Dr. Suzette Garay, National Speaker, Instructor
By DeafHHCareer | April 23, 2010
Dr. Suzette Garay is the owner of Baby Signs 4 U and is a national speaker. She was the first Hispanic Deaf woman to obtain a Ph.D.
Sign Language Classes at Apple Ridge Academy
The Benefits of Using Sign Language with Preverbal Babies
Tell me about your job. How did you get into this line of work?
My primary work is teaching. I teach the following Psychology, ASL, and Parent/Infants (hearing pre-verbal babies) to utilize sign language before they speak. My desires to teach be it in a school, college, and/or private practice has been a long-standing dream of mine since I was in high school. My decision to become a teacher comes from experiencing my own personal frustrations, lack of access to information, and/or discrimination to participate in opportunities due to poor special education services or no interpreters llowed in my classes back then in 1970’s.
What is the best part of your job?
Seeing how children are inspired, motivated, and determined to excel after knowing it is possible (role model) when their teacher standing before them has done it.
What are some of the challenges of your job?
-Convincing parents that all things are possible even if their child cannot hear or has something lacking or limiting them learning in the same way most children learn.
-Convincing people that I am worthy of my expertise when it comes to making profound decisions on a child’s life or deciding whether or not a child can learn with the best informed-choices that are available. Sometimes, people have preconceived notions of what children with disabilities can or cannot do.
-Avoiding the labels of being “exceptional”, “gifted”, “genius”, “having all the answers,” etc… sometimes people try to put me on high pedestal for being the ideal Deaf, woman with Ph.D., First Latina, and/or overcoming adversity when I just want to be that “normal” person who worked hard to achieve what I had to overcome.
-Meeting the needs or demands of the expectations people assume you can provide all the answers or hope for their child in need. So many people are desperate for your services or inspiration, but you can’t meet everyone’s need. Your only one person with so many hours available to help others. Sometimes, you have to take care of yourself first before you can take care of others.
What was it like growing up deaf/hard of hearing?
My journey as a deaf child was very unusual than most would people would endure in their childhood. First, even though I was born profoundly deaf, my deafness was not identified till I was almost 13 years old. This is mostly due to the fact that I was shuffled through the welfare/foster care system which moved me in and out of more than 16 foster homes. This means that on the average I lived with the families approximately 90 days or so. When there was an opportunity to consider a possible hearing loss I was already moving onto another home. Those first 13 years of my life were an incredible journey of exploring, learning, and understanding the world around me.
After the 13 years, I finally had the right to be deaf and it changed the perceptions of how others would view me. Some were good and some were bad perceptions of what I could or couldn’t do as a deaf child. I loved music, in the sense of feeling the vibrations and often would be in the hands of authorities for “disturbing the neighbors” for blasting music so I could enjoy it. Schools became more restricted with learning, participating, and being treated differently with lower expectations of what I could learn or do because I was deaf or came from a lower social-economic background or simply because I was “too bright” has a handicap child.
Most of last 5 years of schooling was devoted to speech therapy, auditory rehab due years of needing to catch up. This resulted in lost opportunities to participate in sports or extra-curricular activities that
hearing students had.
What advice would you give a deaf/hard of hearing person who is looking for a career like yours?
-Never take NO for an answer!
-Always believe in yourself and only you can determine what you want to be
or do in your life (no one should decide for you).
-Have lots of patience with people who don’t understand your intentions to
excel in whatever you want to do.
-Don’t be afraid to ask for help and be grateful when others do help you.
-Never forget where you came from or your shortcomings so you can always be glad to help others when they are in need, especially if you are going to teach the little ones who will be looking up to you.
-Pick the right college that will give you the most support not just the name of the school because it’s popular.
-Don’t be afraid to stand up for what you believe is the right thing to do even if it is not the most popular thing others want you to do.
Topics: Teachers, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Deborah Mayer, Life Coach
By DeafHHCareer | January 27, 2010
Topics: Attorneys, Counselors, Marketing, Medical Field, Non-profit field, Teachers, Transportation, Writing/Publishing | 2 Comments »
Laura Nuccio, Restaurant Manager
By DeafHHCareer | December 18, 2009
I work as a General Manager for Nibbles Play Cafe located in Wheeling , IL. It is a restaurant with play areas for kids ages one to seven to come and play while families dine, eat and talk away!!
A few years after birth, my parents found out that I had a hearing loss. Doctors back then didn’t think anything was wrong with me. My parents struggled with doctors– saying, “she’s not hearing us and responding.” My mom had german measles while pregnant with me. Finally after going to kindergarten, the speech therapist said I had a hearing loss. Boy, did we visit Northwestern so many times! I’m glad I spent alot of time there learning the speech skill drills over and over. I can read lips very well for the hearing loss I have and wear a hearing aid. This really helps my career and working with people who can hear.
My job as a General Manager, I communicate daily with customers, taking their orders ( remember, I have to try my best to understand the different languages) and it’s not easy to read their lips if they use a language other than English! I communicate with my employees, my boss and they are all good to me– we get along very well. I use the phone but recently purchased a videophone with VCO built in. This will make my life so much easier to communicate with the customers on the phone when we plan birthday parties!! I also communicate with different vendors when I need to place orders. I also communicate with children.
We have deaf kids come to our restaurant and this really makes my day to see them! I am a former Hersey student class of 1981 and have welcomed Hersey’s job co-op program to come and volunteer to work at our place. This gives them the experience to work in a real world and also having a “deaf” boss working there they really like that, but I try to explain it doesn’t happen everywhere you work!
Growing up was challenging. You have people looking at you like you are from Mars, you speak funny….until they realize that you are deaf/hard of hearing. You judge to see if people will accept you or not. You need to stand up for yourself and be strong and say I can do anything that people with normal hearing can do.
Come and visit us at “NibblesPlayCafe” !!
www.nibblesplaycafe.com
my work email is : laura@nibblesplaycafe.com
Topics: Management | 4 Comments »
Eddie Runyon, Fraud Investigator
By DeafHHCareer | November 5, 2009
and reside in Pikeville, Ky., I’m a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University with 2 degrees, an A.A. in Business and Industrial Security and Loss Prevention, and a B.S. in Loss Prevention Management. I attended Gallaudet University for one year (1990-91), where I was a member of the university baseball team (teammate of Mark Drolsbaugh). I currently spend what little free time I have advocating for the deaf and hard of hearing on different issues, am an Executive Board member of the Kentucky Chapter of the National Society of Professional Insurance Investigators (NSPII), a member of the International Association of Special Investigations Units (IASIU), President of the Board of the Pikeville Aquatics Club, previously coached youth sports with the local YMCA, currently a member of the Access to Captioned Movies study group recently formed by the Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and serve on the Kentucky Relay Service Advisory Board. I like to stay busy, in other words! Also, I lost the rest of my hearing by about the age of 17, so I’ve been deaf for most of my life.Topics: Investigators | No Comments »
Donald Moore, IT Professional and Blogger
By DeafHHCareer | October 8, 2009
Donald Moore works as an Information Technology professional at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. He works on a technology team that provides Content Management solutions to other Federal Reserve Districts across the country (there are 12 Districts). At night, Donald runs a blog at Prosumertech on the use of technologies and accessibility features to help others learn what technology solutions are available for everyday use for the deaf/hoh consumers. The idea for his blog started due to his on-going exposure to technology at work, curiosity of new technologies for personal needs, and conversations and questions from others seeking help.
Where did you attend school and what were the school years like?
I am the only deaf/hard of hearing member of my family. We did not utilize sign language during my childhood because I have some residual hearing, and was encouraged to attend public schools via mainstreaming. Minor accommodations were usually done to address my needs in school. Since my dad was a Geologist with major oil and mining companies, it required frequent relocations. In addition, being actively involved with Scouts, along with the frequent relocations; it gave me the opportunity to travel extensively throughout the U.S. I didn’t really learn sign language until I took a summer crash course at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. just prior to enrolling for my freshman year.
Since I grew up in several major cities (Houston, NJ/NYC, Tulsa, Dallas, D.C. and now Chicago), prior to attending Gallaudet University, the availability of the Internet, meeting other deaf/hoh individuals was not commonplace. With the frequent relocations, attending a number of different schools sometimes presented challenges. Today we have family members located across the country; we stay in touch via email, chat, and SMS.
When you were younger, what did you want to be when you “grew up”?
When I was younger, some thought I would have a career in architecture and drafting, this was before the PC become popular, and the wide spread of consumer technologies. While in high school I was involved in Explorer Scouts with ExxonMobil in their IT department in Houston, which was my first real exposure to the use of computers and technology in the workplace.
When I started on my bachelor’s degree at Gallaudet University, I first had some interest in Accounting and Business Law, but due to course scheduling conflicts and availability, and that new technologies were appearing – I had become interested in a career in the Information Technology field. I wanted to combine the need to solve business problems by the use of technology. During the course of my career, I have stayed current with technologies at home and in the work place by exploration, readings, taking graduate coursework, and seeking involvements in new projects at work.
Education I have a Masters in Management Information Systems and E-Commerce from the University of Maryland. As well as a Bachelors in Computer Information Systems / Business Administration from Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. I am currently pursuing my MBA via an online program, also with the University of Maryland.
What is your current job and what is a typical day like on the job?
There is no such a thing as a “typical” work day within an IT department. I often have to juggle a number of things: such as attending meetings and training sessions, crafting the next PowerPoint or Intranet article, develop and test web / CMS applications, work on application or database design specifications, interact with employees cross-country via instant messaging, and utilize email for more detailed communications. The variations of tasks, problems, and technologies helps makes working within the IT field interesting and challenging!
Previous Work Experience
<!–[if !vml]–><!–[endif]–>As some say “The jobs of tomorrow haven not yet been created”. I encourage everyone to remain flexible and adaptive to the work place. My career hasn’t been exactly in a straight line from point “A” to “B”. During high school I worked summer jobs in restaurants and mowed lawns for a builder, for a year ran computer labs in college, did a technology internship with H.U.D. for one summer. Out of college, I started in the hardware/help desk area, then progressed to programming with mainframes, financial data reporting, served as a web master, and now work with web, content management and digital assets.
What advice would you share with a student who is considering career choices?
In today’s work environment, you are ultimately responsible for your own career development. Do research, talk to others in the field(s) you are interested in, and make an effort to stay on top of your field by staying current with the trends and technologies used in the work place. If offered, take advantage of training opportunities with your employer – whether it’s for on the job training or getting support for an advanced degree. I’m currently studying for my MBA, even though I already have a Masters in Computer Information Systems - a lot has changed in the work place with technology within the past 10 years. Go for a career where your interests and abilities are – it doesn’t necessarily have to be what your parents want you to do/be.
Donald Moore can be reached at: mooredlm (at) comcast.net
Blog: http://prosumertech.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mooredlm
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/donaldlmoore
Topics: Computer Jobs | 1 Comment »
Julie Chavez, Medicare Project Coordinator
By DeafHHCareer | September 25, 2009
Topics: Non-profit field | No Comments »
Howard Rosenblum, Attorney
By DeafHHCareer | September 11, 2009
Howard Rosenblum was just twelve years old when he attended an event that changed his life and determined his career path. At the event, he met Lowell Myers, a deaf attorney who had argued a famous case which was made into a movie, Dummy.
Howard recalls the event: “When he came to speak about his experiences as a lawyer at an event in 1978, a twelve-year-old deaf boy saw the same opportunity that Mr. Myers saw for himself. That boy was me, and thanks to Mr. Myers, I became a lawyer 14 years later.”
Today, Howard is a Senior Attorney at Equip for Equality located in Chicago– a non-profit organization that advances the human and civil rights of people with disabilities. He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona and a J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law. He is the founder and director of the Midwest Center for Law and the Deaf which provides attorney referrals for deaf and hard of hearing people. In 2002, he received the Edward J. Lewis II Pro Bono Service Award for providing many years of pro bono work during his tenure at the law firm of Monahan and Cohen.
Howard credits his parents for encouraging him to pursue his dream and to ignore the naysayers. Just as Myers inspired Howard, Howard is now inspiring other deaf and hard of hearing individuals with his path. The number of deaf and hard of hearing attorneys continues to grow, and together, they’re breaking down barriers.
Topics: Attorneys | 3 Comments »
Marlene Brady, Job Coach
By DeafHHCareer | December 8, 2008
Marlene with student
Marlene Brady works as a Job Coach at Hinsdale South high school in Illinois. Marlene is part of a vocational team that consists of two other Job Coaches and a Vocational Coordinator. The team works to prepare deaf and hard of hearing students to transition into competitive employment.
Topics: Counselors | 4 Comments »
Bryen M. Yunashko, IT Consultant
By DeafHHCareer | November 26, 2008
Bryen M. Yunashko is known as Yuko to his friends. For the last nine years, Bryen has been self-employed as a consultant in the IT field, specializing in open source software, especially Linux. “I focus on server set ups, file systems, email management, and desktop management,” Bryen explained. “At any given time, day or night, I could be discussing a project with developers in China, Europe, India, the U.S., anywhere.”
Bryen was recently elected to the openSUSE Community Board and is probably the first ever Deaf-Blind member of a Linux-based board. “I started using Linux some years ago after I got frustrated with some of the restrictions and limitations I faced on Windows. I also ran for board because I wanted to ensure that accessibility users also have a strong voice in the open source world.”
Bryen is actively involved in working with developers and packagers in making sure that all Linux-based software is accessible for people with disabilities. “I’m an active member and leader of the GNOME A11y Team,” Bryen said. “GNOME is a desktop environment in Linux and ‘A11y’ (A plus 11 letters plus y spells accessibility) stands for accessibility in computing. By getting into A11y, I’m taking charge of my own destiny. I want to be able to be sure I can continue to work with computers as long as I live.”
As a child, Bryen attended the St. John School for the Deaf until it was closed in 1983 and then transferred to a high school in Evanston. “Roycemore was a challenge for me,” said Bryen. “After eight years living at St John’s, this was a complete life change and culture shock for me at a young age. Not only was it more challenging in school, but the sudden loss of my Deaf family due to the closing was traumatic for me.”
Bryen was diagnosed with Usher’s Syndrome Type II in his mid-twenties. He has some central vision that allows him to view a computer screen, but no peripheral vision. During our interview, I asked Bryen, “What do you use to access the internet?”
“I use a computer!” he joked.
Ah, I walked right into that one.
“I use a large screen, 24-inch monitor and Linux is good about having built-in accessibility so I can resize what I need properly,” he explained.
Bryen entered college at the young age of sixteen, attending Gallaudet and California State University at Norridge. After college, he became involved with the Deaf Entertainment industry in Los Angeles and then worked in Database Management for UCLA. He left college before obtaining his degree, but hasn’t ruled out the possibility of pursuing formal education again. “There’s always continuing education, especially in the IT field. It is a never-ending challenge.”
What did your parents do right, when they were raising you? I asked Bryen.
“What a loaded question,” he said, with a smile. “I think the two things that stand out is that my parents always tried to ensure I had the best education possible, and my father, even at a young age, always engaged me in conversation about current events. I’ve had a love and appreciation for that ever since.”
Bryen has some advice to share with deaf and hard of hearing students who are considering career choices:
Keep your options open. Don’t focus so hard on just one career goal. Make sure you have diverse knowledge and awareness in multiple fields. The career of your choice today may not exist tomorrow and being well-rounded is key to sustaining yourself in the long run.
More about Bryen:
Bryen Yunashko’s Professional Website
Interview with Bryen and the OpenSUSE Board
OpenSUSE Elects Community Board
Topics: Computer Jobs | 2 Comments »
Mary-Beth Robie, Advertising Coordinator
By DeafHHCareer | November 13, 2008
Last year, I met Mary-Beth Robie at the Illinois Hands & Voices Mom’s Night Inn event. Mary-Beth grew up with Cued Speech and she currently works as an Advertising Coordinator. I asked her to share a bit about herself and her job:
I grew up in a rural area in northern Vermont and was the only known deaf cuer for most of my elementary and high school years. My parents learned how to cue through an audiotape narrated by Dr. Cornett, the inventor of Cued Speech. My two older sisters learned how to cue through osmosis as did I. To this day they still cue well even though they hardly ever practice cueing. My oldest sister would teach her friends some basic cues so they could communicate to each other in the classroom or around the school without anyone else understanding what they were saying. Since my parents cued all the time, I was able to access the same level of language as my siblings. My sisters also provided me with more language exposure through their cueing.
Cued speech requires lip movement when in use and I believe that has enhanced my ability to lip read people when I interact with random people in the real world on an occasional basis. While I had a hearing neighbor who learned how to cue at a young age, I didn’t meet any otherdeaf cuers until I went to college which inspired me to learn more about Cued Speech and how to give back to the community. I’ve become more involved by joining the National Cued Speech Association Board as regional representative of the Great Lakes region. I also serve as the
layout editor for the On Cue newsletter, a publication of the NCSA.
Tell me about your educational background growing up and going to college.
I was raised in a rural area in Northern Vermont. From K-12, I was mainstreamed with a Cued Language Transliterator (CLT). I attended SUNY Plattsburgh in New York for my first year of college, but discovered that the accommodations they promised me were not being provided so I decided to transfer to Rochester Institute of Technology. Again, once I arrived at RIT, I was not provided with a CLT so had to learn how to sign and be able to understand the sign language interpreters. Times
have changed since I left RIT and they have provided CLT’s for fellow students. So progress has been made on that end which is exciting for me.
What is your degree/s in?
My degree is in Digital Imaging Publishing and Technology, which is basically a Graphic Design degree.
Tell me about some of the jobs you have held prior to your current job.
I’ve been working since I was 13 years old, but through and after college I worked as a cashier at Target while searching for a full time job in the printing industry. I finally landed a job as a Production
Artist with a small printing company in Syracuse, NY. I worked there for three years before deciding I needed to move on in order to move up the ladder. I decided to accept a job in Oak Brook, Illinois starting out as a Photo Coordinator for an international printing company, RR Donnelley.
In my almost 2 years of working there, I have been promoted to Lead Photo Coordinator and was recently promoted to Advertising Coordinator.
What company do you work for and what is your position?
I work for RR Donnelley’s Facilities Management site at our customer location in Oak Brook, Illinois. I am currently making the transition into my new position as an Advertising Coordinator. As Lead Photo
Coordinator, I had to depend on a lot of internal communication to be able to coordinate digital images and the central database repository.
As Advertising Coordinator I will work closely with the Print, Merchandising and Advertising departments to ensure all information provided produced accurate retail content, required deadlines are met, and final client proofs and files to printers are provided.
Can you share a typical day on the job?
Before it used to be a lot of email communication and little interaction with co-workers, but they saw I had the potential to work with customers one on one, so with my new position there will be a lot more verbal communication going on. I have to ensure I meet the retailers needs as to what they want advertised in their store circular, posters, postcards, or any other type of print out. I enter a lot of information into the databases in which the artists depend on for accurate information in order to design to the retailers needs.
What are some of the challenges you’ve faced on the job?
Meetings are a big challenge for me. I always have to make sure I understand everything that was said. I personally don’t like to rely much on other people for assistance especially since we work in a fast paced environment, but I always realize at the end that teamwork is important and I am there to please the clients and the only way that can happen is if I step up to the plate and ensure I ask for repeats or for a handout or summary of what was discussed in the meeting. Our meetings are rarely scheduled in advance. They usually are a spur of the moment type where it’s impossible for me to request for a CLT or CART to be present within minutes.
What are some ways you’ve overcome any communication challenges?
I am now a big fan of follow-up emails. Usually after I meet with a client, my boss or someone important, I will ask them to kindly send me a follow up email with what was discussed in the meeting. I have built up the confidence to email people back especially if I feel I have missed something that was included in the follow-up email. I do take an extra minute after a meeting has come to an end to warn them that I may ask questions about what was discussed. I think that helps lighten up the situation before it happens. Before I would spend too much time trying to figure out what they may or may not have said. I can tell you that method doesn’t produce much success.
What advice would you share with a deaf/hard of hearing person who is considering career choices?
Be confident and honest. Tell human resources or your boss-to-be what accommodations you need and be willing to negotiate with them to a point where it works for both of you. Don’t come off too demanding or you will scare them away.
Topics: Marketing, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »