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.

The Colorado teacher who teaches Social Studies at Highland Ranch High School has won the Teacher of the Year Award.  Susan is deaf and teaches in a center-based program for deaf and hard of hearing students.   Susan previously served on the board of Gallaudet University and currently serves on the board of Hands & Voices, a non-profit organization for families with deaf and hard of hearing children.  Susan also served as a Commissioner for six years on the Colorado Commission of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing .

Check out the other news stories:

Susan Elliott, A Sign of Achievement

Deaf Instructor Named Teacher of the Year

**Photo courtesy of Hands & Voices.

Kathy is still involved with comedy and currently working on a routine called “Puberty at 50.”  She is a speaker who is in high demand and every time that I talk with her, I find that she’s flying off to one place or another.   I once saw Kathy speak to group of parents and professionals, and I watched how she connected to everyone in the room with her stories and slices of inspiration.  She is indeed, a master at public speaking.   Kathy is also on the Anthony Robbins Life Mastery Classes.

Take a look at the awards she has won throughout the years:

My daughter picked up her book, If You Could Hear What I See and read through it three times. She was so inspired by Kathy’s life, that she selected her book for an autobiographical book report for school.

Check out a recent article about Kathy at Disaboom:  Comedian Kathy Buckley Continues to Draw Laughs

“I have an amplified stethoscope,” she explained.  “I can also sometimes feel for blood pressure.”

Dr. Stern was the first doctor that I had ever met who was deaf.  After chatting with her, I learned that there were many more deaf and hard of hearing individuals in the medical field.  At one time, I wanted to go into nursing, but I was pretty discouraged by a well-meaning counselor who pointed out all the difficulties I would encounter in the medical field because I was deaf.  This is why I feel it is so important to show deaf and hard of hearing youth today that they can indeed, do many things in many fields.

Today, Dr. Stern is the Medical Director at the Rochester School for the Deaf and she works in Urgent Care at St. Mary’s Walk-In Care Center.  Dr. Stern is also the creator and founder of DeafDoc.org, a website that covers many different health care issues presented in American Sign Language and captions.  I love the quote on her site: “The difficult is easy, the impossible just takes a little longer!”

To learn more about Dr. Stern: The Deaf Doc is In!

Chris at the WSAD Picnic

Chris Wagner is the Vice President of Marketing for CSDVRS, a video relay company based in Florida.  Chris is the company spokesperson and his job is to oversee media relations, marketing strategies and marketing materials.

Chris graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology with a social work degree and for twelve years, he worked in the field of mental health.  In 1996, Chris developed the first nursing home in Florida to serve primarily deaf and hard of hearing consumers.  The 60-bed facility was initially designed specifically for deaf and hard of hearing residents but is now open to other residents as well.

“I love what I do,” said Chris, about his job at CSDVRS.  “We have fun together and the company is growing very fast.”

Chris also serves as the Vice President of the National Association of the Deaf.  From their website:

With a background in healthcare administration, Wagner was responsible for the implementation of the first Deaf assisted living facility and a nursing facility for the deaf and hard of hearing in Florida.  Largely responsible for the creation of the Florida Coordinating Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (FCCDHH), he was appointed by Governor Jeb Bush as the first member and chairperson of the Coordinating Council.  He also serves on numerous boards, which include stints as President of Florida Association of the Deaf, Inc. (FAD), Vice Chair of the Governor’s American with Disabilities Act Working Group (ADAWG), and most recent, as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind.  Prior to his election as FAD President, Wagner served as the first president of the Florida Coalition for Disability Rights. 

In 2004, Chris received several awards for his outstanding leadership and advocacy on both state and national levels, including the first Claude Seale Advocate Award from the Florida Independent Living Council ( <http://www.flailc.org> FILC), the Robert Greenmun Award for State Leadership Excellence, and the Knights of the Flying Fingers Award from the National Association of the Deaf (NAD).
 

John Kinstler works as a Communication Technology Counselor at the Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing /UniversaLink in Wisconsin.  The non-profit organization has a store and online catalog that specializes in products for deaf and hard of hearing consumers.

I work with a team of three others,” said John.   “We assist customers with their questions about products that we carry and help them decide on what products to purchase by demonstrating them.   We help them select products that will help alert them to their environment, such as the doorbell ringing,  the phone ringing, or a baby crying .”

John grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, attending schools in the mainstream.  “My parents did not want me to learn American Sign Language,” said John.  “I went to NTID/RIT at the age of eighteen.  I wanted to escape, to find my deaf identity.”

In college, John began to soak up ASL like a sponge.  He discovered that he enjoyed acting and he loved signing to music.  “I grew up on John Denver’s music.  I first learned his songs in grade school.  The teacher printed out the lyrics to ‘Country Roads’ and I was able to follow along with practice, listening to the songs over and over.”

For ten years, John dove into acting.  He performed with the National Theatre of the Deaf, Sunshine Too and the Cleveland Sign Stage Theatre.  John produced a DVD, Sign and ABCs which won a Parent Choice Award in 1994.

In 2005, John obtained a cochlear implant and then a second one in 2007.  “My understanding of speech went from seven percent to eighty-eight percent,” said John.  “Music became sharper and I was surprised to be able to pick out various instruments that I wasn’t able to hear in songs with my hearing aids.”

Today, John is working on a new career path: becoming a comedian.  He is doing stand-up comedy and practicing his comedy skills in local comedy clubs.

Sara and her coworker, Frank

Back in ninth grade, Sara Gould was trying to decide between becoming a musician or an engineer.   She enjoyed playing the saxophone.  She also enjoyed math and science—and envisioned someday designing roller coaster.

 Then almost overnight, Sara ended up with a sudden, severe hearing loss in both ears, most likely due to a virus.  

“The ENT actually told my parents that I might be faking it to get attention,” Sara recalled.

It was two months before Sara was fitted with hearing aids and went back to school.   She relied on classmates to take notes with carbon paper and she collected those at the end of every class.   “I had an FM system, but I never liked it because I had to go to the Health office to pick it up and it wasn’t good for class discussions,” said Sara.  An itinerant teacher worked with her once a week to practice lipreading skills.

“I think I blocked most of high school out of my mind,” Sara said with a smile. 

A major turning point was the day that her audiologist introduced her to Rochester Institute of Technology and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in New York.  Sara went to visit the campus and immediately she knew that she wanted to attend college there.   “NTID was great, because even though I had to explain that I didn’t know sign language, I never had to explain my hearing loss to people who had never met anyone deaf,” said Sara.  “That was true of RIT too.  There was such a high level of awareness there.”

After graduating with an Mechanical Engineering degree in 2002, Sara went to work for three different companies.  She went on to obtain her Masters degree in Systems Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology.  Today, she works as a Project Engineer for a company that welds ship interiors.   “The engineers here mostly design and manage the projects,” Sara explained.  “I work in the testing lab, doing medium-weight shock testing of desks, furniture, lockers, etc.”

Sara records information from shock testing to determine how much shock an item can withstand if a ship were hit by a torpedo.   Using videos and photos, Sara writes up reports on her findings.   “When I take notes from a test, I have to make sure I get everyone’s input in case I missed something they were discussing.  But being in charge of notes makes it easier for me to be assertive about getting the information I need.”

Sara found another trick to help her obtain information during group meetings:  she would snap pictures of anything written or drawn on the board and use the photos as notes.

“At one of my previous jobs, there were meetings all the time and I was left out of most of them,” said Sara.  “For trainings or a really big meeting, I would try and get CART (Real Time Captioning).”

Sara also runs her own business converting slides into movies:  Slides in a Flash.  And as for that path to becoming a musician, Sara is glad that she didn’t listen to the ENT who cautioned her back in high school not to play in the band for fear of making her hearing worse.   Today, she plays saxophone along with 80 others for the Charlottesville Municipal Band.

“The average age of everyone in my band is about 50.  They all claim to be deaf too,” she said with a chuckle.

The Wall Street Journal tackled the topic in their article, Finding the Right Way to Disclose a Disability:

Disclosing a disability is a personal decision but can be beneficial if done right. Only you can decide whether — and when — to tell your new employer about your disability. Disclosing a condition can help protect your legal rights but can also leave you open to discrimination. Still, experts say you’re better off giving management a heads-up.

Among my deaf and hard of hearing friends, there seems to be a lot of divide on the issue of whether or not to disclose a disability when applying for a job.  “Don’t give the Human Resources department an excuse to dump your resume in the reject pile,” says Lenny Kepil, who works for Tellabs.  When Lenny was laid off from his job at Lucent Technologies a few years ago, it took him several thousand resumes and a few interviews later to land a job back in the same field. 

Karina Chupina explains the “catch 22″ that comes with job hunting in her article, A Look at Education and Employment in Germany:

Getting a job nearly always poses a plaguing dilemma for the deaf and hard of hearing: whether they should disclose their disability or not when sending their CV or resume to a potential employer. The controversy centers about the fact that the employer cannot reject an applicant on the basis of disability, but practice shows that applicants who have identified themselves as hard of hearing or deaf persons often are rejected. It remains unclear whether there was a biased attitude towards the hearing disability on behalf of the employer, or lack of the requisite skills.

Howard Rosenblum, a deaf attorney in Chicago, states that the issue is a complicated one.  “It depends on the job that the deaf or hard of hearing applicant is applying for,” he explains.  “If it is a state or federal job, it is often a good idea to disclose a disability because those employers often look for diversity.”

Howard urges more caution when applying for jobs in the private sector.  “All too often, private companies seem to have this fear of hiring people with disabilities.  Sometimes, when people with disabilities disclose their disabilities on a resume, they do not even get interviews at all.  When they take it off, they may get interviews, but many times they are not hired or called back for second interviews.”

For deaf or hard of hearing applicants who use interpreters, they face the difficult decision of whether or not to request accommodations for the interview process.  Requesting an interpreter for an interview puts the deaf or hard of hearing person at a disadvantage, because companies can balk at the idea of having to pay for an accommodation during the hiring process.  “I often tell deaf people who want jobs to bring their own interpreter during the hiring process,” says Howard.  “Even though the company is supposed to pay for interpreters by law, bringing your own increases the chances of being hired.”

Neil McDevitt, a deaf firefighter and Program Director at TDI, suggests putting the information about being deaf or hard of hearing in the cover letter.  “The cover letter gives you a chance to put your best foot forward, so to speak,” he explains.  “If you make it clear that the fact that you’re deaf or hard of hearing has no bearing on your ability to do the job, it will take the doubt out of the employer’s mind.  I’m also of the opinion that a place that makes a fuss about a person being deaf isn’t a place worth wasting your time at in the first place.”

I personally have done it both ways: cover letters that address being deaf and cover letters that only focus on my skills with no hint of being deaf.   I’ve put down relay numbers and I’ve also put down a friend’s number (they’d take a message and I would call back via relay, using my voice).  I know that there were probably some jobs where my resume never stood a chance due to disclosure but I’ll never know for sure.

In this day and age, here’s something else to consider– employers are increasingly using web searches to find out information about a potential hire.  Chances are, employers are going to quickly learn information disclosed on the internet, including any mention of a disability. 

The whole debate of whether or not to include a disability in the job seeking process is a moot point if we don’t have employers who are willing to consider the abilities, not the disabilities of potential hires.

Mary has a B.A. in English with a minor in Psychology from Gallaudet.  After graduation, she worked as a teacher and then four years later, went back to Gallaudet to obtain a Masters in Deaf Education with a specialization in Secondary English.  “I grew up at the American School for the Deaf in Connecticut,” Mary shared.  “So I’m a product of Deaf Education in a residential school.  However, my mother, now deceased, was very instrumental in my literacy skills.  So I have her to thank.” 

Mary’s career in teaching spans from the east coast to the west coast.  At Gallaudet, she taught remedial English to the students who did not pass freshman English.  After a year, she began teaching English at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf.  “The professional development at MSSD was great and I had a good group of teachers to learn from and interact with,” said Mary.  “I didn’t just teach.  I got involved with the English Department Placement Team, developing the curriculum, the after-school drama productions, was the chair of the department for three years. It was a fantastic experience.”

After nine years as an English teacher, Mary was ready for something else.  She took a position as the Summer Program Coordinator at the Gallaudet Honors Program, working under Dr. Richard Meisegier.  During the year, she worked as an Academic Advisor for honor students.

Mary met the man who would become her husband, and he didn’t like living in Washington D.C.  “He called it the concrete jungle,” she said with a chuckle.  “So we moved to Scranton, PA where I was the Assistant Director of Education at the Scranton School for the Deaf.  Then, I moved to Massachusetts and was the Collaboration Specialist for the Gallaudet University Regional Center in Essex, Massachusetts.  After that, I was an Instructional Supervisor at the New Mexico School for the Deaf.  After that, I was the principal at the Governor Baxter School for the Deaf.” 

I asked Mary to share which job was her best one and she couldn’t pinpoint just one.  “All of my jobs have been good experiences in different ways and contributed to what I’m doing in my current job.  Each job presented its own challenges which added up and contributes to what I’m doing now.  I have challenges with this job as well.  Each job I’ve had, I have learned new things as well.  I love what I’m doing now and I have a fantastic boss.”

Mary is a mom to three adult children.  “My first stepson is 35 years old and hearing.  He is a machinist who lives in California with his girlfriend and they have two beautiful children, five year old Vanessa and one year old Ian.  My second is hard of hearing and lives with us.  He is a fantastic artist.  He helps around the house and walks our two dogs.

 ”My third is Deaf and autistic,” Mary continued. ”We adopted her from India when she was six years and 10 months old.  She is now 23 and is doing well in a supportive living home.  We are working on obtaining training for part-time employment, so she can ‘go to the mall and buy clothes’ as she says in her words.”

Mary’s advice to parents raising deaf and hard of hearing children today: “From my 30 years of being in Deaf Education, the kids who succeed are the ones whose parents have been involved in their education.  Some kids succeed in spite of lack of parent involvement but the majority succeed because of their parents being involved.  Research shows this, too.”

And Mary has advice for deaf and hard of hearing children who are considering their path in life: “As for my advice for kids, it’s to have fun, work hard, and follow their hearts in choosing their careers.  The rest will fall into place.  Don’t choose a career because someone tells you should.  Choose a career that you love and can commit to.  The universe will make things happen for you.”