Of course, in my education section I mention that I received a BS with a minor in Deaf Cultural Studies. Later in my resume, when I list my scholarships and awards, I list that I was selected as the Outstanding Graduating Student of 2015 by the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) Student Congress. I also list multiple scholarships that I received from NTID.
But when you go to Rochester Institute of Technology, home to one of the largest collegiate populations of D/deaf students in the world, many people do minor in Deaf Studies. Many hearing students do get involved with the Deaf community. Many do receive awards along the like that I did.
Nowhere else do I mention that I have a Deaf family, that I attended two deaf schools before I was mainstreamed.
There has been so many instances where potential employers or recruiters just fell off the face of the earth as soon as I mentioned I was Deaf. For example, a few years ago I was living in Rochester for the summer, alone in my apartment, while I was taking summer classes, working, and studying for the GRE (which sucked, by the way). My summer class ended in late June, and my summer job was from 9am to 3pm during the week, so I had a LOT of free time, since I studied for the GRE in the early mornings (since I was taking the GRE in the morning). I decided it would be a good idea to apply for a part-time job.
And since I lived literally a two minutes' walk from a bookstore, I decided to apply there. This store was on the edge of the RIT campus, and was used to Deaf people since it's also the textbook distributor for RIT students. I headed over, asked if they were hiring (yes), and filled out an application and dropped it off. A few days later, the manager contacted me, asking for an interview. I listed a few available times, confirmed a date and time. Then I mentioned, "Oh, I'm Deaf. I will need an interpreter. I should be able to get one, but just wanted to let you know!"
He contacted me, "We will no longer need to interview you. We have found another person to hire."
okay..... He was enthusiastic up until I mentioned I was Deaf. And I mean, I could have been a great asset. I love books, I knew the store like the back of my hand, and it always took me under a minute to find a book I wanted, because I knew how the store organized its books.
This isn't the only instance, but one that stands out the most.
Now, as I go forth, applying for "real" jobs for the start of my adulting stage of life, this is a constant fear. Will I get turned down? Will I never get an interview, because of my hearing loss?
Let me tell you something. When I interned at the Conservators' Center, I worked 40 hours a week without an interpreter. I was able to get by fine because I could lipread decently, and I was a good, hard worker. I learned how to prep and skin chickens, rabbits, rats and mice in under three minutes, by watching others. The only time I had an interpreter was when we had our classes on Wednesday afternoons, but the interpreter never went out with me into the compounds.
You know what? If I was able to intern there in a high-risk environment with hungry, large carnivores and not get injured worse than a cut from a can lid, I know I can handle a lot of things.
These employers? They hear, "Oh, I'll need an interpreter for my interview," and they think, "She can never work for us. She can't do the work."
If potential employers can wake up and realize that this is discrimination, and a lot of Deaf people don't speak up because they're used to it (unfortunately), so. many. more. people. could be hired.
It's not as simple as "Get a freaking job!" (someone has said this)
But why should I, a fantastic potential employee, be passed over because I can't hear anything even with hearing aids, and relies on lip reading? I have a graduate degree. I scored in the 93rd percentile for the vocabulary section on the GRE. I had thousands of dollars in scholarships through college. I could pass any background check with flying colors. I know how to interact with people. I can drive very well (the only black mark might be the dozens of parking tickets I got through RIT....). I know how to deal with people, I know how to operate in a high-risk, high-energy situation.
So, tell me, why am I not being picked because I can't hear?
Something's gotta give.
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