The Rebuttal

Life is funny and sometimes a little cruel. I was back working in the Deaf sector for the first time in over 2 decades. I had worked in the hearing disability sector for all that time. Successfully, I might add. In those two decades I like to think that I opened a few doors for Deaf and HoH and changed a few perceptions of what employees who are Deaf or HoH could do and achieve. At least I hope I did, otherwise it was a wasted two decades.

The best thing about working in the Deaf sector is coming into work each day and just communicating easily. Each morning I would get my coffee in the kitchen. There would be someone there. We would chat. Talk about the weekend or the day ahead. We would exchange jokes or tease each other. If we were feeling a bit bleugh, we would pick each other up. It was just a natural interaction that made one want to go to work every day. In the hearing sector, this kind of ease of communication can be much more fraught, much more difficult and much more forced if you are Deaf or HoH

And of course, there were the Deaf or HoH clients too. Communication was easy. Sure, some had language delays and gaps, but I had the skills and knowledge to assist. I had learnt a lot in two decades working with ‘HEARIES’  I had also developed and implemented many solutions to communication issues. A lot of this centered around technology. Some of it was just personal strategies that I used to ensure I was included to the maximum. I felt useful because I could pass this knowledge on to the clients. I hope that they found this information useful as well.

I loved it when I helped Michael triple his NDIS plan on review. Michael was latter deafened and he became involved in the Deaf community through sports. He wanted to improve his Auslan and get employment support. He got all of that and more in his new plan. Then he came to work with us, and it was a joy to see him grow. For him it was the first time he had been in an environment that actually understood his needs. Deafies supporting deafies, it is a great feeling.

I loved working with him and Vanesssa. We did great things. We got a group of Deaf migrants and refugees doing an Auslan/English course. We got a group of Deaf people, many long term unemployed and with language issues, to complete their first aids certificate. We got a Men’s Shed to look at accessibility for deaf men participants. All of us using our knowledge and skills to create opportunities for Deafies. It is why I wanted to go to work everyday.

Working again in the Deaf sector provided me with an immense sense of inclusion. The fitting in and communicating with everyone. That sense of belonging. The ability to share knowledge and life experience that will benefit others. All of these are wonderful things. It motivates you to want to come to work. You wake up in the morning and you really look forward to what the day has in store. Sure, some days you wake up knowing you have this long meeting with clueless Government bureaucrats and want to find a cave to hide in. But mostly it’s just fun and you want to be there.

I can’t say I always felt that way in a hearing environment. Don’t get me wrong, I got lucky in my time in hearing environments. I always had empathetic employers. Employers who were willing to adjust and colleagues who were flexible. BUT, it was exhausting. Communication was a struggle. Lipreading all day is tiring. The need to be supremely organised to make sure that you got interpreters for meetings was a drag. And mostly, it was always on me to organise and arrange. I had some great colleagues who often took responsibility but mostly the burden was on me.

And then there were the cancellations. Or the organisations that promised to organise but failed to deliver communication support. I recall once being asked to attend a Disability Employment Conference held by a peak body. I was sitting on a Govt advisory group at the time and they asked me to attend. I asked the peak body to book interpreters which they promised they would. Six weeks later the peak body called me, a week out from the conference to tell me that they could not secure any interpreters.

I was livid. I had given them six weeks’ notice. The first thing I did was contact Nic at Auslan Services and ask if they had any interpreters available for the conference. I gave Nic the times needed. They got back to me within the hour. They did indeed have availability. I was lucky because University and TAFE was out so demand for interpreters was a bit lower. So, I told Nic to book them.

I got back to the conference organisers and told them that I had secured interpreters, asked for the details of where to send the invoice etc. And you know what? They refused to accept the booking. They said – “You can’t expect us to cover such a cost, its excessive.”  A peak body for disability employment, I kid you not.

Now, the Govt advisory group I was part of offered to pay. I was having none of it. Come hell or high water, the disability peak body were gonna pay. They advocated for disability, for god sake! My boss came in and said work would cover the cost. I said, no way. I was going to make the peak body pay, it was a matter of principle!

This is where it gets fun. Cos the conference keynote speakers were all part of my network. So I emailed the peak body and I CC’d in all the keynote speakers in. I let the peak body know how appalled I was at their attitude. My boss was horrified at my strategy and said that nothing good would come of it. She said it wouldn’t work. I told her it would. I said, “Come into my office at 9 am tomorrow and I bet you there will be an email from them accepting the cost.”

So 9 am the next day the boss is at my shoulder as I open my emails. There was no email at 9 am and my boss was imploring me to let work pay. At 9.01 am an email came through from the peak body accepting the cost. They apologised profusely. My boss let out a wry chuckle. She left my office and gave me a look of utmost respect. Later, I found out that keynote speakers had threatened to pull out if the peak body did not accept the responsibility to pay for interpreters. You don’t get this sort of crap when you work in the Deaf/HoH sector.

Those were heady days. But when you do this for two decades, it leaves its mark. It drains you. For this reason, to be back in the Deaf/HoH sector was a godsend. I loved it! Alas, the organisation I worked for hit troubled times. My job was made redundant. And now I find myself back working in the hearing sector.

I am thankful that I have a job. Working in the hearing sector now is a lot easier because of all the advances in technology. I leave my automatic captioning on all day so that I can get the banter of the office. My captioned phone means I don’t need the awful National Relay Service anymore. Work colleagues are great and only too willing to adapt.

But it’s not the same.  I miss the chats in the kitchen. I miss going into the lunchroom and joining in any number of conversations. I miss the colleagues who stop me in the office hallways and naturally share a joke or an anecdote. I miss the spontaneity of it all.  No disrespect to my new colleagues, but it is just not the same!

C’est la vie!