The deaf community is at a transitional stage in the struggle to convince the world that, yes, deaf people are more than capable of handling the same levels of responsibility that their hearing colleagues do.

I’ve read many articles and participated in many conversations where the need to make the language of the Americans with Disabilities Act more explicit was discussed, especially with regards to employment.  While this would be fantastic, asking for the gaps in the ADA (and other pieces of anti-discrimination legislation) to be filled is, I’m afraid, unrealistic.

We live in a society that thrives on litigation.  This is a polite way of saying that people are suing each other like crazy.  While legal action is often necessary to bring about positive change, it is also widely abused (wasted, really) on petty issues that serve no purpose other than to tie up legal resources.

I would daresay that the escalating number of frivolous (let’s call them what they really are, which is ridiculous) lawsuits has led to companies and other establishments seeking to protect themselves legally and financially, hence the loopholes.

I’m sure that some people will say that my explanation is overly simplistic and that there are parts of the “big picture” that I’m not seeing.  I’ll be the first to admit that they’re probably right.  I’ll also be the first person to say that my explanation is a significant part of the problem.  However, I’ll let those with far more education and experience in these matters argue about it.

Every deaf professional I have met in my life has a tale to tell of discrimination, of being assigned tasks that do not fully utilize their considerable abilities, of being left “out of the loop” when comes to information dissemination, of being denied interpreters (or, worse yet, being made to feel guilty for even requesting one!), and of generally being left unsure of their place in the hierarchy of their job.

These are disheartening tales to listen to and they always make me see red and wonder how hearing people can be so dense when it comes to the deaf.  I’ve made the statement many times over the years that in order for a deaf worker to garner even a fraction of the respect and recognition that is afforded to their hearing colleagues, they must be prepared to work three times as hard.

 What deaf individuals are experiencing now in the workplace can only benefit future generations of deaf workers.  Right now, at this point in history, lessons in perseverance, determination, and self reliance are being taught.  No one can deny that there are more deaf people in the professional arena now than there were thirty years ago.  Doctors, lawyers, teachers, researchers, authors, business owners, computer programmers – all of these occupations (and more!) now contain within their ranks accomplished deaf members.  This is an exciting time to be alive!