On the Job: Deaf Leadership Opportunities

On the Job: Deaf Leadership Opportunities

In this video Sue Ayers and Janie Golightly describe how Deaf printers moved into positions of leadership at The Washington Post.

Zilvinas Paludnevicius

Drs. John S. and Betty J. Schuchman Deaf Documentary Center Collection

2022

This Item has been made available for educational and research purposes by the Drs. John S. and Betty J. Schuchman Deaf Documentary Center at Gallaudet University. This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You may need to obtain permission for your intended use if your use is otherwise not permitted by the copyright and applicable related rights legislation. For specific information about the copyright and reproduction rights for this Item, please contact the Schuchman Deaf Documentary Center: https://www.gallaudet.edu/drs-john-s-and-betty-j-schuchman-deaf-documentary-center

American Sign Language

A video featuring ASL interviews with several subjects. Sue Ayers, an older white woman seated at home; and Janie Golightly, an older white woman seated in a darkened studio. The video begins with a still black and white image of the Composing Room at the Washington Post featuring a row of linotype machines with fair-skin white men seated at each machine, with the text Deaf leadership opportunities.

Sue Ayers: And The Washington Post was nice. It didn’t restrict its workers. They were open to Deaf climbing the ladder and becoming supervisors. We had Deaf supervisors. People became managers. Deaf people could move up in the company. But, yeah, deaf people moved up. Nothing stopped them. There were a number of Deaf supervisors overall. We had an open place for meetings, they’d post there. Sometimes through word of mouth. Those two options really. You would apply and if they knew you well, really it was a small place so everyone knew each other. If they knew you, you would become…no you would interview and then become a supervisor for the company. There were some who were trained and then you progressed right along. Working with hearing supervisors, let’s see. Sometimes it seemed like they targeted us for things. And that was annoying. Some hearing supervisors were good and nice. They interacted with us. They could fingerspell and some could sign some. Those were the spot on, good supervisors. Now for the Deaf supervisors some were a little shabby and some were good. A variety of good and bad. Same as with the hearing supervisors. Same concept applied. Good and bad. But with Deaf supervisors it was easier to sign with them, definitely. It was fast. With hearing it took a bit more effort. But with both hearing and Deaf there were good and bad supervisors. Both had the same amount.

Janie Golightly: One foreman position was still open and they were looking for applicant. I thought, why not me? Why not apply? At that time Sherry [Gryder] had been friendly and really nice when we worked together. So I applied and went to HR and interviewed with a woman named Jan Doll. I had an interpreter for the interview. I was really nervous. Before I applied, I had asked Jan DeLap if she thought I should apply. Jan DeLap said sure. I remember we were having this conversation in the women’s room. So she said why not apply. You know it was mutual support. I wasn’t advertising my interest. But it felt like it was time for a Deaf person to be promoted. At that time some Deaf had been promoted, and were what was called “fill in”. So we would figure out how to help, but it was all informal. So I thought, ok, I’ll go ahead and apply. So I filled out the application, did the interview, and got the job. I was supposed to work the night shift, as night shift foreman. But Sherry told me to move to the day shift so I could shadow the day shift foreman and train with them. They knew I wasn’t experienced, so I shadowed to learn the job. So that’s what I did and things went from there. I wish there had been more training, more resources for leadership. Some training situations would come up and I wouldn’t know how to handle it. I wasn’t sure, so I’d have to run to Jan Doll in HR for advice, or I would contact Sherry for help on what to do. That’s how I learned. I wish I had more experience before I applied, but anyway. I did my best running things and managing. And, not only am I Deaf, but I am a woman. And at that time, wow. It was a challenge. People judged me for being a woman. For being Deaf. It wasn’t easy, but I kept going. As I said before, the attitude was, “a woman, really?” or they assumed they knew better than me. At first I was polite, before when I was foreman, I would write back and forth. I was respectful. I didn’t order people around with an attitude. Previous hearing supervisors had behaved that way, ordering Deaf workers around. But I would write very respectfully and try my best to deal with them. So there were some good, positive experiences. Some people were very respectful, but others were not. It’s the same in the Deaf world, it doesn’t matter who you are. That attitude is still there. But I kept at it.

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