Is America becoming more deaf-friendly?

[Jiro]

FYI - Deaf people needs to be more proactive if they want to go up in the corporate world.

You have to TAKE IT INTO YOUR HANDS. Not fall over and be passive.

If you are the ones who fall over and be passive, you're probably not cut out for the higher uppers in the corp world.

Just saying.

that pretty much applies to hearing/sighted/walking people as well.

simply put -
-if you're the kind of person who says "no thank you" to others, you're not really cut out for corporation world.
-if you're the kind of person who says "No. Thank You." to others, then you've got a real solid shot there!

I'm the kind of person who says "No." so you can guess what kind of endeavor is out there for me

 

[Berry]

No, I'm actually 39 years old.

You are a betweener. Too young to be a daughter, too old to be a grand kid.

There is an interesting question from the standpoint of Deaf Culture. Would a culturally Deaf person want to be corporate? The Deaf World I was introduced to believed in mutual cooperation, mutual benefit, mutual working out of problems. Things like cooperation and communication were valued.

These are the antithesis of the corporate world where secrecy, lying, competition, and stepping on the other guy is lauded and applauded. A world where you can be told to harass a good worker you have always liked, and you either do it or lose your chances for your future. (My friend was actually given this choice and chose early retirement.)

These are reasons why I have always been union, self employed, or agriculture (fruit tramp), and carnival. I make less money, but I am pretty much my own person.

Back to the question: Would a culturally Deaf person feel at home in the standard (yes, there are exceptions) corporate environment?

 

[Jiro]

Back to the question: Would a culturally Deaf person feel at home in the standard (yes, there are exceptions) corporate environment?

for my brother? yes. Had no problem working for UBS when his team had to liquidated this poor bastard's assets due to multiple missed payments and within the next day - he committed suicide by jumping in front of tube (London word for train).

"Not my problem. Not my fault."

*mind you - the missed payments were in millions*

 

[deafskeptic]

No offense Cheri, but I'm betting you are young.

When I first learned signs I was a kid. Before ASL was a recognized language. Stokoe had yet to be hired by Gallaudet. My best friend at the time was CODA. We were suspended for 3 days for so much as signing "Hello" to each other at recess.


When we were in town with his mother a cop wanted to talk to her about something, forget what. When we explained it was our mother and she was deaf the cop replied, "Yeah, well tell the dummy to pay more attention next time."


Come to think of it "civil rights" as you know it wasn't around yet. Martin Luther King had yet to get involved. There was no one to complain to about the cop's behavior.



On the other hand I'm not telling you to lack fervor. That is what is needed.

As you point out, just because you traveled a long ways doesn't mean you're home.

I remember growing up oral and I remember hearing with shock at how my ex-bf was treated for using sign language in the oral program. I didn't know any when I was little so my experience was different from his experence.

 

[somedeafdudefromPNW]

Well, with every generation... old problems are resolved and new ones pop up.

I means, yes, we have videophones, increased exposure to ASL, new technology and so on, but awareness is still not there.

Yes, the traditional jobs for deaf people like post office and newspaper are going out the window, but that is being replaced with the IT and anything related to computers. At least no one is willing to be a telephone operator anymore. That field is dead here, at least in Canada anyway. :\

 

[shel90]

Well, with every generation... old problems are resolved and new ones pop up.

I means, yes, we have videophones, increased exposure to ASL, new technology and so on, but awareness is still not there.

Yes, the traditional jobs for deaf people like post office and newspaper are going out the window, but that is being replaced with the IT and anything related to computers. At least no one is willing to be a telephone operator anymore. That field is dead here, at least in Canada anyway. :\

You would think the field of IT would open up a lot of opportunities for deaf people but according to several of my friends, it seems just as difficult to get in due to the phone excuse. I really really want the phone technology to go out the window. That's the BIG barrier, one that can be easily changed but hearing people are resistant to change.

 

[shel90]

I remember growing up oral and I remember hearing with shock at how my ex-bf was treated for using sign language in the oral program. I didn't know any when I was little so my experience was different from his experence.

Oral only programs really really did injustice to a lot of deaf people.

 

[Bebonang]

If America has become more friendly to the deaf.....

-then every deaf individual would have jobs and not having to gone through many hardships to get a job.
-then deaf individuals would not be denied for an interpreter for doctor appointments, school meetings, etc.

There are so many stories of deaf people being denied, so if you asked me if America has become more friendly to the deaf, my answer is no

There are just a minority of people who are friendly to the deaf, not the majority

That is exactly what I am afraid of when that happen to many of us, Deafies, not be able to have jobs or in need of interpreters just because hearing people expect us to be able hear on the phone and understand what hearing people say. They think that hearing aids or CIs would help deaf people to hear without relying on the lipreading or sign language. They think we are normal just like them to hear. Go figure. :roll:

 

[somedeafdudefromPNW]

You would think the field of IT would open up a lot of opportunities for deaf people but according to several of my friends, it seems just as difficult to get in due to the phone excuse. I really really want the phone technology to go out the window. That's the BIG barrier, one that can be easily changed but hearing people are resistant to change.

Same excuse as any other job.

Yeah... part of the reason for that is... it's for ease of convenience. It's faster to talk than it is to type. Not to mention you can interrupt people while they are talking.

 

[shel90]

Same excuse as any other job.

Yeah... part of the reason for that is... it's for ease of convenience. It's faster to talk than it is to type. Not to mention you can interrupt people while they are talking.

It is fine if they want to use the phone for themselves but make a little adjustment for the deaf employee..can communicate via email or text instead of phone just for that worker or workers? How hard can it be? It seems like for hearing people, it is such a hardship. :roll:

 

[somedeafdudefromPNW]

It is fine if they want to use the phone for themselves but make a little adjustment for the deaf employee..can communicate via email or text instead of phone just for that worker or workers? How hard can it be? It seems like for hearing people, it is such a hardship. :roll:

Yep. It's a hardship for them. "Can't be fucked to make a modification my routine for other people." Shouldn't be surprising that they don't want to make accommodations for minority groups... just look at the stuff people did during wartimes. :| But honestly, IT did open up a lot of jobs for deaf folks.

I honestly think, like PFH has posted-- that the Deaf should start looking after themselves.

 

[shel90]

Yep. It's a hardship for them. "Can't be fucked to make a modification my routine for other people." Shouldn't be surprising that they don't want to make accommodations for minority groups... just look at the stuff people did during wartimes. :| But honestly, IT did open up a lot of jobs for deaf folks.

I honestly think, like PFH has posted-- that the Deaf should start looking after themselves.

For Deaf to do that, they need good education and too many of them end up with poor education due to mainstreaming.

 

[somedeafdudefromPNW]

For Deaf to do that, they need good education and too many of them end up with poor education due to mainstreaming.

More like people should drop the "I worked hard to get this job, I am entitled to this, go fuck yourself" attitude whenever their friends are looking for a job as well and is looking for a way in. And that's not just the deaf folks, just my generation-- aka "Generation Zero."

 

[Juli-terp-to-be]

More like people should drop the "I worked hard to get this job, I am entitled to this, go fuck yourself" attitude whenever their friends are looking for a job as well and is looking for a way in. And that's not just the deaf folks, just my generation-- aka "Generation Zero."

LOL when I think of 'Generation Zero' I think of a video game.

 

[Berry]

Right now the economy is a problem. Who will suffer? Those closest to the bottom of the ladder will be the first to be kicked off. People will decide things like sympathy and empathy are luxuries they cannot afford.

In the past year I've seen people getting more openly racial, and less tolerant of nonconformity in general. Management is getting more aggressive toward workers.

I'm just hoping things get start getting better before they get to the worst possible.

 

[shel90]

What does it really take to make it in this country?

 

[Em903]

As a hearie learning ASL, of course to me it seems that things are becoming more deaf friendly. But then again, all I have to do is try to talk to my sister about the things I learn from deaf culture and *poof* she suddenly knows everything there is about deaf culture, ASL, etc when she doesn't grasp a single concept. And she's said some things that I know some would take offense to.

I would agree about previous' posters in regards to corporate big-name companies however...

FYI - Deaf people needs to be more proactive if they want to go up in the corporate world.

You have to TAKE IT INTO YOUR HANDS. Not fall over and be passive.

If you are the ones who fall over and be passive, you're probably not cut out for the higher uppers in the corp world.

Just saying.

BINGO. I just did a Women's Studies paper at the end of the semester and why women aren't in higher up positions. It didn't come down to the "Glass Ceiling" effect, it was because women chose to not do so. I think this is similar, maybe not EXACT as I'm sure there are probably other limiting factors out there.

I see both sides of the fence but I lean more towards the yes, it is better than before. Or maybe that's just the rosy glasses

Educate me here. Aside from the typical snot-nosed high schooler working in retail that is ignorant of pencil and paper, what kind of discrimination have you run into? I've read the thread about JennyB's denied request of an interpreter at a hospital, may I ask any other problems like that? (I hope I'm not violating any forum rules here, I just wish to understand better)

 

[Jiro]

What does it really take to make it in this country?

it depends on how you say "no thank you" to others

 

[shel90]

As a hearie learning ASL, of course to me it seems that things are becoming more deaf friendly. But then again, all I have to do is try to talk to my sister about the things I learn from deaf culture and *poof* she suddenly knows everything there is about deaf culture, ASL, etc when she doesn't grasp a single concept. And she's said some things that I know some would take offense to.

I would agree about previous' posters in regards to corporate big-name companies however...



BINGO. I just did a Women's Studies paper at the end of the semester and why women aren't in higher up positions. It didn't come down to the "Glass Ceiling" effect, it was because women chose to not do so. I think this is similar, maybe not EXACT as I'm sure there are probably other limiting factors out there.

I see both sides of the fence but I lean more towards the yes, it is better than before. Or maybe that's just the rosy glasses

Educate me here. Aside from the typical snot-nosed high schooler working in retail that is ignorant of pencil and paper, what kind of discrimination have you run into? I've read the thread about JennyB's denied request of an interpreter at a hospital, may I ask any other problems like that? (I hope I'm not violating any forum rules here, I just wish to understand better)

When I was 19 years old and working at Jack in the Box for 3 years, employees who worked there less than I did were getting promoted to shift leader over me so I told my boss that I was interested in becoming a shift leader (the hourly pay was 4 dollars more than what I was making at the time so thatis a HUGE difference for a 19 year old), he said that he wont promote me because of my deafness.

That was the first ever discrimination I have ever experienced in the workforce and after that, I experienced all kinds of discrimination except at the Deaf school I currently work at. No wonder deaf people prefer to work at places that serve deaf customers...who wants to put up with the discrimination BS? I could have fought with claws to get the shift leader postiion but at the time I was on a college softball scholarship and my mom told me to let it go. Sometimes, I wonder if I had made a mistake by letting them get away with it. Too late now..

 

[Em903]

When I was 19 years old and working at Jack in the Box for 3 years, employees who worked there less than I did were getting promoted to shift leader over me so I told my boss that I was interested in becoming a shift leader (the hourly pay was 4 dollars more than what I was making at the time so thatis a HUGE difference for a 19 year old), he said that he wont promote me because of my deafness.

That was the first ever discrimination I have ever experienced in the workforce and after that, I experienced all kinds of discrimination except at the Deaf school I currently work at. No wonder deaf people prefer to work at places that serve deaf customers...who wants to put up with the discrimination BS? I could have fought with claws to get the shift leader postiion but at the time I was on a college softball scholarship and my mom told me to let it go. Sometimes, I wonder if I had made a mistake by letting them get away with it. Too late now..

What was recent if I may ask?

There's a "Deaf-Friendly Cities in the U.S." website at http://www.deaf411online.com/46.html, it lists 25 cities considered "Deaf-Friendly with information on what makes a city Deaf-Friendly. Helpful information, suggest you take a look.

Took a look, wow, really cool they did this. Indianapolis is on there! YAY! With a lot of good check marks