I'm Deaf and I need advice on job experience

DFTK13

Hello everyone! This website has been very useful! I've just graduated college and also went through the Cisco Networking Academy which I immensely enjoyed. I Love Networking, working with routers and switches and configuring them. I'm A+, and Net+ certified and I'm planning on taking the CCNA:R&S exam soon.

I've tried googling topics on techexams.net what I'm asking and also using the BB search function to no avail. As the title states, I'm deaf and need advice on jobs. First, just to let you know, I've been told that I speak very well for a deaf person(years of speech therapy), although I have an accent. However, I can only understand people by directly facing them and reading their lips and they enunciate their words and talk at a medium pace. I cannot talk on the phone traditionally, but have this app called Captel that has a person act as an intermediary and listens to the other party's conversation and translates it to text for me and vice versa.

If there is another deaf person who works in Networking, server admin, etc, or any hearing person on this board who's worked with a deaf person, or can offer advice based on what they've experienced in their jobs that a deaf person may or may not be able to do.

I just want to know your honest opinions and experience as far as the hearing aspect of Networking/IT in general. Do you think a deaf person could do it? I've asked several of my teachers and guest speakers who've worked in networking if I can do it and they've all said I could, but I'm looking for more opinions outside of academia. Thank you so much for your time and help!

buhusky

Don't see why you wouldn't be able to do any back-office job. Client-facing may be challenging, but anything where you're sitting on a desk looking at a monitor answering emails/IMs all day would be totally fine. I can see that going into pretty much any area - networking, security, servers, etc..

networker050184

Phone calls are going to be tough to get out of to be honest. Most entry level roles include some sort of phone support and most advanced roles require quite a bit of sitting on conference calls. I don't think you'll have issues with the technical aspect though.

I really don't have any advice for you though unfortunately. I've never come across anyone in your situation. Good luck!

gespenstern

I'm a very autistic person and usually don't like to talk to people, I prefer exchanging e-mails, same goes to education, I never enjoyed schools but am okay with taking on-line courses. I even don't have a phone. I don't have friends because of that and barely talk to my parents. I work in infosec and find it very suitable for such a personality type.

Chances that you end up as a manager are pretty low, but as a technical consultant or analyst you'll be fine. Although I can talk and listen I rarely do that and unless I'm forced to I prefer to do everything via e-mail or corporate instant messaging. I worked remotely for many years not talking live to anyone except my family members for weeks and months.

Bypassing helpdesk and desktop support phases which are usually considered as entry points to start IT career will be challenging though. However, I also never worked in support, I started as electronic security engineer whose responsibilities were installing and configuring endpoint security equipment such as CCTV cameras, DVRs, alarm systems and electronic access control systems and grew up to engineering and then consultant level. Since network equipment is somewhat similar and actually has a lot of intersections with what I've done, I believe you can work as a network field engineer installing and configuring endpoint equipment for a while before transitioning to back office.

Good luck to you.

Hammer80

If you are in US check with your state, pretty much every state has a agency that works with deaf and the blind to provide them training and job placement. In Texas we have the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services and they are partnered with many companies that provide opportunities at all levels. Also the state agencies which usually support the deaf and the blind employ a large part of their workforce with folks with those two disabilities and each of these agency has an IT dept.

E Double U

I have never worked with a deaf person, but I do believe that a deaf person can perform lots of tasks that I've done. A NOC would be tough because you have to talk to customers and telcos on the phone. In my configuration role, most of the communication was via email and messenger. In SOC, I only communicated with customers via tickets and email. As an Info Sec Analyst there are multiple tasks that can be done without a phone, but calls are required during troubleshooting.

Good luck!

DFTK13

I really appreciate the straightforwardness and your experiences have been very helpful! As most of you guys have said, phone calls and communicating over the telephones are a part of life with NOCs, call centers, troubleshooting, etc. but other than that, hearing from you guys has been encouraging as far as the technical aspects. I've heard about Rehab services and will be considering that as well. It just really boils down to whether you KNOW how to do what you're supposed to do. Thank you Genpenstern, and E Double U, for letting me know about SOCs, I've been interested in Information Security and have read a couple Security+ books, maybe that would be a better path for me. Thank you all! Also I'm still open to hearing more experiences, please post if you have one concerning my situation.

techwizard

I too, am deaf. I am considered profoundly deaf. At birth my mother passed to me what is called congenital rubella. It affected my hearing during the hearing development stage of growth in the womb. I am completely deaf in my left ear, and partially deaf in my right, and wear a hearing aid to aid my hearing, so I probably hear maybe at about 60-70ish % in my good ear, with the hearing aid.

With that all being said, I have had a genuine interest in computers most of my life. I started out as a software tester for Broderbund. You may have played or seen the game "Where in the world is Carmen San Diego?". I was one of the few software/game testers that tested that game. My name nor the names of the testers are not listed in credits or anywhere. Broderbund headquarters was located in San Rafael, California. They are now owned by the Learning Company, if I understand correctly. They produce applications such as Mavis Beacan typing, and a bunch of other software titles. I was very young, maybe 16 or so when I started working for Broderbund, it was probably one of my first jobs. I had to quit after about 6 months because I did not have a car or a way to get to work reliably, and relied very much on public transportation for a short time. Soon after quitting however, I did get my first car. I wished I stayed with Broderbund, but that was not the choice I made.

Before working for Broderbund, I tinkered around on a TRS-80 Radio Shack computer. I did all kinds of things with that. I wrote programs in BASIC. I remember saving data to regular tape cassettes, and using the old 5 inch floppy disks, etc.

Fast forward a bit to around 1998. I was given my first beige box, with Windows 98 on it. I remember upgrading it so often, I was reinstalling the OS probably once every couple of months. Buy a new hard drive. Re install OS. Eventually, got enough money to buy another computer, then started playing around with installing other types of OS's on the original computer, such as Windows NT 5.0, Linux, etc.

Then I got interested in Microsoft Certifications. I planned on working on getting my Windows 98 certification, then I had planned on getting my MCSE after that.

Well, life got in the way of that plan.

After attempting to start an online retail business in the early 2000's, I had to move on to something else, because it didn't do so well.

I attempted to start another business in 2005. A mobile computer repair service. At first it did ok, until more and more people were doing the same thing in my local area. Also, micro computers such as cell phones and laptops and tablets, usage increased, making it tougher to find field work. My mobile computer business started to decline a few years ago. I had a choice to make, either move on to something else, or find work for someone else instead of running my own business.

I sought help from a few different sources, because I was attempting to apply for jobs as a disabled, person and am over 40 yrs of age. I was up against potential discriminating factors, my hearing and my age being a couple of them. I sought the help of the Department of Rehabilitation for the State of California. I sought the help of the local case manager at a local medical clinic. I sought the help of the "Job Market" which is kind of like the EDD (Employment Development Department). The "Job Market" sucked. They didn't do a whole lot for me, even though I attended every workshop and did everything they asked for. The Department of Rehabilitation on the other hand did an awesome job. I was assigned a very empathetic and passionate counselor, who was very helpful. They did everything they could to help me. They purchased a phone amplifier. They purchased online training courses for me to pass my A+, Net+, Sec+ and Healthcare IT exams. They purchased the library suite at Testout.com. They purchased all my exam vouchers. They bought me all my books, for the exams. They purchased a tablet for me. They purchased a laptop for me. They helped me improve my interview skills.

My break came when I applied for a job at an organization that was looking for a IT specialist. By the time I had applied for that job, over 24 months had passed, and I had already filled out over 200 applications, went to approximately 25 interviews, and out of the 25 interviews I was called back to probably 10 of those at least a second time. I was in at least second place many times. Finally, I was offered a job. I am an Information Systems Specialist for a non-profit organization that has several departments under one name, such as finding medical care for the elderly and disabled, Ombudsman program, VCOR, etc.

The hardest part about being deaf is the interviews, and answering questions, and marketing myself to compete with every other hearing, persons that could do the job just as well or better than myself.

The second hardest part is answering the phone or making phone calls to make purchases, or call for tech support. The hard part is that you don't know how good the audio quality or what kind of phone will be used, for the person or persons that may be involved in the issue or issues.

If the phone call quality is so bad I cannot hear the person, I know a normal hearing person would have trouble hearing them too, what I do sometimes, is simply say "I am sorry, I have to go..." or just hang up and try calling again and hope the call quality, or hope I get someone else that speaks and or sounds better the next call.

For my current job at the organization, I wear many hats. I am system admin, security admin, network admin, and help-desk all in one. That makes things tough. I also make a point of communicating via email or instant messaging whenever possible, so that I can understand the issue as easy and as quickly as possible, without being on the phone. It is just easier and faster for me, being deaf.

I hope this helps, and good luck to you!

TL;DR:

I am deaf too. Phones and interviews are the most challenging. Do not give up. There are plenty of things a deaf person in IT can do, just as well as a hearing person. Use written communication, emails, instant messaging, etc to your advantage.

techfiend

Networks is probably your best bet after development. I'm currently a sys admin for a smb and I think a deaf person could perform the job well in this environment, there's heavy use of email. I'd suggest looking at SMB's that have a small IT team and impress them technically. There's jobs out there for you, don't give up, don't ever give up!

kiki162

I've seen several people who have gotten into the federal government due to being deaf, blind, or some other disability. Now keep in mind with the gov't in order to get in, you may have to get into a job that you don't like for a while in order to get past that probationary period. Once you have your year in and get that preference, that will help you against other preference eligibles like veterans and other internal gov't employees.

DFTK13

Hey guys! I'm sorry I took a while to respond, it was a really LONG week and I had to study. WOW! THANK YOU for the responses! I am so grateful for all of your encouragement! I am definitely NEVER giving up for sure! I've come really far and I'm gonna keep on going until I get that job and even then I'm still gonna keep hammering down the certs.

Techwizard, first of all, Thank you so much for seeing this and sharing your MUCH needed background. Your story and experience is amazing! You've come a long way and you've worked hard, and I read your post through and through. You are the first fellow deaf person I've ever met that actually went through and made a successful career in IT, that really speaks volumes to me and It really helps me! You've confirmed what I thought would be the hardest parts, the interviews, phone calls and tech support. I'm gonna do my best to lip read them. And I had no idea about the whole tech support situation, wow. But other than that, you're showing what others have told me, that if you know how to do it, then that's what matters. I'm going to have to do like you do and make email and instant messaging a priority and also techfiend mentioned the same thing with email being heavily used in sys admin jobs in SMBs. Also, speaking of disability and rehabilitation services, I know where my local one is and I'm going to reach out to them for help as well. I've had other deaf friends use them with success, but I have no deaf friends in the IT field and had no insight into that until you posted on here! Again, thank you So much for sharing your invaluable experience. (BTW, I saw the Tv show adaption of "Where in the world is carmen san diego?" lol)

Techfiend, Thank you for showing me the Sys admin side of IT with your experience, and SMBs. All I can say is Thank God for Email. and I will never give up! I'll look into it as well

kiki162, I have deaf friends who work in gov. and If I can get an IT job with them and I can do it, that would be just great. I'm not above getting a job that I don't like or anything because I know that with time, hard work and definitely patience, we eventually get into the area that we want. Thank you so much for your post!

aderon

I just wanted to say that you have a really upbeat attitude and I like your outlook on things. It's got me in a motivated mood

colemic

^^what he said! Your attitude and optimism far outweigh any disability you may have to do be good at your chosen career field. You keep that up and be patient, and you will be going places.

Mow

@DFTK13 Keep us updated on your progress!

DFTK13

Hey Guys! Sorry I haven't been on lately, I've been busy trying to study for the CCNA R&S and I've been reading my CCNA:Security book to try to jump a little deeper into that aspect of Cisco.

So here's the UPDATE. I finally mustered up the balls and registered for the ICND1 100-101 test a week ago and just took it today. I didn't pass. I made a 788, and the minimum score was 804. so 16 points away...sigh. But you know what? This was my first time and there's a bright side to it, I learned ALOT about the test format especially the troubleshooting sections and testsims and what to do next time. This may be a no-brainer to you guys, but I learned especially in the testsims/configuration parts to READ THE QUESTIONS first and look at the answers, so when you do the commands to glean the information on the routers/switches that you can do the process of elimination on the answers for the question. My problem was I got stressed out and read the questions too fast and didn't consider all the answers so I found myself going back to the command output trying to find the answer wasting precious time.

The multiple choice questions were surprisingly easier than I expected, but I need to work on my subnetting speed a touch more to save time. But other than that, the overall exam wasn't bad. Although I hate that you can't go back on the questions in the exam, so I have to be darn sure that its what i wanna put down. Anyways, as stated before...I'm NEVER giving up and I'm gonna study a bit more, and then come back and kill it. :P

Thank you aderon! I'm happy to get you motivated! You're gonna do great on whatever you pursue next, because with the right motivation and dedication, you can do anything!

Also thank you to colemic! You're completely right, patience is a virtue and it'll take us places if we know how to utilize it. That thing we want is gonna happen for us at one point if we just keep on working toward it! I actually don't care that I failed now, only that I'm looking toward the next test date after I study a bit although my wallet does care a little bit.

Mow, I'm gonna let you guys know whenever I pass the ICND1 and D2, in the meantime I'm dabbling a bit in MS server to try to close the gap on that knowledge. And I'm gonna schedule an appointment with the Vocational rehab services to see what they can help me with as far as jobs.

I appreciate you guys and thank you for your encouragement!!!

hiddenknight821

Good to see a fellow deaf member here. Can't believe I missed this thread. Apparently, I can relate with you on so many levels. I'm trying to send you a PM, but I see you need at least maybe 10 more posts in this forum before I can send you a PM.

DFTK13

Hey hiddenknight821! Its no problem, I got my post count up. I think 10 posts should do it, and I sent you a message. Let me know on here if you don't see it. This minimum post thing is kinda annoying...lol.

no!all!

Hi DFTK13, I'm not deaf but do have hearing aids and a moderate to severe hearing loss. I definitely know you'll face some challenges but like a lot of people have said, email and instant messaging work great and it's primarily how I communicate with people. Good luck!

DFTK13

no!all! wrote: »

Hi DFTK13, I'm not deaf but do have hearing aids and a moderate to severe hearing loss. I definitely know you'll face some challenges but like a lot of people have said, email and instant messaging work great and it's primarily how I communicate with people. Good luck!

Hey! Anybody who has a challenge with hearing or knows those who face a challenge, their testimony is very much welcome! Thank you so much for your input, I'm happy that you're successful in your job and whatever you're doing, it encourages me to hear from people like you or other hearing people who can help me. Encouragement was definitely a major point of helping me getting this far as I have with the Cisco studying.

DFTK13

Hey Everyone! I just wanted to let you know that I passed the CCENT with an 828! I'm so psyched!!!! I'm gonna keep on going on and kill the CCNA! Thanks for your encouragement! Also, I sent my resume to this type of consulting business with an IT team, and they said they would interview me, so hopefully it'll work out!

paul78

Hey - congratulations.

JoJoCal19

Congrats on the CCENT pass and good luck with your job search!

Mow

Good job!

DFTK13

Update: I haven't heard anything from the company that said that they would interview me. I'm pretty sure it was my resume that I sent them and the fact that I have no relevant working experience. Anyways, I'm very good friends with one of the heads at my college that I graduated from and I've asked her for help with my resume and I'm meeting her next week to tweak my resume to make it look pretty, also she's really good friends with people from the IT department from what I know and has helped many people get a job.

Come Hades or High Water...I'm getting a Job! and Thank you paul78, JoJoCal19, and Mow!

I'm also studying my butt off, trying to pursue the CCNA and learn about Linux and Red Hat OSes. I was previously trying to learn MS Server, but honestly I have ZERO interest in learning about that. I just thoroughly enjoy Linux infinitely More! Ever since reading "The Linux Command Line" by William Shotts, I'm hooked! Plus talking with a member here started my interest as well. Anyways, my primary goal is to be a network engineer, but I would really Love to pursue a Linux Sys Admin career and try to learn security concepts as well. Anyways, whatever comes, as I've said...I'll be thankful to the Lord for it and I'll use it as a stepping stone toward where I want to go. I'm really humbled by the vast knowledge and resourcefulness of all the members here and I hope to extend the kind of help to others as I've received on here, from knowledge to encouragement! Thank you!

thenjduke

You my friend are a inspiration for the rest of this community. You have done a hell of a job in your life. Good job. We are about the same age.

techwizard wrote: »

I too, am deaf. I am considered profoundly deaf. At birth my mother passed to me what is called congenital rubella. It affected my hearing during the hearing development stage of growth in the womb. I am completely deaf in my left ear, and partially deaf in my right, and wear a hearing aid to aid my hearing, so I probably hear maybe at about 60-70ish % in my good ear, with the hearing aid.

With that all being said, I have had a genuine interest in computers most of my life. I started out as a software tester for Broderbund. You may have played or seen the game "Where in the world is Carmen San Diego?". I was one of the few software/game testers that tested that game. My name nor the names of the testers are not listed in credits or anywhere. Broderbund headquarters was located in San Rafael, California. They are now owned by the Learning Company, if I understand correctly. They produce applications such as Mavis Beacan typing, and a bunch of other software titles. I was very young, maybe 16 or so when I started working for Broderbund, it was probably one of my first jobs. I had to quit after about 6 months because I did not have a car or a way to get to work reliably, and relied very much on public transportation for a short time. Soon after quitting however, I did get my first car. I wished I stayed with Broderbund, but that was not the choice I made.

Before working for Broderbund, I tinkered around on a TRS-80 Radio Shack computer. I did all kinds of things with that. I wrote programs in BASIC. I remember saving data to regular tape cassettes, and using the old 5 inch floppy disks, etc.

Fast forward a bit to around 1998. I was given my first beige box, with Windows 98 on it. I remember upgrading it so often, I was reinstalling the OS probably once every couple of months. Buy a new hard drive. Re install OS. Eventually, got enough money to buy another computer, then started playing around with installing other types of OS's on the original computer, such as Windows NT 5.0, Linux, etc.

Then I got interested in Microsoft Certifications. I planned on working on getting my Windows 98 certification, then I had planned on getting my MCSE after that.

Well, life got in the way of that plan.

After attempting to start an online retail business in the early 2000's, I had to move on to something else, because it didn't do so well.

I attempted to start another business in 2005. A mobile computer repair service. At first it did ok, until more and more people were doing the same thing in my local area. Also, micro computers such as cell phones and laptops and tablets, usage increased, making it tougher to find field work. My mobile computer business started to decline a few years ago. I had a choice to make, either move on to something else, or find work for someone else instead of running my own business.

I sought help from a few different sources, because I was attempting to apply for jobs as a disabled, person and am over 40 yrs of age. I was up against potential discriminating factors, my hearing and my age being a couple of them. I sought the help of the Department of Rehabilitation for the State of California. I sought the help of the local case manager at a local medical clinic. I sought the help of the "Job Market" which is kind of like the EDD (Employment Development Department). The "Job Market" sucked. They didn't do a whole lot for me, even though I attended every workshop and did everything they asked for. The Department of Rehabilitation on the other hand did an awesome job. I was assigned a very empathetic and passionate counselor, who was very helpful. They did everything they could to help me. They purchased a phone amplifier. They purchased online training courses for me to pass my A+, Net+, Sec+ and Healthcare IT exams. They purchased the library suite at Testout.com. They purchased all my exam vouchers. They bought me all my books, for the exams. They purchased a tablet for me. They purchased a laptop for me. They helped me improve my interview skills.

My break came when I applied for a job at an organization that was looking for a IT specialist. By the time I had applied for that job, over 24 months had passed, and I had already filled out over 200 applications, went to approximately 25 interviews, and out of the 25 interviews I was called back to probably 10 of those at least a second time. I was in at least second place many times. Finally, I was offered a job. I am an Information Systems Specialist for a non-profit organization that has several departments under one name, such as finding medical care for the elderly and disabled, Ombudsman program, VCOR, etc.

The hardest part about being deaf is the interviews, and answering questions, and marketing myself to compete with every other hearing, persons that could do the job just as well or better than myself.

The second hardest part is answering the phone or making phone calls to make purchases, or call for tech support. The hard part is that you don't know how good the audio quality or what kind of phone will be used, for the person or persons that may be involved in the issue or issues.

If the phone call quality is so bad I cannot hear the person, I know a normal hearing person would have trouble hearing them too, what I do sometimes, is simply say "I am sorry, I have to go..." or just hang up and try calling again and hope the call quality, or hope I get someone else that speaks and or sounds better the next call.

For my current job at the organization, I wear many hats. I am system admin, security admin, network admin, and help-desk all in one. That makes things tough. I also make a point of communicating via email or instant messaging whenever possible, so that I can understand the issue as easy and as quickly as possible, without being on the phone. It is just easier and faster for me, being deaf.

I hope this helps, and good luck to you!

TL;DR:

I am deaf too. Phones and interviews are the most challenging. Do not give up. There are plenty of things a deaf person in IT can do, just as well as a hearing person. Use written communication, emails, instant messaging, etc to your advantage.

thenjduke

It is awesome to go the Linux route but please at least learn the basics of how to configure things Windows Server Like AD, DHCP, DNS, and Networking. This will o much since the world uses a lot of Windows.

DFTK13 wrote: »

Update: I haven't heard anything from the company that said that they would interview me. I'm pretty sure it was my resume that I sent them and the fact that I have no relevant working experience. Anyways, I'm very good friends with one of the heads at my college that I graduated from and I've asked her for help with my resume and I'm meeting her next week to tweak my resume to make it look pretty, also she's really good friends with people from the IT department from what I know and has helped many people get a job.

Come Hades or High Water...I'm getting a Job! and Thank you paul78, JoJoCal19, and Mow!

I'm also studying my butt off, trying to pursue the CCNA and learn about Linux and Red Hat OSes. I was previously trying to learn MS Server, but honestly I have ZERO interest in learning about that. I just thoroughly enjoy Linux infinitely More! Ever since reading "The Linux Command Line" by William Shotts, I'm hooked! Plus talking with a member here started my interest as well. Anyways, my primary goal is to be a network engineer, but I would really Love to pursue a Linux Sys Admin career and try to learn security concepts as well. Anyways, whatever comes, as I've said...I'll be thankful to the Lord for it and I'll use it as a stepping stone toward where I want to go. I'm really humbled by the vast knowledge and resourcefulness of all the members here and I hope to extend the kind of help to others as I've received on here, from knowledge to encouragement! Thank you!

DFTK13

Hey guys! I just wanted to report in about what's going on with me as far as jobs and certs. I've sent out a ton of applications to various companies since I made this thread and I've learned ALOT about what to do and what not to do concerning resumes and interacting with the HR people. I had alot of rejects and no call-backs, but I've also gotten a few call-backs and emails but I've had to turn down them due to a ridiculous commute time(Hours) and one company that called me got horrible reviews and complaints about them ripping off employers and even not paying them.

I got a little bit discouraged, but then I decided to try again. So I went to my school job board online and applied for a Computer Technician position, and almost immediately I received an email asking about an interview which I just went to this morning. It's a company that sells and repairs POS, tablets, and touchscreen computer hardware for various settings such as retail, medical, gaming and schools. I felt the interview went very well and the person who interviewed me was very straightforward and relaxed as he asked me basic hardware questions, educational, and previous experience. He then showed me around the warehouse(huge) and office. I looked around and saw a massive work table with tools all over and a few aisles of broken touchscreens and various systems. Honestly I felt giddy and wanted to grab one, read the problem sheet attached to it and tear it open to fix it. He went through everything and how the whole system works such as hardware inventory, customer systems that needed to repaired...delivery of systems to sites, etc. I'm so thankful to the Lord that he provided this experience for me to learn from. Anyways, like I said, It was a very good interview, and he said he had a few more people coming and the higher up boss had the final say who gets hired and would email me within a week or two as to their decision, and then I left shortly after that.

Then about 1 or 2 today, I got a call from Charter communications, I applied for a cable installer position last month. They were very nice as they did not mind that I was talking to them on the phone through the Sorenson Video relay, and seemed eager to talk to me about what the job involved, what they would provide me with, and pay. They said they'd do a background check, and had me do a survey and then they said they would call next week or so for their decision.

Honestly, I really would love to work at the POS/touchscreen company because I've always been fascinated with hardware and it would be alot closer to where I want to go in IT as opposed to the cable installation position which has only just a few things. Either way, I'm thankful for a job. My ultimate goal has always been to be a network engineer. I'm still studying for the CCNA...I have to admit, I got burned out for a little while and decided to change my approach. So I went with Chris Bryant's CCNA course and he is AMAZING and keeps it fresh!:D I've also taken thenjduke's advice and am studying the MS 70-410 concepts for basic server administration, particularly active directory.

As for resumes and interacting with HR people, this may come to a no brainer...KEEP IT SHORT AND SIMPLE! My first few resumes had WAY too much useless junk on there and redundancy, for example...Hobbies/extracurricular activities...No one cares about these in my experience. I actually started getting call-backs after I tossed it out and I revised my grammar and word usage to stop beating around the bush and get to the point. I also changed my resume to attempt to reflect achievement and benefits instead of just doing technical things. As for HR, all I can say is Pay attention, do not interrupt them, be honest and be nice no matter how rude they are, they have to deal with alot of people all day.

Anyways, I'm gonna keep on working at my studies and my ultimate goal! Thank you guys so much for your help and insight on many different things, I apologize if my post seems jumbled or missing information, it's been a long week. I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving and are able to unwind and spend time with your families! God bless you all!

philz1982

Helen Keller was Deaf and blind and heavily influenced the world, you are only deaf, I don't see any reason why you can't do the same.

There are programs that convert calls to text, you can learn to read lips as well. Plus with all the programs state and federal agencies have for you. In some ways I would say you have an advantage over non-deaf folks.

dustervoice

I worked with a deaf person a few years ago. He was part of the IT team but was mostly doing database work and would communicate with the larger team mostly by email. There was another person in the team that understood sign language and was able to communicate with him. That was a unique situation.

DFTK13

Hey guys, I know I've dropped off the map for a while and I'm bringing this thread back from the dead but I just wanted to let you know my experience so far in these past 4 years. Whether it provides insight or encourages other deaf people like me or anyone here on techexams. Also I'm thankful for the insight of those who posted on my thread. So, about three years ago, I finally got a job on with a Surveillance and Security company doing PC repair and builds. This company is entirely responsible for providing and maintaining the Surveillance and IP camera systems for a major restaurant chain. My main role is to build and repair computers and purpose it into a PC-based recording device by loading software on it to act as a NVR for the camera systems. I also install remote connectivity software so that we are able to remote into it and troubleshoot it should problems arise. I've learned alot with this company but I'm still not where I want to be in life career-wise. Unfortunately I let my certs expire as life became busier with getting married and having a child as well as going back to school to turn my Associates into a Bachelors in Information Technology. I did take a detour to try out web development and software engineering and found out about two years into it that my heart still belongs to network engineering, although I did learn alot about programming and enough to understand how servers and scripting work. 

I've only gotten basic networking hands-on skills at my job such as troubleshooting network connectivity(pinging), making Cat5e cable, and working with a punchdown tool to make ethernet wall jacks and setting up NVR cam IP addresses once. For the most part, It is A+ stuff that I deal with computer builds, such as replacing motherboards, swapping HDDs and other internal components according to trouble tickets. I've also remoted into systems at the restaurant units to do basic checkups such as making sure the system is still up and HDD isn't about to fail, also backing up and extracting surveillance footage and transferring via FTP for criminal or internal investigations. That's pretty much the extent of my job with respect to the IT part of it.

I'm currently trying to renew my CCENT and go on to get the CCNA R&S once again, also I'm interested in Linux and am taking a course on netacad to try to get the LPIC-1 cert as well. I fell out of the CCNA because I got discouraged after all the rejections before this job and many people saying that I had to be able to talk on the phone. I'm thankful to God that the people at my current job gave me a chance and accommodated me to let me work without having to talk on the phone. However, I found an app that works kind of like Skype and allows me to speak through my phone and view a sign language interpreter translating everything the other person says so I can understand them and it works pretty well, but I don't know how other companies would accept that because it's my personal phone and they would probably want me to use a company phone to be able to troubleshoot/communicate. This is something I'm curious to hear your input about. Anyways, the point is I still want to work more closely or directly with Networking or even Systems Administration as I've studied for in school. Its a goal that I've set. I always have and will always appreciate any advice or personal experience that both hearing and deaf users here have to offer with working with deaf co-workers or the other way around. 

paul78

@DFTK13 - it's great to read your perseverance. And congratulations on your progress. I enjoyed re-reading the entire thread and it is as inspirational now as when I first read your story and the other contributors to this thread.

To answer your specific question about using an external sign language interpreter. The objection that you are likely to run into isn't about the use of your personal phone - but the fact that there's an external intermediary who would be a party to details which may be confidential or restricted. From a security and confidentiality perspective, there would need to be some sort of vetting or risk review of any external app if the conversion may contain confidential or restricted information. That doesn't mean that it's possible - there companies that do transcribing for healthcare and financial services that do similar things but for different use-cases.

My suggestion is that it's probably simpler not to bring it up - any company that would hire you would understand that certain accommodations would be required.