Do you have hard times at work just because you're deaf?

[Serendipity]

I am very, very curious about this. I got a few deaf friends whom I shall remain nameless. I'll make up the names, ok?

Here it goes, my friend Marcus* had a job at a food store for about 8 months before he quit. He has explained to me in person he had a rather difficult times with his manager. I can easily describe the manager an ignorant bitch just because she did not give any deaf employers some breaks.

There were 3 or 4 deaf workers at this store and sometimes Marcus and another deaf worker, namely Julia*, were working by each other bagging up people's grocery at the end of the check out area. They signed to each other like they were talking but the manager came up to them and told them to stop talking. Marcus told her right away, why can't we talk? I always seen the hearing people talking nonstop while working. You're not giving us fair treatments. The manager has warned Marcus about his attitude. Excuse me? Who? Marcus was clearly expressing out to you by his face expression. To hearing people, it's probably rude but not to the rest of deaf people, normally. It has escalated from days into weeks into months until Marcus and another deaf worker finally quit.

Meanwhile, Marcus' girlfriend has rented a DVD See What I Mean (DVD) from her local community college. I'm sorry my memory couldn't serve me any right since I only seen it once but,

From the link:

Issues such as attitudes toward time, leave-taking, privacy, giving and receiving criticism, and comments on personal appearance are all explored and discussed from the perspective of both cultures.

Marcus really wanted to show this to his manager but the problem was, the dvd was due to return the next day or so.

Back to the work site, Julia was told to do the outside duty to collect the grocery cart in the dark. It was in the early morning (the food store opens 24/7). It was considered too dangerous considering Julia is deaf and she couldn't hear and possibly see what would happen to her behind her in the dark. Her manager said so, that infuriated Marcus so he quit.

I suppose the manager has a serious case not understanding what the deaf people tend to do in their everyday lives. Sure we need to be more alert and all stuff. So, that's the story.



Anyone has similar situation at work?

 

[BearBeauty]

Well, I've never had a similar situation. But then again, I've always had bosses who understood my needs as a deaf person, so I have never been put in a position where I was in danger...

But it sounds to me like this manager doesn't know the ADA laws and is very ignorant of deaf people's needs..

 

[Angel]

No, I haven't either, but for one thing that bugs me the most is when my boss or the crew that I work with assume that I wouldn't be able to help putting up the signs on the tent, cause I won't be able to hear them yell out , I know they don't want to see me get hurt and putting me in a danger position, but really I don't need their pity thinking I won't be able to do that job, if I say I can do it, then I can, I don't need people to remind me of my disability, I told my boss that all he had to do was wave his hands by letting me know when they're ready to lift up the signs or when they're ready to lay it on the ground so I can move out of the way so I don't get hit by the signs once it drop down on the ground, simple...I want my boss and my crew team to treat me like they treat the others, I'm no special than anyone else on my job, I came to work like everyone else and work together as a team...

 

[shel90]

I have had 6 jobs since I turned 15...only 2 of them, I experienced discrimination or co workers not giving me the benefit of doubt simply because I am deaf. I quit both jobs cuz I won't stand for being treated like that and they weren't career building jobs anyway. The other 4 jobs, people and bosses were pretty cool. Actually, 2 of them were working in a signing environment so definitely not an issue there!

This boss seems like he is an unhappy person who hates his job if he is so unfriendly and ignorant?

 

[Hwy99]

I work with a person who CAN'T read and he's hearing. It's hard for me to communicate with him.

 

[UpstNYDesigner]

Sounds like the manager violated their rights. I know how that goes. Hey, I am Deaf but I was HOH when I used to work for a car dealership. They put me on the floor but it was difficult and I wanted to do something with computers. They put me into that and it was much better. However, I was played around by them. Say, I have a customer coming in at 4pm. She came in an hour or so BEFORE the appointment. Another salesman stole my sale and commission!

I saw how this was and I said let them go down the tube. I left that job to get back to where I enjoy the most--art and design. The reason I had car sales job was to make bucks when it was hard for me to make a living with no job in design or art.

Well, that dealership now has reduced to just TWO brand and used vehicles. They used to be when I used to work there, as big as 6 brands. That was in 2001.

Deaf people needs sign language to communicate. Yes, with signing it is tough to make it hidden like a whisper. Hey, I used to do the same with this deaf woman at a bank. They tell us to get back to work. We did but we were talking business--dealing with paperwork. With hearing people, it is easy to chat if you are standing close by. But I have watched cashiers and baggers, they almost do not talk since they are too busy checking out your food and bag them!

On the other hand, there are department store sales people.. or car dealerships, they all do is to talk all the time! I did the same all the time with my sales partners in department stores and car dealership. Why, it was easy for the boss not to notice our conversation! With signs they do!

That is a problem. We all do need signs but how can we hide it?? Cant!

 

[Serendipity]

Sounds like the manager violated their rights. I know how that goes. Hey, I am Deaf but I was HOH when I used to work for a car dealership. They put me on the floor but it was difficult and I wanted to do something with computers. They put me into that and it was much better. However, I was played around by them. Say, I have a customer coming in at 4pm. She came in an hour or so BEFORE the appointment. Another salesman stole my sale and commission!

Yep, pretty much. They just won't admit that they don't know how to handle the deaf people.

I saw how this was and I said let them go down the tube. I left that job to get back to where I enjoy the most--art and design. The reason I had car sales job was to make bucks when it was hard for me to make a living with no job in design or art.

You did the right move, without doubt

Well, that dealership now has reduced to just TWO brand and used vehicles. They used to be when I used to work there, as big as 6 brands. That was in 2001.

Deaf people needs sign language to communicate. Yes, with signing it is tough to make it hidden like a whisper. Hey, I used to do the same with this deaf woman at a bank. They tell us to get back to work. We did but we were talking business--dealing with paperwork. With hearing people, it is easy to chat if you are standing close by. But I have watched cashiers and baggers, they almost do not talk since they are too busy checking out your food and bag them!

Not always, it can get quiet at times.

On the other hand, there are department store sales people.. or car dealerships, they all do is to talk all the time! I did the same all the time with my sales partners in department stores and car dealership. Why, it was easy for the boss not to notice our conversation! With signs they do!

If they can, then I don't see why we can't. It is the matter of our own rights.

That is a problem. We all do need signs but how can we hide it?? Cant!

Precisely.

 

[kristakree]

There's a few times. I mainly work with teenagers at Tim Hortons(If you dont know what Tim Horton's is, it's like Dunkin' Donuts) and a few times with some of my managers/supervisors.
The teenagers, for the most part, I grew up with, they're used to repeating and making sure I'm looking at them. There are four guys and three girls who don't really know me and get VERY annoyed with me when I don't hear them when they call me.
Yeah, you heard me, CALL me. They will YELL, SCREAM, my name from across the kitchen. Now think about it, if you have a hearing loss, you're in the kitchen...there's a lot of rumbling and chatter going on in the background, you can't really hear that well. But they still insist to yell at me. Yes I have explained to them, but they think I'm just an idiot and have "selective" hearing. Oh I'd love to show them my audiogram...
Anyway, there is ONE supervisor who I. CANNOT. STAND! She drives me nuts. Treating me like I'm 4 and I'm stupid. She's not the one who hired me, but she obviously doesn't exactly like me. I'm supposed to know, by now, everything about the kitchen. Okay, I've been working there for 4 months, BUT I dont work everyday, I work every other weekend. And I'm supposed to know everything by now? No...I don't think so. She also thinks I'm stupid, makes me do all the "simple jobs"... My job description is cooking/baking in the kitchen, doing dishes, and cleaning the counters etc. This supervisor, last weekend, handed me a sponge. I give her a confused look and she says (in that, high, "I'm talking to a kid/dog" voice...) "I want you to clean the walls!" Uhm, are you kidding me? Nope, and I did. I wasn't about to talk back at that point, but I did end up giving up after an hour and she got mad. I told her "Not my job to be honest..." And she actually looked shocked when I opened my mouth to speak(and to be honest, I don't really talk to her/around her). I think she assumed I don't speak.
My friend from work just told me she had complained the night before I worked that the "Mute girl" was going to be working.
I hate ignorant people. We should all just shove them in a room with a videotape to teach them and make them learn about our culture!

 

[Dixie]

Ive had a few problems with my managers at times where I was the only hoh on the crew and they would get upset if I did not quite get something. I find that I do better where the supervisor can give me a list of tasks that need to be completed and let me go do them and when they are completed I can report back to him and let him inspect my work to make sure it is up to par. But the downside is that because I am hoh most people assume I need constant supervision, when the opposite is true. Since I got fired from my carpet cleaning job in October I have decided that the only way to get along with a supervisor is to work with myself. It is hard to have miscommunication with myself and I know what needs to be done. I've been training other people's dogs for a bit of cash. If I had more clients I would be making more. I love my 'job', but I know need another main job to bring in the money to get stuff paid, until I am making enough from the dog thing that I can do it full time.

My last boss always made me feel stupid for being hoh and he always said I'm deaf in a not so nice way, so I was glad that I was fired from him in a roundabout way.

 

[Yiffzer]

I work with a person who CAN'T read and he's hearing. It's hard for me to communicate with him.

Hahaha, that's so funny.

 

[cdmeggers]

A few years ago, I started working at the newspaper part time... I was to work Sundays doing the obituaries. After maybe 3 or 4 months, my Sunday hours were dropped cause I wouldn't answer the phone, so I was stuck with just working 2 or 3 hours per week.
Ever since we got a new top editor at the newspaper, and I got a different supervisor, things have been better. Both editor and supervisor know I will not work with the phone, so both are finding different projects I can work on without having to worry about the phone, and am gaining more hours at work.

 

[VamPyroX]

For me, it depends.

With co-workers, I communicate with them and show them what I can and cannot do. For instance, they know that with my hearing aid... I can understand the phone 90% of the time. They also know that without my hearing aid, I can't use the phone. So, they don't pester me when the phone rings. They answer it for me.

As for customers, it varies on the customer. They usually have patience. Sometimes, they don't. I just have patience myself and deal with it.

 

[Foxrac]

I am very, very curious about this. I got a few deaf friends whom I shall remain nameless. I'll make up the names, ok?

Here it goes, my friend Marcus* had a job at a food store for about 8 months before he quit. He has explained to me in person he had a rather difficult times with his manager. I can easily describe the manager an ignorant bitch just because she did not give any deaf employers some breaks.

There were 3 or 4 deaf workers at this store and sometimes Marcus and another deaf worker, namely Julia*, were working by each other bagging up people's grocery at the end of the check out area. They signed to each other like they were talking but the manager came up to them and told them to stop talking. Marcus told her right away, why can't we talk? I always seen the hearing people talking nonstop while working. You're not giving us fair treatments. The manager has warned Marcus about his attitude. Excuse me? Who? Marcus was clearly expressing out to you by his face expression. To hearing people, it's probably rude but not to the rest of deaf people, normally. It has escalated from days into weeks into months until Marcus and another deaf worker finally quit.

Meanwhile, Marcus' girlfriend has rented a DVD See What I Mean (DVD) from her local community college. I'm sorry my memory couldn't serve me any right since I only seen it once but,

From the link:



Marcus really wanted to show this to his manager but the problem was, the dvd was due to return the next day or so.

Back to the work site, Julia was told to do the outside duty to collect the grocery cart in the dark. It was in the early morning (the food store opens 24/7). It was considered too dangerous considering Julia is deaf and she couldn't hear and possibly see what would happen to her behind her in the dark. Her manager said so, that infuriated Marcus so he quit.

I suppose the manager has a serious case not understanding what the deaf people tend to do in their everyday lives. Sure we need to be more alert and all stuff. So, that's the story.



Anyone has similar situation at work?

It's violate the US law that based on work labor and all employees (full time) must have break time, that can be 2-3 time since part time employees must have break time and can be 1-2 time, except for work around under 2-3 hours. I mentioned that except for lunch time, though.

 

[Levonian]

But it sounds to me like this manager doesn't know the ADA laws and is very ignorant of deaf people's needs..

Sounds like it to me too. If I were in your shoes, I would start making a few phone calls. Revenge is sweet and getting people in trouble can be a hell of a lot of fun. Right now I'm trying to get some asshole tweaker I know busted for tax evasion. Haven't had much luck so far, but it's still good times all around.

 

[beetarehoh]

I landed in so many different jobs, most of bosses are either cool or just plain jerks. When I land in a new job everybody is aware of my hoh. They take time and patience to repeat there comments when I asked them to repeat. Of course after a while working one place I have to keep asking them to repeat then they would become impatience, (I think thats when the "honeymoon" is over). They then would ask someone else to either explain or just to show me what to do. Seems everybody gets really busy and time is precious to them and leaves me out of the loop. So mainly I try to do things myself, thats when I learn my mistakes. I cant win.

Now I work in a deaf friendly environment, I like it much better.

 

[shel90]

I landed in so many different jobs, most of bosses are either cool or just plain jerks. When I land in a new job everybody is aware of my hoh. They take time and patience to repeat there comments when I asked them to repeat. Of course after a while working one place I have to keep asking them to repeat then they would become impatience, (I think thats when the "honeymoon" is over). They then would ask someone else to either explain or just to show me what to do. Seems everybody gets really busy and time is precious to them and leaves me out of the loop. So mainly I try to do things myself, thats when I learn my mistakes. I cant win.

Now I work in a deaf friendly environment, I like it much better.

Oh yea! The honeymoon stage...that just brought back memories of my job with the insurance company. At first, people really went their way out to help me and to come up and talk to me but after discovering that I couldnt hear as well as I could speak, they gradually stopped coming up just to chat with me and whenever I would go up to them to chat with them, they would get this "Oh shit" look on their faces and stiffen up. Eventually, I ended up doing things myself and during lunch, I would just read a book or the newspaper. It was lonely.

 

[jillio]

A few years ago, I started working at the newspaper part time... I was to work Sundays doing the obituaries. After maybe 3 or 4 months, my Sunday hours were dropped cause I wouldn't answer the phone, so I was stuck with just working 2 or 3 hours per week.
Ever since we got a new top editor at the newspaper, and I got a different supervisor, things have been better. Both editor and supervisor know I will not work with the phone, so both are finding different projects I can work on without having to worry about the phone, and am gaining more hours at work.

That's the newpaper's responsibility. If they say that phone duties are a part of your job description, then they have to supply a TTY. Or remove that duty from the job description. But they can't cut your hours or let you go, becasue that then falls into the area of discrimination.