Chiming in here - I've got congenital profound loss in both ears, but I have a cochlear implant. I've grown in my career over the last 15 years from junior dev up to my current engineering management role, and what I've observed was:<p>1) The biggest hurdle in most cases is communication, especially in meetings. That being said, I still do fine in them, because I rely on lip reading as well as vocal cues/context, but I also rely on my coworkers to be understanding from time to time, and they are.<p>2) Slack has been hugely beneficial to me, but it requires the organization to be engaged with it.<p>3) I have accented speech because I drop some consonants (f and s sounds mostly), and it can be a challenge for some to clearly understand me shortly after meeting me. This usually resolves itself after 2-3 weeks.<p>4) Job interviews: I'm always up front about what I can and can't do - this usually comes up around the topic of phone interviews, I can't do them. People appreciate this, and I make it clear that I'm not ashamed or hindered by my disability. The confidence goes a long way. If you come off unsure, then of course others will be unsure. I've definitely had interviews where there was a communication disconnect, but typically that comes along with other circumstances that make the job a poor fit. I've never had the situation where the job/culture/people fit was there but it didn't happen because of a communication issue.<p>For other deaf developers out there, just own it and show that there is no hurdle out there that you can't overcome, and you will be successful. Always be trying to help others and others will help you in return.
As another deaf developer (severe-to-profound loss), this is absolutely on point. A lot of the traditional techniques that work for most companies don't work for me, especially when it comes to pair programming. I strongly dislike group stand-ups, because I never know who's going to talk next.<p>One of the other things I've found myself struggling with is when to tell someone that I have a hearing loss. I feel like if I do it in the first interview, I'll set off unconscious biases, and during the hiring meeting someone will think, "Well, he can't hear shit, which might make it harder to get things done over time", and I won't get the job. On the other hand, once I get that offer and accept, then they're already invested in me, and a little bit of extra effort would be worth it. I tend to go back and forth on it. Some interviews I say it straight up, others I wait until I get an offer, and sometimes I only mention it if I think it's interfering somehow with the progress of the interview or project (e.g., I find myself saying "what" a lot or mishearing what they said).<p>It's a tough problem, and I wish I felt more confident about how other people would respond to that knowledge. I usually feel... safer?... when I've already secured the position, but honestly, I've never had a bad reaction to it from anyone, so maybe I'm just overthinking things.<p>I'm rambling now. Anyway. Totally agree with the post.
>> The stereotype of a programmer as a solitary eccentric who’s allergic to human company is unfair and inaccurate. As a group, we’re a very social bunch.<p>I'm a disabled programmer too. In my case, it's autism so statements like this make me cringe. It puts up an exaggerated effigy of some weirdo with asperger syndrome so neurotypicals can say "We're not like that guy!"<p>Programmers need a quiet place to work. But that's a hard thing to even reach for if you're also trying to distance yourself from the "solitary eccentric". Socializing is generally noisy. A deaf person just spread sentiment that fundamentally encourages the raising of noise levels. I'm not sure how to respond to that.
I've been a developer for about fifteen years, and for the past four I've been dealing with progressive bilateral hearing loss related to an autoimmune condition. It's been a struggle to adapt, and one of my big fears is if I have to move between companies whether I'll be able to get past the easy discrimination that can happen in the hiring process. My current company has guidelines for assisting impaired employees, but it's easy to get weeded out in an interview just because the interviewer doesn't like you.
I'm a hearing developer with conversational ASL skills, and there was a brief time when I had the opportunity to work with a Deaf developer. We didn't get to write much code together, but he was able to help me learn the signs to talk tech jargon and we had a grand old time. He was thrilled to be able to communicate effectively with someone at the workplace. One of the best parts was seeing my coworkers react when I started signing with him - I hadn't mentioned that I could use ASL.<p>ASL is a pretty easy language to learn and it's pretty rewarding. I suggest more devs try it, especially if you have the chance to work with someone who you could communicate more effectively with via ASL.
DeafPros.com - Slack channel for Deaf professionals!<p>open to all professions, but most of us are in tech. join us and/or share with whoever will benefit from the channel!