My late grandmother, who was Deaf, told me a story about when closed captions on TV first became available. She loved Westerns, and had spent most of her life watching them without any captions. She would always imagine the dialogue and the storylines as she watched them, filling in the breaks in action with her own mental scriptwriting. Years later, she watched some of her favorite episodes again with captions. To her surprise and disappointment, she found she didn't like her shows as much. She thought the writing was superficial and the characters were nothing like she had imagined.
Access can be disappointing like that.
We've come such a long way when it comes to access to jobs, opportunities and sign language interpreters in the United States over the past 30 years. Where the majority of interpreters 30 years ago used to be volunteers: friends, family members or church congregation members, today we have a mature profession that has over 20,000 certified interpreters earning anywhere from $50,000-$120,000 a year. Even then, considering the volume of interpreting done in legal, medical, educational and video relay situations every single day, we still have far too few qualified interpreters. Yes, we have access to interpreters almost all the time, but that alone should not be good enough.
I recently had the opportunity to compete in the International Drone Expo Pitchfest for startup companies and entrepreneurs. I was chosen one of 5 finalists who would give a seven-minute pitch in front of a panel of judges from highly respected venture capital and aerospace firms. Even though I have been severely Deaf since birth, countless hours of speech therapy have allowed me to use my voice clearly. But my primary and native language is ASL, and I am at my best and most comfortable in my native language. The pitch for my company Aerial Productions was about creating job opportunities for the Deaf and hard of hearing community in the drone industry. The Deaf Community has a 72.5% unemployment rate compared to the national average which stands at 5%, and we know this firsthand. Being Deaf and the lifelong experience of living in a hearing world inspired our mission to create opportunities in our community.
One of the first things I did when chosen as a finalist, just weeks before the competition in Los Angeles was request an interpreter. I had suggested using a national marketplace of interpreters where I could choose my interpreter at competitive rates, but conference organizers decided to go with a local interpreting agency. I would not meet my team of interpreters until the day of the event, which is very commonplace in such situations. I could have arranged for interpreting services on my own, but hiring a team of interpreters for the 2-day event would have cost from $1,500-$3,000. Not a small sum for an entrepreneur, startup company or most people.
When I finally met the two interpreters on the day of the competition, I was disappointed that they were not as skilled or experienced as I needed my interpreters to be for such a high stakes presentation. The pitch competition was offering $150,000 worth of prizes and entry into a business accelerator program, and the two interpreters there for me that day were going to hurt my chances of winning. Both interpreters were good people, and likely graduates of an interpreter training program. Their behavior showed knowledge of the field, but their sign production and receptive abilities was average-to-poor. My coworkers and I had to slow down when signing to them, and even so their choice of words in interpreting English did not reflect what we meant in ASL. With just 7 precious minutes to give my pitch, every second and every word would count.
I had to make a decision just hours before the competition: Should I deliver my presentation in ASL, which also serves as a visual demonstration for the judges the linguistic minority that is my community? Or should I choose to speak for myself, using a voice that sends the message that in order for a Deaf person to succeed in this world, they would not be able to do so in their native language?
Unfortunately, because the interpreters were so underqualified, the choice was much easier than it should have been. I chose to speak for myself, and we actually ended up winning first place. When I announced on my Facebook page the news of Aerial Productions winning the competition, my friends and family were thrilled and supportive. I got hundreds of likes, shares, comments and messages, and some of them asked to see video of my pitch. They wanted to learn more about our social mission, which they believed in. There actually was video-- my business partner and cofounder Hector Brual filmed most of the presentation. But I asked him not to share the video for three reasons.
The first reason is that I am ashamed that in delivering a presentation touting opportunity creation for the Deaf, I chose to use a language that is not accessible. The second reason is that I am ashamed of our interpreter, whom I actually do like. Even though she interpreted my presentation in ASL for my Deaf colleagues, she was nearly impossible to understand and accurately conveyed less than 50% of my presentation.
The third and final reason is a combination of the first two. The video sends a message that says for a Deaf person to succeed in life, they will need to speak for themselves. Watching the interpreter interpret my presentation is evidence that validates the statement for that particular situation. Even though I am Deaf, I have the privilege of being able to speak. But many other Deaf -- the majority-- would not have the privilege of making that same choice. It is easy to see and imagine that had I chosen to use ASL and allowed the interpreter to voice for me, there is no way Aerial Productions would have won.
And this is our dilemma.
Our community has come such a long way since before the Americans with Disabilities Act was ratified, since the days when Deaf people were openly discriminated against. But when you really sit back and think about it, there is still such a long way to go.
Consider that when Tyra Banks announced Nyle DiMarco's historic victory on America's Next Top Model, a season in where he used ASL exclusively, Nyle had access to an interpreter who is among the best in the field. The ANTM season was filmed over a 2-month period, and interpreting costs could have easily exceeded $20,000 if we are conservatively estimating a $1,000 per episode budget. Such skilled interpreters are not as widely accessible and most Deaf people do not have access to quality interpreters when going on job interviews, or in my situation, when delivering presentations.
Consider that while 27.5% of Deaf people are employed, the vast majority, perhaps over 90% of Deaf jobs still rely on government funding. Most Deaf jobs are in education (state funded), video relay (federally funded), government agencies such as the IRS or USPS (federally funded), or in the nonprofit or service sector (local, state, federal, or grant funded). Far too few Deaf people have opportunities today in the private sector and even fewer pursue entrepreneurship. It is no wonder, given that successful entrepreneurs rely on networking and participation in events like the International Drone Expo, where face-to-face communication is important.
Consider that technology has changed the landscape, but we have not yet fully realized its impact. For as much as we rely on interpreters today, we are far less dependent on them than ever. For example, when VRS first launched in 2000, one of its uses was to order take out and buy plane tickets. Today we have pizza mobile ordering apps and almost every plane ticket is bought online. SMS messaging and web chat have become so commonplace, that even hearing people have begun to favor these platforms over voice calls. Social media has allowed the Deaf to participate in global conversations. There are many examples of direct access and participation for the Deaf but such direct access is not yet available in countless more situations.
Consider that universal design has spawned new job industries, such as the gig economy. Where Deaf people were previously discriminated against in the job application process, such as being denied interviews or job offers when an interpreter is requested, companies such as DesignCrowd, TaskRabbit or Instacart have eliminated the traditional interview process in their business model. This has indirectly eliminated the systematic discrimination that occurs in applying for jobs. While there are many new opportunities in these industries, the vast majority of available jobs still use traditional hiring methods and its discriminatory habits. Even the aforementioned gig economy companies still grapple with advancement opportunities or leadership positions for the Deaf.
We're in a new era of opportunity, and the current generation of Deaf people are beginning to experience greater levels of success, thanks to our Deaf predecessors and allies who paved the way for our generation. But the glass ceiling still remains, and access alone is not enough. Systematic discrimination still exists in countless ways, and we still live in a society that does not fully realize the potential that our community has to offer.
Like her Western shows, my grandmother had imagined that the communication access her generation fought for would have been better than this. We shouldn't be satisfied simply with access to jobs, interpreters or opportunities. We should work harder to have access to good jobs, great interpreters and opportunities that are worth dreaming of and striving for.
Now that's a show not just worth watching, but writing, producing and living.
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