On May 1, 2008, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Government (DHHIG) will host its Employment and Technology Forum at the U.S. Department of Transportation, West Building Atrium and Conference Center, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, in Washington, D.C. from 8:00 am to 4:45 pm.

The theme for the forum is “2008 DHHIG Employment and Technology Forum —Building Bridges with Innovative Technology”

This forum will feature subject matter experts from the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) who will be providing presentations in the area of reasonable accommodations, career management, and technology advancements. Part of the program also features a special track series of presentations that are designed for managers/supervisors and other people with an interest in working effectively with current and future deaf and hard of hearing Federal and government employees. The forum is being expected to attract a large number of participants.

Christine Griffin, Commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will provide the keynote address.

To view the agenda of the forum and register to attend, please visit DHHIG’s website: www.dhhig.org.

The deadline to register is by April 30, 2008.

The Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Government, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization since 1998 serves as an advocacy group for several thousands of Deaf and Hard of Hearing federal employees throughout the country and overseas alike on employment issues. DHHIG is committed to improving the opportunities among the members by providing education, training, and resources that may not otherwise be available elsewhere.

DHHIG sponsors several programs and events such as highly-acclaimed National Training Conference which takes place every two years. The 2009 National Training Conference (NTC) will be held on May 5-7, 2009 at Gallaudet University’s Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, which is conveniently located several minutes away from the our nation’s capital.

For more information or any further inquiries, please contact either Kirsten Poston at 1dayseminar@dhhig.org.

When Ben Lachman graduated from California Polytechnic State University with his degree in English, he learned it was difficult to land a job with very little work history. With the assistance of a job counselor at the Anixter Center, Ben began working at the Commerce Clearing House testing web links. “It was a very basic job and not my ideal situation, but it jump-started my motivation– which is a key thing for a deaf person in a business environment,” said Ben.

Ben’s next job adventure began as the Director of Marketing for a team of financial advisors at Northwestern Mutual. “It was my job to handle client issues and come up with ways to market the financial advisors. I did an excellent job of coming up with marketing strategies however, the customer service was very time consuming and repetitive and a lot of it was over the phone,” Ben explained. As someone with a large amount of ambition, this customer service job was a fine stepping stone to the next level, as it taught Ben the intricacies of salesmanship and building relationships with clients.

Ben moved out west and began working for a small real estate development company but that company went belly up. The owner was arrested several times, and Ben ended up managing one of his restaurants for four months. It was a challenge to communicate with multiple vendors, but Ben was able to adapt to the situation by using his Sidekick phone or through the good old pen and paper from time to time.

Ben is back in Chicago and now works as a Project Manager for Builders of Chicago. He is currently studying for his Real Estate Licensing exam and has plans to become the premier realtor for the Deaf community in Chicago.

Ben has some advice for deaf and hard of hearing individuals who are starting out in careers: “Make a road map – there doesn’t have to be a particular destination, but a road map with goals, both large and small, is a very valuable thing to have because it provides you with something to work towards and you wont feel lost and aimless if you have goals.”

Ben can be reached at: ben.lachman@gmail.com

Jamie Berke from About.com, has many links to employment topics on her site:

About.com: Deafness and Employment

Jamie has been an About.com Guide for ten years. Here are some of her highlighted topics on employment:

Job Search Frustrations of Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Business Owners

Hiring Deaf and Hard of Hearing People–From the Employers Side

Using Interpreters in the Job Search

Job Resources

After You Get the Job–Making Others Comfortable

True Life: I’m Deaf

Do you have severe or total deafness? Are you a deaf student, about to graduate and go out into the world on your own for the very first time? Or are you currently attending a school for the deaf but about to transition to a mainstream school? Perhaps you’re trying to find a job but experiencing difficulty because you are deaf? Are you hoping to get a cochlear implant or to be fitted for a hearing aid to significantly improve your ability to hear? Are you a member of an advocacy group, fighting to gain more rights or assistance for deaf people?

If you fit any of these descriptions, MTV and Gigantic! Productions want to hear your story.

MTV’s True Life is a long-running, award-winning documentary series where young people share their stories in their own words. We hope that, by allowing people to tell their stories and communicate directly with their peers, we can impact the way people interact and engage with the world they live in.

If you appear to be between the ages of 16-28, and would like to share your story, please email us at casting@gigantic.tv and be sure to include your name, location, phone number and a photo.
Since 2001, Gigantic! Productions, a New York City-based production company, has been producing hard-hitting, award-winning documentary programming for networks such as MTV and CMT. Please visit our website: www.gigantic.tv to find out more.

This morning, I came across a website that has many links to deaf and hard of hearing people:

DeafPeople.com.

The website is owned by Matthew Moore who owns MSM Productions, Ltd., a multi-media company that produces Deaf Life magazine. Deaf Life magazine began in 1987 and has returned to full production after a haitus. One can order the complete set of Deaf Life magazines for $1,750.00!

Welcome to Jobs, Careers and Callings!

Some of you may know me from my other site, A Deaf Mom Shares Her World. I’m a deaf mom who is raising three deaf and hard of hearing kids. My kids are now at the point where they’re exploring “what they want to do for the rest of their life.”

I grew up without deaf or hard of hearing role models. When I arrived at Northern Illinois University, I had no clue what I wanted to major in. I explored business, computers and a few other things. I wanted to be a nurse, but a career counselor expressed her doubts. “Being a nurse requires a lot of communication and you have to be able to hear.” Years later, I discovered deaf and hard of hearing nurses, including one who works in the emergency room. She was just like me… And then I met deaf and hard of hearing doctors, lawyers, dentists, vets and even police and firemen.

Where were these role models when I was growing up?

So that’s why this site exists today– to show the variety of jobs, careers and callings that deaf and hard of hearing people are doing each day.

So if you’re a parent of a deaf or hard of hearing child and your child tells you, “I want to be a….” chances are, there’s a deaf or hard of hearing person out there doing it. And if they’re not, let your deaf or hard of hearing child blaze the way.