Jobs - Careers for Hearing People in Deafness

Are you hearing, and have you been dreaming of a career working with deaf people? There are plenty of careers to choose from that will keep you involved with the deaf community.

• Interpreting and Interpreter Education
• Social Work - There is always a need for social workers who can communicate with deaf clients.
• Teaching - There is a severe shortage of qualified teachers for the deaf, particularly those skilled in ASL as a native language.
• Speech/Language Pathologist - This is a field that will probably increase in demand now that more deaf children and adults are getting cochlear implants, expanding the pool of people potentially able to learn to talk.
• Audiologist - This is a field that will never go out of demand and in fact may increase because of the newborn hearing screening laws.
• Psychologist and Mental Health Counselors - Schools for the deaf and other educational institutions always need skilled psychologists. Plus, mental health services around the country need mental health counselors who can communicate with their clients.
• Employment Counselors and Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors - Colleges and VR agencies that serve deaf people need employment and rehabilitation counselors familiar with the employment issues of deaf people. More information is also available through ADARA, and the University of Arkansas Rehabilitation Research and Training Center for persons who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing has a training program.
• Sign Language Teachers - With the continuously growing interest in sign language, there is an increasing need for sign language instructors.
• Finance and Real Estate - The financial and real estate industries also need people who can communicate with deaf and hard of hearing clients.
• Travel - Some travel agencies provide specialized services for deaf people.

Of course, these careers are open to deaf people, but if you are a hearing person looking to work with deaf people, the above careers are avenues you may want to consider.

Are there any others? If you know of a deaf-related career that you feel should be included in this list, please email me and I will update this feature.