Career Opportunities for Deaf People: Starting Further Education and Work Life

By Jamie Simpson

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There is absolutely no reason that a deaf or hearing impaired child cannot grow up to be successful in almost any profession. With the right training, deaf and hearing impaired people can learn to lead very fulfilling lives. Lip reading, sign language, and speech training can open doors for the deaf, and prepare them for higher learning, even in Ivy League Universities. These schools can open doors to career opportunities in all career fields, by giving young people the skills they need to excel.

Because not all states have schools for the deaf it is often necessary for parents to send even small children hundreds of miles away from the rest of the family. While this is an almost inconceivable sacrifice for the parents, in many cases it is the only way to give a hearing impaired child an opportunity to learn skills they will need for the rest of their lives.

The good news is that once the child has learned these skills they become more independent and are capable of enrolling in most any academic program including distance learning, private school, home school or even public schools once they learn the basic skills they need. Early education is very important, but schools for the deaf are helpful at any age. Young people can learn the skills they need and go on to be successful in other academic and career situations.

Other advantages to schools for the deaf include socialization with other deaf students, and specially trained faculty who understand the needs of the hearing impaired. There is a certain sense of reassurance and solidarity that occurs in schools for the deaf, as people who have always felt different from others, come together to discuss problems they encounter in dealing with the hearing world outside.

Often public school children are made to feel different from their peers for any number of reasons, but the hearing impaired feel this even more acutely. Because one of their sensory organs is disabled they often feel isolated from others even in a crowd. Most people equate silence with being alone, and sometimes the deaf feel this most acutely of all. The feelings of acceptance they feel around other deaf children, can be a profound relief to children who have been made to feel different in the past. Many children prefer to stay in schools for the deaf and go on to teach in schools for the deaf for this reason. Other children eagerly anticipate returning to their families and communities with new skills which will enable them to truly communicate the emotions they always felt for them.

There are many scholarships and financial aid options open for the deaf to attend college, so that education, even higher education doesn't have to be a financial burden on the parents. Hearing impaired teens are eligible for many scholarships including up to $10,000 from the Alexander Graham Bell Foundation, and $3,000 from the Minnie Pearl Ear Foundation. In addition the State Colleges of Texas wave all tuition and fees for deaf students, and the Cochlear Corporation offers a scholarship to those who have Cochlear implants.

Training at a school for the deaf is crucial to obtaining a completely independent lifestyle. The skills they learn will last a lifetime, enriching their experiences and opening doors that would otherwise be closed to them. In today's society the future is bright for the deaf, provided they can learn the skills necessary to live effective and fulfilling lives.