Jobs, Careers and Callings

Jobs, Careers and Callings Has Moved!

2008-05-28T17:41:00.000-07:00

Jobs, Careers and Callings is now at a permanent domain:

www.deafhhcareer.com

Please update your bookmarks.

Shawn Lockhart and Mike Dyas, Systems Specialists

2008-05-02T07:30:00.001-07:00

Shawn on left,
Mike on the right

At the Federal Aviation Administration building in Illinois, two deaf guys, Shawn Lockhart and Mike Dyas work in rotating shifts to keep the facilities humming along. Shawn and Mike both work as an Airway Transportation Systems Specialist. Both men graduated from NTID/RIT with a degree in Electromechanical Technology.

“We provide system support to air traffic controllers,” explained Shawn. “They really depend on our systems to function properly in order to do their jobs.” Mike and Shawn are responsible for keeping the control center “out of the dark.” They check to make sure the primary and secondary systems, including the heating and cooling, alarms, batteries and generators are always in order.

Mike was the first to be hired at the FAA facility. After graduation, he worked at Eastman Kodak in Rochester but soon realized that he wanted to move back home to Illinois. An employment advisor from the Rochester Institute of Technology pointed him in the direction of the F.A.A.

“I left Rochester immediately and started knocking at the door of the F.A.A. Regional Office headquarters for Great Lakes,” said Mike. Mike worked with Linda Ross, who oversaw the disabilities hiring program. Linda suggested that he meet with the administrator at the Aurora office. At first, the administrator was reluctant to meet with Mike.

“After a brief interview, they took me on a tour and the managers were so impressed with me. From there, I was the first deaf person to be hired to work in the control center as an engineer technician,” said Mike.

Shawn started working at the F.A.A. facility four years after Mike was hired. Mike and Shawn don’t often see each other on the job due to the rotation in their shifts, but their shifts occasionally overlap for two hours.

“I love my job and it is challenging,” said Shawn. “People don’t often realize how complex our jobs are. Systems don’t discriminate. It’s all about getting the job done. Deaf or hearing—it doesn’t matter. You just have to have the knowledge and skills to keep the systems running.”

“I love this job because we face so many different, challenging problems each day,” Mike agreed. “We get to tackle the problems, troubleshoot the solutions and repair them as quickly as we can to keep the National Airspace System running.”

Working in Government? Training Conference Coming Up

2008-04-28T11:55:00.000-07:00

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.

Ben Lachman-- Project Manager

2008-04-09T13:05:00.000-07:00

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

Patti Phadke--Motherhood as a Calling

2008-03-06T08:59:00.001-08:00

For Pattie Phadke, motherhood was a calling that didn’t come easily at first. When her oldest child was born, Patti was thrilled to be a mom. Then she soon discovered that all of her time was devoted to the usual tasks of tending to babies, especially endless diaper changes.

“Changing diapers was a boring chore that was repeated over and over!” said Patti.

Patti knew that an attitude change was going to have to happen, especially if she wanted to have more kids.

“I realized that I was very thankful about having a healthy baby,” said Patti. “So I changed my attitude and I looked at the diaper chore as a time to bond with my baby.” Patti used that time to sign to her baby and give her plenty of attention. Diaper changing became an enjoyable time instead of a dreaded chore.

“I feel that motherhood is my calling,” said Patti. “From that moment until today, I enjoy having my kids so much!

Patti’s oldest daughter is now in college and plans to become a doctor. Patti has three other children and she works part time as an ASL instructor at Columbia College in Chicago.

Patti's favorite quote: "If you give what you do not need, it is not giving." This quote is from Mother Teresa.

Mark Drolsbaugh--A Man with Many Hats

2008-02-20T07:40:00.000-08:00

When I first came across Mark Drolsbaugh's books,Deaf Again and Anything But Silent I ordered both books right away. I tore through both books, laughing and nodding along. I felt as if Mark had wrote about my life! I had the opportunity to contribute a chapter of my life in his third book, On the Fence. I always recommend those three books to everyone I meet and my copies are always being lent out.

Mark is a great guy with a wonderful sense of humor and I sure hope he ends up on Oprah some day because he would have Oprah cracking up in the first fifteen minutes with his wry sense of humor.

I had Mark share a bit about his life:

Tell me what a typical day is like for you at work.

As a guidance counselor at the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, I work primarily with the secondary department. Each grade level in high school has one advisory session per week. Advisory sessions last one hour and cover numerous topics with the goal of preparing students for college, vocational training, and/or the work force. In Junior High School, we run a weekly PALS session -- Peers and Leadership Skills -- with the goal of preparing students for the transition to high school. I also have the thrill of collaborating with the World of Work program at PSD which focuses on job skills and job placement. On top of all that, we're currently revising our counseling program so that its in accordance with the ASCA (American School Counselors Association) National Model--a lot of exciting changes are in store.

Usually there are two advisory sessions a day and there are also opportunities to join students in the classroom. On top of that there are individual grade/credit reviews for each student throughout the year and college visits, guest speakers, and community service. No two days are exactly alike so it never gets boring!

Is this a job, a career or a calling for you?

All of the above!

Give me a little history on how your life lead up to this current position at work.

Well, I was bumbling along as an accounting major at Temple University back in 1988 when there was this little incident at Gallaudet University that caught my attention. I transferred to Gallaudet in 1989 and went through a total metamorphosis. Gina Oliva (author of "Alone in the Mainstream: A Deaf Woman Remembers Public School") refers to this as the "Met Deaf, Wow!" phenomenon. The opportunity to attend a school with other deaf peers and role models had a profound impact. I switched majors and became a serious writer on the side. I wound up working a newspaper columnist for DeafNation, Silent News, and SIGNews for a while before branching off on my own writing projects.

What are some of the goals you've set for yourself down the road?

Quite frankly, I'm at a crossroads right now. It's exciting at PSD what with the counseling program aligning itself with ASCA. At the same time, my wife Melanie and I both run our own business, Handwave Publications, and what started out as a side endeavor has grown into something much bigger than expected. We've got three books published, a childrens' book is waiting in the wings, and I'm about to collaborate on another book with two former Gallaudet classmates.

Also, Handwave Publications isn't just for books -- we've got two websites up and running. They are Deaf Culture Online and Unique Fitness Tips. Deaf Culture Online
is more like an advocacy/informational website (with the infamous Drolz Uncensored blog included in there) while Unique Fitness Tips is designed for people who love to work out but simply don't have the time. It's a tremendous thrill to be able to run a home business that's based on your passion. I love the Deaf community and I'm a fitness fanatic, so to be able to write about both isn't a job -- it's a blessing. Somewhere down the road I'd love to see Handwave Publications expand and become a full-time commitment.

Josh Swiller Pens "The Unheard"

2008-02-01T05:02:00.000-08:00

Josh Swiller has held many jobs. He's been a forest ranger, a raw food chef, teacher, a Zen monk, and he once crafted sheepskin slippers. He spent two years in Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer.

After being fired from a law firm, Josh settled into a friend's barn and wrote The Unheard, a memoir of his two years in Kenya, Africa.

You can read more about Josh in an article that I wrote for Disaboom:

Peace Corps Years Inspire The Unheard

Josh blogs at Cochbla. For the time being, he's decided that being an author is a noble profession and he's hammering away at his next book.

Neil McDevitt, Firefighter

2008-01-14T14:14:00.000-08:00

At a recent Illinois Hands & Voices Parent Connection meeting, a parent shared her heartbreak when her young deaf son expressed a desire to grow up and become a fireman. “I know he won’t be able to be a fireman, but there’s other things he can do,” she said.

Oh yes, I told her, he can become a fireman. And girls can grow up to be firefighters as well. I told her about the firefighter I knew who worked in a town near me. About Mike McConnell, a forest hydrologist who is trained to fight fires as well. And about a volunteer firefighter that I found through a blog, the Deaf Firefighter's Blog.

The mom's eyes grew wide. I could see her attitude shifting, to one of great hope for her son's future as another barrier came tumbling down.

I had the pleasure of chatting with Neil McDevitt, a volunteer firefighter with the Montgomery Township Fire Department in Pennsylvania. Neil has been a volunteer with the department since 2003. When he's not on duty, he works full time as a Program Director for the Community Emergency Preparedness Information Network (CEPIN) at Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc. (TDI).

"Our program is a FEMA-recognized training partner," said Neil. "We developed a class called "Emergency Responders and the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community: Taking the First Steps to Disaster Preparedness" and we're also working on some other new programs as well."

Neil wears a pager at all times and “Yes, I sleep with it on,” he shares. As a firefighter, Neil has encountered house fires and car accidents where people have died but he prefers to focus on the positive attributes of his job.

“My most memorable experience happened a few months ago. A group of students from the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf in Philadelphia came to my fire house for a tour.” Neil had planned to teach his regular session on fire safety, but when the students arrived, he quickly realized that he needed to switch his approach to include the deaf students with developmental disabilities.

“I wanted to give the kids some hands-on activities, so I asked a firefighter to start one of the trucks and lay out a small hose line. We set up some cones and put tennis balls on top of them. Then we gave the kids the hose line and told them to knock the balls off.” Neil took great delight in seeing the smiles on the student’s faces. “What really made it special for me was one young boy who was severely developmentally disabled—he showed no expression during any of the previous activities and he suddenly lit up in a big smile when he touched that hose line.”

When Neil first began as a volunteer, he taught a class on non-verbal communication. “My reasoning for this was that firefighters already use a lot of non-verbal communication but they never really consciously thought about it,” said Neil. “Rather than teaching ‘ASL101’ and forcing them to learn something new, I personally feel it's more effective to make them more conscious of what they're already doing.”

One of the tough aspects of the job is the challenge of funding interpreters for meetings and trainings. “I know it’s easy to say that it is required by the Americans With Disabilities Act—that they should be paying for it, period. If it was a paying job, I would have no problems requesting interpreters left and right,” said Neil. “However, this is a volunteer organization and my feeling was, if I came in ‘demanding’ interpreters, then I would win the battle but lose the war.” Neil, instead, tried to use creative approaches to cover the cost of interpreters. For trainings held by the county or a training academy, the interpreters were willingly covered upon request. Neil was able to obtain a small grant from Prudential Insurance company to cover the cost of interpreters for other meetings.

Neil has plans in the works to include a new position into his role as a volunteer firefighter. “Right now, I have a proposal with the Chief to create a Public Information Officer position in the department and assign me to that role,” said Neil. “We'll be meeting to discuss that a little later in the year. Basically, the Public Information Officer is the person who works with the media and public to inform them of what's going on with the incident.”
For every mom of a deaf and hard of hearing child who dreams of being a firefighter, Neil has this to share: “It really is a rewarding job. You're giving back to your community, helping people in a very real and tangible way. Even if a deaf person isn't the one in front of the hose and putting the water on the fire, they're all working toward a common goal. I hope I never have to use American Sign Language for a deaf victim (especially since I know practically every deaf person in the township!) but I also know that I bring a talent to the table that very few departments are able to.”

June Prusak, Manager of a Youth Program

2008-01-08T08:55:00.000-08:00

June Prusak has a fun job. She gets to go swimming, scuba diving, bowling, shopping, and rock climbing. She's been hit by dodgeballs, volleyballs and basketballs. And every year in July, she gets to scream along with the other deaf and hard of hearing kids on the roller coasters.

June is the Youth Program Coordinator at Chicago Hearing Society. She graduated from Gallaudet University with a B.S. degree in Leisure Studies, Therapeutic Recreation. For the last ten and half years, she's been planning fun activities for deaf and hard of hearing youth age seven to high school in the Chicago area.

"The best part of my job is being with deaf and hard of hearing kids!" said June. "I get to play with them, talk with them and use recreation opportunites to teach them about life, responsibilities, leadership and communication."

June runs the Adult Role Model in Education of the Deaf (ARMED) program and does approximately 65 presentations per year. The program sends a deaf or hard of hearing role model to different schools and the students get a chance to learn about professions and ask questions. For students with Ushers Syndrome, June arranges it so that each student can have one-on-one time with the role model to ask questions about being deaf blind.

There were many memorable role models throughout the years, but Chef Matt Krueger from Indianapolis stood out. "He did a cooking demonstration with the junior high kids," said June. "It was a hands-on kind of role model instead of the usual presentation."

June sets up a variety of activities throughout the year. A lot of her time is spent making arrangements for the event and making sure that releases are signed and transportation is arranged. "The worse part of the job is waiting for parents to pick up their kids," said June. She once waited at a police station for three hours when a parent finally showed up at midnight. June also runs a Leadership Workshop where the kids learn leadership skills and gain confidence. June helps them identify areas of strength and work on things they can improve.

The kids often look up to June as a role model but June recalls taking a SCUBA class for the first time with a group of deaf and hard of hearing teens that turned into a teachable moment. "The teens struggled with the SCUBA textbook, but it was easy for me. However, in the lake, the teens did every skills test and passed easily while I struggled in the water, due to my ears. It was nice for the teens to see me struggle."

"I hope and I feel like I'm giving back to the Deaf Community through the Youth Program," said June. "I enjoy giving the deaf and hard of hearing kids the positive aspects of life, recreation, communication, Deaf Culture and so on."

June takes great delight in seeing the positive outcomes of her program among the deaf and hard of hearing kids as they grow up. A high school student recently came up to her and recalled a lesson that she learned in sixth grade. Another student had a very resistent attitude about deaf role models as a younster, but grew up to seek out positive deaf role models after June introduced him to a deaf pilot. June has seen attitudes change and positive self esteem blossom as a result of kids meeting deaf and hard of hearing adults.

"You never know who you impact, how you impact, when you impact, etc... until that day comes!"

Jamie Berke's Employment Links

2008-01-05T06:18:00.001-08:00

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

Do You Want to be on MTV? Read on!

2008-01-03T14:23:00.000-08:00

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.

DeafPeople.com

2007-12-26T06:52:00.000-08:00

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!

Jobs, Careers and Callings!

2007-12-17T13:54:00.000-08:00

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.