Good evening! I'm Heidi, Teacher of the Deaf from KY. Tonight I'm honored to introduce our guest host @TinaXBanerjee who'll lead our #DeafEd discussion about Overcoming Workplace Barriers
#DDBDDHH#Deafed a2 Can I flip this from deficit model and give kudos to #NDIS@NDIS for a better model for Deaf to book interpreters etc.
Plus baby steps as more schools pick up sign language, opening up communication.
#deafed a2 Can I flip the barrier question and say that one of the greatest inclusion promoters has been #NDIS@NDIS getting control back to Deaf workers for employing interpreters, getting vibrating alarm clocks etc. Plus more schools are picking up sign language. #DDBDDHH
Hi! I love how eager you are to participate in the chat today. We are doing introductions then get into the questions. Care to introduce yourself? #DeafEd
Hello #DeafEd! I am Alexander Van Hook and I am from Upper Black Eddy, PA. I am a disability rights advocate and am #Deaf and a power wheelchair user. Glad to be here!
A1. Everyday, I work in a different a college environmental setting and serving the community as a #publicsafety intern and an RA (Resident Advisor). cont.. #Deafed
A1. Working in a diverse environment setting where I interact with people with different backgrounds, identities, communication styles to gain my knowledge and embrace #DiversityandInclusion#DeafED
Hello #DeafEd! I am Alexander Van Hook and I am from Upper Black Eddy, PA. I am a disability rights advocate and am #Deaf and a power wheelchair user. Glad to be here!
Currently at a high school in #Melbourne. Heulwen working in Auslan teaching Math and English mostly with a dash of Science.
Still deciding what to do new school year 2019
A2. Some barriers I face in workplaces are communication barriers, lack of resources, not enough #Deafculture exposure, accessibility, and no #videophone or #interpreter when needed. #DeafEd
A2: Sadly, but true, there are countless challenges to think of. I.e. communication access, wheelchair accessibility, visual access, mental health service access, and many more. Advocacy is needed to overcome those challenges. #DeafEd
One of the most prevalent recently is how we communicate during emergencies. We've moved away from the PA, but still haven't found anything quite right. I don't believe we're at full access. #DeafEd
A2 (cont.): For me personally, challenges I may encounter in workplaces are communication access and wheelchair accessibility. #CrossDisabilities#DeafEd
“For those chat participants who are hearing, questions 3 & 5 are directed towards the #DDBDDHH participants. If you want to answer, please start your answer with “As a hearing person I have seen/experienced” #DeafEd
A3: Interpreters are usually used for meetings and trainings, not all day. However, to overcome this, I use technology, such as texting and Ubi-Duo. #DeafEd
A3. As a #deaf person, communication barriers that I exp. when no #accessibility is provided, I lack information that prevented me to be 'fully' successful in a workplace. #cultural barriers lead to communication barriers. #educate#deafed
A3: As a hearing person I have seen barriers such as PA announcements, training videos without captions, employers refusing to provide interpreters, staff not willing to accommodate, such as note writing (1) #DeafEd
A3: Written tests required for application. The #DDBDDHH person might be very skilled and knowledgeable for the position but do not have strong enough English skills to pass the test #DeafEd
A4. If you struggle w/ ur identity, break ur #barrier first. We, PWD should not have to accommodate on our own:( Break that #cultural barriers & #educate ur employers to help u be successful Employee/er: hold each other accountable. Build ur knowledge #DeafEd
A4: Collaborate with the #DDBDDHH person to come up with communication strategies for different situations. Employers should always ask the person what their communication preferences are in different situations and respect it! #DeafEd
A4: Advocate on behalf of those facing those challenges. And have them a part of the conversation/in the room/at the table. They shouldn't have to do it alone and we shouldn't assume we can do it without them. #DeafEd
A1 - I work in an office on the campus of the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind. Our office is the @NRSCenters, proudly serving 9 states in the Southeast! #deafed
A2 - Barriers - communication is the biggest barrier. Not that we can't communicate, but ensuring that communication is in place - such as an interpreter, etc. since we often have meetings on the fly. :) #deafed
#DeafEd a4 My exstudents in construction have been really impressed with apple watches. #tech to give and receive msgs safely on building sites. Again @NDIS have been helpful in supporting bridging communication gaps. There is still much more to do though.
A3 - Similar to A2 answer. Needing an interpreter on the fly. Recently, I was able to do a meeting using the Ava app with 3 other hearing people. It worked nicely! And was able to save a transcript of the meeting too! #deafed
A5. Employers/co-workers to know: Never assume what you THINK it's the best for your employee (communication style (ASL/notetakers/captions) or assume you know what works the best. Recognize your #privileges and be an advocate!
#DeafEd
As a hearing person, something I've seen discussed most often - if you can sign, sign for yourself. The interpreter is for the person that can't sign not for you to talk in front of your coworkers. #DeafEd
A5: I wish all hearing ed understand that spoken language if only a vehicle that humans used to convey their thoughts, which means any form of language will do the same thing. So, spoken language not superior language on #signlanguage#DeafEd
A5 - Every #DDBDDHH individual is different! Therefore, assume communications needs will be different too! Also, ask for our opinions/thoughts! We have good ideas too! #deafed
Which also means we need a bilingual program in #DeafEd no what we have now of using an advantage of #signlanguage to translate English concepts. Bi bi still need time to be real.
A6. Resources aren't always accessible for #DDBDDHH individuals where it becomes a barrier. Workplace are designed for what society created for 'normal' people & being exclusive for ppl like me. #DeafEd
A7 - DeafTec has a good online module for employees in the workplace. Parents, Hands and Voices organizations can be good advocates, too. But the best advocate is yourself! #deafed
My pleasure y’all. Abdul from KSA if you don’t know where that is, it’s next to Egypt and Dubai haha. Doing my EDD in DSDE. Worked many years with Deaf try to be an ally maybe one day lolo. Multilingual try to be multicultural. I think that’s it.
