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I am writing today to share with you a personal story of my journey from being a Deaf man seeking employment services from DCARA to becoming the Vice President of DCARA’s Board of Directors. I went to DCARA desperately seeking a full time job. What DCARA has done for me has inspired me to give back to this wonderful organization and I am asking you to join me in ensuring the sustainability of the critical programs and services that DCARA provides every single day. But, first, let me share with you my story.

I always found finding a job difficult – going through the hiring process meant dealing with employers who were not able to see past my Deaf identity and see what I was qualified to do. “Sorry, the job is filled. You don’t meet our requirements. We’ll get back to you.” Then I would never hear from them again. I know that this is a common problem faced by many other Deaf job-seekers like me. This is an example of thinly veiled discrimination: they see us as financial liabilities rather than the uniquely qualified and experienced candidates that we are.

One day, I decided to contact DCARA to help me. I needed a way to show potential employers that communication access for me was not an insurmountable barrier to hiring qualified Deaf employees such as myself. I needed to provide potential employers with resources so that the job interview would focus on my qualifications and skills.

I met with an Employment Specialist in DCARA’s Employment Services Department, who provided me with an interpreter for my job interviews. My interviewers were surprised that I had provided an interpreter. This is something that I could not have done without DCARA’s help. The interviews went very well, and for the first time I felt on equal footing with any other applicant. Instead of the typical negative reaction to a request for an interpreter, “Oh, we don’t provide…,” the employers reacted more positively; they acknowledged, “What can we do to provide you with communication access?”

My second interview was with Sports and Spine Therapy of Marin, and I got the job! I have now been employed for over one year.

It is so important to have DCARA employment services available for Deaf and Hard of Hearing job seekers, AND it is a win-win situation. DCARA helps both the employee and the employer; the employee gets the job and the employer gets the position filled and can look to DCARA as an ongoing resource. For example, my employer has contacted DCARA in the past, especially when I was hired, for questions relating to working with Deaf employees. DCARA provides the employer with tips for communicating with a new Deaf or Hard of Hearing employee. In addition, DCARA educates employers on federal and state laws protecting Deaf and Hard of Hearing people and their responsibilities in providing reasonable accommodations to ensure an accessible workplace. DCARA also provides interpreting services for the first 30 days at no cost to the employer, which helped my employer ease into being responsible for interpreters. Now my employer has a contract with an interpreter agency and it is going very well. The DCARA Job Developer, who works together with the Employment Specialist, provided me with tips on how to use interpreters, as well as Americans With Disabilities Act information.

Now, I would like to share with you briefly the various areas in which DCARA offers many services to deaf, hard of hearing, deafened and deaf-blind residents of the greater San Francisco Bay Area:

Deaf Services Program provides services that empower Deaf people to live independent and productive lives, with full access to the rights, privileges, and opportunities available to the general public, such as advocacy services at Social Security Administration and DMV, or information and referral services regarding housing opportunities.