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Comments on "Will Work for Food"
Cy: They should hire us, they want us to work for our money, so at least give us the jobs!
One time I got an interview with Dean Witter Reynolds, a very large investment firm. I brought my own interpreter. They asked the regular questions, 'why should we hire you?' They had this big stack of applicants with more education than I have. But I was persistent. I got another interview! But my interpreter didn't show. The interviewer said, 'what if that happens when you're working for us?' I couldn't answer that question.
I also applied at a major aquarium. There were like 5 bosses & each had their own ideas on what I could do. Work with the public was one. Work but not with the public was another. So I got a volunteer position. I think after several years of that that they would hire me now. I have proved myself. Perhaps volunteering is the way to get the jobs you want these days?
(Thursday, March 8, 2007 at 7:06 pm)
Thanh: Hello, I am an i711.com relay operator.
I've just read the story and the comments, it certainly isn't the first time I've heard about this kind of situation. Except for the evident discrimination and frustration, I would like to bring another point of view... Putting the blame on hearing employers, or just hearing people, as a matter of fact, isn't the answer nor the solution to the real problem: miseducation. I don't think employers or recruiters discriminate deaf people with bad intentions, despite what some might say. The fact is that most hearing people are completely clueless about deafness, and the thought of having to install or commit to adapted equipment, technology, and pratices, just seems to be too much of a challenge. That being said, these adaptations are not that much of a challenge, just some effort. I think what needs to be done is to educate companies and the general population about deafness. Companies should have a quota based program, where they are obliged to hire deaf people, just like most have to hire people from racial and cultural minorities. They would then have to offer adaptation if needed. So the more people are familiar with deafness, the less prejudice and discrimination there will be. I think the only solution is to get the word out that a deaf person is able to do just about anything a hearing person can... just not conventionally : )
(Wednesday, March 7, 2007 at 11:44 pm)
Karen: I have applied for several jobs in recent months and it has been extremely frustrating to get around the attitudes of employers who automatically feel that I cannot do a job without being able to hear.
We need an attitude overhaul.
(Tuesday, February 27, 2007 at 12:39 pm)
amanda: Shakeys......yes we need a Shakeys in every city in America. Actually, one of my friends thought a good type of restaurant theme would be ASL. The servers could sign and one of the first and foremost qualification would be able to use sign language. It could be called "Signers" and have video games and 4 big screen TV's for the sports fans(watch Tiger or Bison teams too) or special movie night/presentations. She thought this would be a great was to have a financially viable Deaf Club with the best surroundings while giving jobs either fulltime or partime to lots of other Deaf folks as she remembers not being able to get a job as a teenager due to being Deaf. Now with themed enviroments for restaurants she thinks this would work especially with how more people seem to want to learn ASL.
(Saturday, February 24, 2007 at 8:12 am)
Desmond: Ken : I experienced exact problems you went thru doing the communication parts where employers want you call them after saying they are impressed with my resume. ive given up doing the relay service calls after many tries & knowing its a red flag. i know its discriminating, employers/HR dont have the patience for delays in response. They dont care and think deaf people are a liability. Whats missing in massachusetts is the CAPTEL phones ( Where im based is not available ..yet) is what i could handle the phone to get a job interview thru screening. Its a dead end unless you know someone who can get u a foot in the door. Currently temping in a job thru someone i know understands my needs got me a job from there and is expected to become permanent which the job isnt my cup of tea. Maybe i gotta get out of tax-achusetts and find a state with CAPTEL services which might make a difference. Might not who knows.
(Friday, February 23, 2007 at 4:54 pm)
Erik: I was an excellent accountant with four years experience in A/R, A/P, G/L, and liaison with police department for my former company using IM, Email and Video Relay that my former company was willing to provide. They loved me. Sadly, I had to quit because my wife found a better job with better pay (she is physical therapist) so we decided to move our family out of state. I thought that I could easily find new job easily because of my skills, experience and recommendation from my former supervisor. How wrong I was!
I have sent out over 100 resumes, applied on line with 80 companies. I did receive several calls for interview, but when they learn that I am deaf and request for an interpreter (even if I bring my wife to interpret for me), they changed their mind about interviewing me with excuses like "This job requires telephone work", "How will you communicate our clients?", etc. I have tried explain that we have technologies that I can communicate with anyone. I NEVER had an interview. Forget it. I thought accounting has too much customer service that most companies are not willing to pick up tab for something I need such as interpreter for department meeting, meeting with clients, or won't pay for web cam for VRS, etc. THanksfully, my wife makes enough money to support our family so we decided that I go back to college and get BA degree in graphic/web design. It has been 2 years now and I have two more to go to get BA degree. I realized that looking for graphic/web design job does not make any difference from what I have experienced with accounting, but still... I have option to do freelancing and I already got some positive response to my service. Its a start beofre I might find a real job.
Personally, I do not think ADA law have any teeth in it as far as landing a job interview or finding a job are concerned. I have seen MANY of my deaf friends with professional skills or college degrees could not even find job they want (not even for entry level position) but end up instead at post office, fast food, or recycling milk bottles! Sickening!
Erik
(Friday, February 23, 2007 at 1:32 am)
mike: Just read your article on i711.com about your friend who applied for a job at Lowes. I tend to agree with you that he wasn't hired because he is deaf and doesn't "speak" English. Probably the same holds true why you didn't get a job at Barnes and Nobles.
That's not the point of this email...want to share with you the reverse experience I had when I worked at Shakeys during my colleges years...and for a few years after college too.
I, and a few classmates, as well as other Gally students, frequented Shakeys (at Capital Plaza) often. But because I have a good voice (and, back then, was a pretty good lipreader) and my classmate too, we always hit it off with the bartender and got to know the manager (Bill) as well as the assistant managers (Chip and Bob).
After a few visits, and countless number of pizzas washed down with pitchers and pitchers of beer, Bill came up to us and asked if we wanted a job here as a bartender or cook. I said, “Bill, we are all deaf and won’t be able to hear what the customers say.” Bill said, “you read lips pretty good and if you do have a problem, one of us will help you out. Being a cook won’t be a problem since all pizza orders are written down anyway.” My classmate accepted but only wanted to be the cook. I took the job as bartender.
We only had 3 types of draft beer, 4 kinds of bottle beer, and 3 brands of sodas so it was pretty easy to understand what the customers ordered. When I did goof on the beer (which wasn't often), I would put it aside until a lull moment and down my hatch it went.
After a few weeks, Bill came up to us and asked if we knew of other students or deaf people who want a part time job. We did and soon, there were about 5 to 7 other deaf people working at Shakeys at one time or another.
Bill, Chip and Bob didn't give damn about deafness and went out of their way to show them the ropes on how to prepare pizzas, make the dough, and prep the food for the next day.
It's unfortunate there are not more people like Bill, Chip and Bob in the service industry.
Mike Kaika
(Thursday, February 22, 2007 at 8:27 pm)
Kim: Story of my life too!!!! But I 'can' be overqualifed so that complicates matters is it because of the overqualifications, the need for reasonable accomodations begs the questions. No one will provide a straight answer because of the fear of a lawsuit due to discrimination either way. Even with help from the various resources still can't get past tht runaround!!! But keep the chin up folks and keep trying, I keep trying too1!!
(Thursday, February 22, 2007 at 12:16 pm)
sherron: I been working for a financial institution for 7 yrs, first started out as a teller how I got that job the teller supervisor knows asl she has a deaf brother so they took me on. After stay there for 2yrs I moved up to the headquarters working in servicing loans. Supervisor there treated me equally as everyone else. they didnt mind my hearing/deafness at all. The the company started to make changes, ended up with new dept. manager. After being with the company for 5yrs I applied for another position in my dept to move up the ladder, I knew the materials, information and the functions to the job on my first interview the dept manager told me I wasnt a team player, there is when I knew she was discriminating me from getting the position or moving up. But the supervisor for that area was fighting for me. So again the position was up again, this time around I was promoted to the position. Since I moved to that position I still feel the sense of her discriminating me.
The best thing we can do is no matter how bad they treat you on the job, just show them how strong you are and you will not back down.
(Wednesday, February 21, 2007 at 9:30 pm)
amanda: I am part of both Deaf and late deaf/HOH groups. This is a major concern which needs to be addressed not only in our states but the country as a whole. I have applied at McDonalds which I have worked before even as a crew chief/crew trainer but now even with an associates degree in general studies plus skills and knowledge which could easlily qualify me for just about any job.....I am overlooked or ignored. I will get replys of you need to be able to understand English, but on the other hand there are some who speak mainly Spainish or Portuguese here and they can get jobs before me.
States are not any better I do not think as I applied for a janitor's position with the state and was skipped over even though they have a merit system in place. The reason: the location/campus needed to use a PA system to give codes and page people and I could not hear these codes. I know there are local in-house text systems which can be localized but this didnt even become an option. We all know that because of our being Deaf/deaf/hoh we are discriminated against. So if anybody out there reads this.....WILL WORK FOR FOOD- AMANDA
(Wednesday, February 21, 2007 at 7:55 pm)
Ken: Yes, that's the story of my life. I work in IT and I'm very experienced in IT skills that are in high demand. My resume is online and I get email frequently from recruiters who gush over how well my skills fit the position they're trying to fill. Only, they want me to call first. I could call through the relay, but that NEVER goes over well. If I email back and say I'm deaf, they usually disappear. I've tried avoiding the issue and asking to interview via email, etc, but invariably, they'll ask me to call by phone and I'm left with no choice.
The tricky thing about this is that I'm always dealing with third-party recruiters not the actual employer, so I have a double hurdle -- even on the rare occasion that I get a recruiter who can look past the fact that I can't hear, they then have to try to convince the employer to interview a deaf candidate. That has almost never succeeds, so I'm left with the rare job where I can get an interview directly with the employer. In my field, that doesn't happen often, as almost everyone does their hiring through recruiters.
And there's a funny thing -- when I do get an interview at the employer, they almost always offer me a job. I have the experience, after all, and I'm good at what I do. The challenge is just getting past those recruiters and getting an interview at the employer. And I usually only get interviews at places when they don't know I'm deaf. Yeah, I drop the bomb on them at the interview. But if I can get my foot in the door and meet them face to face, then they can see that a deaf guy isn't quite so scary as they thought. :-)
(Wednesday, February 21, 2007 at 6:24 pm)