Hiring a deaf intern - resources to get to know Deaf culture?
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Anonymous
| I'm not sure if this is the appropriate forum, but I'm getting an intern from Gallaudet soon and, other than discussing accomodations for communication, is there anything else I should be aware of? We plan on communicating through Sorenson for meetings and using chat apps such as Google chat or texting when she comes into the office (4 hours once a week). The rest of the time (11 hours), they will be working remotely. Any resources much appreciated, thanks! |
Anonymous
| No experience, but I think a writing/drawing tablet might be helpful for in person communication. They are like under $20. |
Anonymous
I took some ASL classes in college, and Deaf culture as well. I am not Deaf so I am only telling you what I learned and not what I experienced. I think it's awesome that you're trying to learn more! It would be lovely to learn a little ASL, just hello and thank you and those phrases you'll use a lot. The Deaf community also says they appreciate it when you try to learn from Deaf tutors if you want to learn ASL, instead of people like me or interpreters or other hearing people  Turning on and off the lights to get their attention instead of scaring the crap out of them by touching them, lightly tapping the table (or banging if you become good friends) to get attention, or waving the hand. Technology has certainly made all of this a lot easier! She'll also likely have a "sign name" given to her by other Deaf people, I don't know if you should ask if it's appropriate for you to use it but I would think it would be nice if you would use her sign name instead of fingerspelling her name...that's all I can think of! Good luck!
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Anonymous
| This probably isn't the kind of info you're looking for, but Deaf U on Netflix will give you a peek into what Gallaudet life is like. It's excellent. |
Anonymous
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My org has also hosted interns from Gallaudet, but I did not work directly with them so no advice, unfortunately.
But I do want to say it's awesome that your company is doing this and that you're doing advance prep to make it a good experience. We could all do so much more to make these programs inclusive, in so many ways. |
Anonymous
Eh, it's a mixed bag. A lot of it is typical reality show relationship drama. I think the main effect of the show is that it demonstrates how Gallaudet, once you understand some quirks of deaf culture and communication, is pretty similar to most colleges. If I were going to be an intern somewhere, that's not what I'd want my soon-to-be boss watching to get to know me! It would be like watching Keeping Up with the Kardashians because you had a new intern who was of Armenian descent. It's a reality show, not reality. |
Anonymous
Not good advice. |
Anonymous
| Can you call Gallaudet's career services department and ask for advice? They're the ones who do the placements and advise graduates, so they are probably the most aware of what works best |
Anonymous
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Give meeting materials in advance.
Visual attention can't be in two places at once. So the intern can't read and "listen" at the same time. English is probably her second language. ASL is a completely different language with all that this brings with it |
Anonymous
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Good tips: https://frdat.niagara.edu/assets/Etiquette-Handouts/NCWD-Basic-Etiquette-Deaf-or-Hard-of-Hearing.pdf
I have not reviewed this in particular, but this site in general has very good information https://nationaldeafcenter.org/resources/access-accommodations/internships-fieldwork/ |
Anonymous
| Also, be sure to know that she may not identify with Deaf culture. It's likely, but depending on many factors, she may not. |