What's It Like Being Deaf And Working In A Hearing Environment?

[@AmberRooster]

As a hearing person, thank you for teaching me about deaf culture :) It's horrible to see how much discrimination happens to deaf ppl in the workplace, but these videos are so important & build community... Thank you!

[@squaremeat]

I love how Davy signed "patience".

[@fahmianugrah]

exactly

[@isaacgalindo5132]

Laura me too

[@isaacgalindo5132]

As son of deaf parents, I can perfectly understand and feel you, I encourage you to continue showing people how important are deaf people and how being a deaf person doesn't have to be a disadvantage.Sorry for my bad english, kisses from Spain!! 😘

[@livelongandprospermary8796]

I knew sign language was expressive but Davy is very expressive! Thank you for opening my eyes to the discrimination and challenges a worker who is d/Deaf or HoH may face.

[@isaacgalindo5132]

I really like watching deaf people from all parts of the world, i'm son of deaf spanish people, and it's cool to see signs of language of other countries, it's always great to learn other cultures. I loved the video!!

[@Guar9991]

Rikki, what an enlightning video; makes me sad seeing that some hearing people treat non-hearing people condescendingly, as if they are worse than hearing people when doing their own work. At least, as Davy said, the work enviroments have been adapting slowly to deaf people (as they should), and not the other way around!

[@shotieshotiek]

This video helped me know I am not alone in the working world being deaf

[@shotieshotiek]

Thanks so much

[@AusticHardOfHearingSinger]

Shortie k I am hard of hearing. I am starting my own IT business. And have done computer repair and building of websires for clients. But finding and keeping work has been extremely difficult to do. I got fored from CEI due to my hearing loss. But, because it was through a temp agency, I couldn't seem to persue legal action against them.

[@sarahsimone8825]

Very interesting video. I enjoyed it. As a hearing person I enjoy captions especially when I'm watching a movie and everyone around me is being loud.

[@nakymatonlapsiN]

the videos where you bring on other people to tell their stories around a certain issue/topic are some of my favourites on this channel :)

[@hannahofhorror]

I really appreciate content like this, always useful hearing stories like this. And yes I said the "DUN DUN" after "there are their stories".

[@kellyrocks15]

i'm a huge SVU fan i've seen all the epsiodes and some of them a dozen times. all time fave drama(behind my soaps)

[@NikkiScatch84]

Rikki Poynter haha gotta love law and order!!! 👍🏻

[@HauptSin]

So I'm a hearing person and have had many different jobs, but only at one company I was with did I have deaf co-workers. The 2 deaf workers worked in fabrication, while I was in the warehouse. This place was a HVAC warehouse/sheet metal fabricator, so it was full of dangerous equipment and people, such as myself, driving forklifts. Now at this job, I had a huge problem of people not being safe around my forklift. Walking behind me with no notice, walking underneath loads I was pulling from the shelves and so forth. Eventually I brought this up with my boss, and he organized a quick company meeting about the issue. An ASL interpreter was brought in for the course, and towards the end of it was a quick Q&A session. I don't know if they felt like they were being targeted, but one of the deaf workers asked me what they could do to be safer around the lifts. The thing is, out of every person in that company of around 40 people, those 2 deaf workers were absolutely the *most* safe around the lifts. I assume it's because they needed to always pay very careful attention to their surroundings, for their own sakes. As far as I can tell, the company made no real accommodations for them, besides the fact that everyone just communicated with them in writing. I know, nothing groundbreaking, but it's an experience that's always stuck in my mind. Anyways, love your videos, keep on keeping on!

[@AwkwardlyAutistic]

It's really cooling seeing other peoples experiences. Thanks for making the video :)

[@nicolestone6201]

2Puppies 1Person hey! it u

[@AwkwardlyAutistic]

Nicole Stone LOL yup. it me

[@LadyTea]

It was lovely seeing you and getting to know you a bit better!!! and seeing your trouble. and I liked davy's experience at the end talking about what sounds like a wonderful working environment in which he has access to the assistance he needs to get. I will now shut up and asking my coworkers to repeat themselves over and over because I work in a noisy environment. Its just frustrating when they say nevermind or refuse to repeat something. And I just have mild to moderate loss. I cant imagine it being much worse. Sadly I am very dependant on hearing. anyways Hi, and keep staying Awesome.

[@neldumbrille8168]

[@AwkwardlyAutistic]

Nel Dumbrille !!!! Thanks

[@alicerose1868]

Very helpful video, thanks for sharing your experiences. I'm currently in the process of applying and I'm an introvert with a mild social anxiety in general which makes me hard to convince anyone that I'm as good as a hearing person. I'm also quite bad at lip-reading and don't really have the courage to ask anyone to repeat what they've said. :(

[@EternalFail]

I always love how your channel exposes me to things I've never thought about, and teaches me a few new signs (I think AusLan is my new favourite one). It was great seeing different people's experiences, I could probably watch Davy all day!

[@NikkiScatch84]

The one think that bothers me is when people forget they need to face me. Also low talkers!

[@Algo2]

Really interesting. I spent a short time working at a local government agency and there were several differently abled individuals working there. Found your channel from the video you did with Tommy Edison. I wear hearing aides in both ears and I can relate to a lot of what I've seen in your videos. Keep it up!

[@Painofaninnocent]

I love these videos, Rikki!!! Not that I don't love seeing your face, hahha, because I do! But it is super neat when you bring in guests and we can hear from people in different parts of the world who have different experiences. Super awesome and educational!!! If you can keep coming up with or keep being suggested topics for these, I'd love to see more of them!

[@JoDidntHearYou]

This is a really important video. I love that you bring on various perspectives to represent the d/Deaf and HOH community. I'm so glad I found your channel! I've been completely deaf in my right ear (along with 30% loss in my left) for most of my life. I thought that the struggles I've been putting up with are just the way it is. Because I can hear most of the time, people forget that I have a lot of trouble when there's a lot of background noise or they're standing on my deaf side. Not to mention if people don't enunciate well, I STILL have to ask them to repeat. At this point, I don't even know what kind of accommodations can be made for me. I'm a hairdresser, so it's super important for me to hear my clients and coworkers. When everyone's blow dryers are on and everyone around me are conversing, it's nearly impossible to hear my client. I don't know what can be done to remedy this, and I don't even know if my boss would be able to accommodate me bc we are an independent salon with less than 15 people on staff. Sorry for the novel. But thank you again for being you and providing awareness!

[@JoDidntHearYou]

Rikki Poynter thank you :)

[@ipodgirl95]

For the last guy, I just think about how much of a weight that must be for the individual to carry the reputation of a whole demographic and feel like if he behaves a certain way, hearing people will assume the same about every other member of that demographic. And he's absolutely right. Minority or marginalized groups relating to a majority or group in power often have that aspect.

[@lisabudinich4371]

I can see that view, however, as a Deaf individual, I will not take on that burden. There are plenty of hearing people that won't either. I already do more work when communicating with non-signers. I already have more patience. I don't need or deserve the added pressure to be an ambassador for the Deaf community. That's not my job, nor should it be any other Deaf person's job. In regards to other marginalized communities, I grant them that same right. I don't expect, for example, a person of color, to be an ambassador for their specific group. That's not fair to them. Each one of us are individuals. Some of us will be "likable", others not so much. And that's okay. The hearing community has that luxury, so should us. Just my 2 cents.

[@TejalThomas]

Really enjoyed your perspective because my son has hearing loss. Found you in a youtube group

[@eduardopadilla5505]

Thankyou Rikki for this video! I realize that the same things happen here and all over the world!

[@TheCattehMae]

Thanks so much for sharing these stories to the world, it really helped us to be seen more.

[@Lusalion]

As a hearing person, I'd never realised how much discrimination goes on in the work place! Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and for making such informative vlogs, as I would otherwise still be oblivious to such common problems the deaf community faces. I wish more media establishments would talk about these issues as they are so important! Without trying to sound patronising or offensive, (as I know it's such a sensitive issue and I don't want to disregard that fact or sound ignorant) I find the deaf culture so interesting. I would love to learn BSL, but have no idea where to start, can anyone share some tips on how to retain sign language other than constant practice? I don't actually know anyone deaf to help me but I would love to learn in case I ever do meet someone deaf- they deserve my respect, attention and ability to communicate just as much as anyone else! Only once have I ever came across someone deaf and was lost as to how to communicate with her (I was serving at a till, so know paper or tech available) I gave her a big smile when I realised she was hard of hearing and tried my best to accommodate her by both stating and showing her the total, however I could not talk to her like I would other customers. If anyone could let me know, what should a cashier do as sometimes silence can come across as rude or ignorant. Thanks!

[@MrZero405]

Discrimination towards the deaf is something that a lot of people don't know about. For myself I often feel that I need to pass as hearing first and get the job in order be given the chance to show that I can perform the job well. And only after I've proven myself, do I tell people that I'm deaf. However there have been instances where after I've proven myself, my employers start doubting my abilities and wonder if I'm a liability once they know I'm deaf.

[@cmsjr123]

MrZero405 it can be a liability depending on fire alarm rules and regulations in your area. For example if you don't have a fire alarm with lights on them. While this is rare. Some companies do choose to lay people off instead of retrofit. Thankfully I work for a company that is not like that and while I am fully hearing I'm grateful knowing my company has an entire department dedicated to ergonomics as well as accessibility for all of our employees. They would rather accommodate than fire and rehire.

[@Lusalion]

MrZero405 that's awful, I'm so sorry you have to do this! I wish more people would educate themselves on such common issues such as deafness/hard of hearing as it affects so many people. Hope you've had some good experiences that outweigh the bad!

[@Lusalion]

cmsjr123 I'm glad that you work somewhere that can accommodate for you! It's unbelievable that employers will not hire someone solely due to their hearing. Of course it's subjective and some jobs aren't suitable, however the majority are and putting unfair prejudices on those who are still hardworking individuals is disgusting.

[@nanciesee]

This is wonderful! Thank you for sharing everyone's stories :)

[@Madcaphippo]

Deafie here: I was harassed and bullied at my last job; currently in the middle of a lawsuit. Workplaces stink sometimes. :(. My current job is amazing though, my bosses and co workers are so understanding, accommodating, friendly and interested!!

[@lisabudinich4371]

The part that got my attention the most was the bike mechanic (young lady) and what she said. More specifically, the part about her method of communication being used against her. I've experienced that too. The hearing community does not understand that it's NOT okay to use our very limited access to communication against us. This should be considered as unacceptable as bringing in a recording device and recording conversations between hearing people. Can you imagine how violated they would feel if their method of communication were to be used them in a place where there's supposed to be a reasonable level of freedom to communicate? Well, that's how we feel too. That has to stop.

[@olivia4394]

I'm curious how similar/different the different regional sign languages are! Possible video maybe? :-)

[@petsipsop]

Vegan Squared here in the Netherlands there are some differences, because In every little part of the country there is a difference in signing, because of the dialects and history of people not travelling very far. since there now is an official sign language, people mostly use that, combined with some dialect signs.

[@IcemoonIcemoon]

Does Davy have a social media account? I love the way he signs, he’s very clear with it and puts personality in his signs. 👍

[@gabyhernandez7229]

Thank you so much for making this video! I learned a lot!

[@SplatsOfNat]

Wow this video was really cool! It was cool to see different people and their stories. Such a cool idea! 🙂

[@Galakyllz]

Edit: Turn on closed captioning. Rikki, thank you for the CC. WOW! As a hearing person, only able to casually learn ASL when I have time, I found this an amazing video and experience. Many times I felt that I was following along for consecutive parts of their sentences. It's the pure-sign videos that make me want to learn more. I want to come back to this video a year from now and understand even more. Also, should ASL be a required course in America? I'm wondering if it should be since most Spanish courses (from my experience in school) are basically forgotten over the next year.

[@Galakyllz]

I was happy to watch it again with closed captioning. What a great video, Rikki. I want to thank the guests for sharing their stories.

[@Galakyllz]

After 6 months of intermittent ASL learning sessions from online sources, I understand a lot more without captions. :) These people are great. Rikki, I hope you will consider sharing more videos from the Deaf community. Thanks.

[@JSandwich13]

im hard of hesring and wesr one hesring aid. i get by ok and pass as hearing but with my type of hearing loss I can't hear low pitches or very high and struggle with a lot of background noise and a lot of sound sounds mumbled. I've not had a job yet but hoping to work on the chef industry which is stressful and very fast paced. I'm noting it wont be too much of an issue though

[@CEllhunt009]

Wow I really love the deaf culture. The first girl wish you said your name and you should use a cell phone people more text, whatsapp,......etc more than talking on the phone I think it would be good to get one. Lkvy I don't know if that correct or not but I love her story. I will admit some of the jobs you do are pretty cool I did only like 4 jobs. I had some shitty supervisors to so I can relate a little. The third girl that is so cool, funny and ironic that you worked in communication department and your deaf love it. Davy Like what he had to say and I agree as a hearing person I want to understand deaf culture and learn how to communicate with deaf or HoH people more should be done on both sides to help with that. Rikki Thank you for the video it made my day .

[@neldumbrille8168]

Just a reminder not to assume the gender of anyone in the video!

[@MrZero405]

Awesome video.

[@AusticHardOfHearingSinger]

TY for this video. :)

[@thunderouscat9030]

idk why i got a notificaton from this video. i didnt even turn on the notification for this channel lol im just subscribed 😅

[@kellyrocks15]

that's what happens when you subscribe your suppose to get updates on new videos.

[@thunderouscat9030]

no you have to turn on the notification bell for each channel to get updates. this just happened for no reason

[@thunderouscat9030]

Rikki Poynter I do love you, but i need to know if you love me. 😀

[@christopherjames4972]

When Karim who does good work was begging its obvious a stunning looking bird is gonna get £ all day long same as hitching a lift

[@gotobassmsn]

Squaremeat if there were cameras in the building you had proof against them, when they had the cardboard against you. I have coworker at where I work, approach our supervisor and tried to as why I work there if I can't hear, for she believes deaf/hoh people can't work if they can't hear. And other coworkers were like what. She's stupid, Your a better worker at your job than she is at the same job.

[@gotobassmsn]

Sounds to me that the majority worked with a bunch of people that wer ableists and audists. And if there are laws in your country like in the USA, there is the ADA Law.

[@rikkipoynter]

Canada doesn't have a federal ADA-like law as of right now. It's all by province and even then, it's voluntary at best for the next few years. The ADA in the US is federal, but it's not enforced like it should be and is unfortunately extremely easy to work around.

[@Slayer0248]

I have normal hearing, so forgive me if this is a stupid question or you've already made a video about this that I haven't seen. TommyEdisonXP recently made a video on his channel about how he visualizes things since he's been blind from birth, which makes sense that visualization wouldn't be done in the same way. I guess for being deaf, we're talking about recalling sounds, but I guess I'm wondering if that type of memory works differently for you in some way than for me. Like do certain songs that'll get stuck in other people's heads for being catchy just sound like crap or something? I'm not sure if that's a terribly good analogy to the visualization thing, but I guess the root of visualization is visual which isn't very analogous to audio memory.

[@christopherjames4972]

Walk in peace my brother if u help otherwise will be limping in ACH after the handle has connected with the soles of ya feet bye the vigilantes squad to be formed

[@brucecomire4105]

Bruce want deaf girlfriend

[@brucecomire4105]

Bruce want deaf girlfriend stay home with night