Deaf And Unemployed: Taking Matters Into Their Own Hands
The clock was ticking when Angie Bedoya held up a pair of inside-out jeans to five judges, exposing the different sizes of each pocket. She pushed her phone deep into the left pocket — almost down to the knee — as her business partner, Emely Rodriguez, dramatized in American Sign Language, "Look at these big, glorious pockets!"
At Gallaudet University's recent Bison Tank contest in Washington, D.C. — a college version of the popular TV show Shark Tank — the two students pitched a pocket-tailoring company called "Super Pockets," in hopes of joining the growing ranks of deaf business owners nationwide.
Faced with widespread, chronic unemployment but also improvements in technology that enable better communication, deaf people are creating their own businesses and pushing employers to become more deaf and sign language friendly.
In Maryland alone, there are now . Kelby Brick, who is director of the Governor's Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, says this "deaf ecosystem" is growing rapidly, economically empowering deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Deaf-owned businesses are popping up nationwide, too — including Mozzeria, a California pizza restaurant; Deaf Friendly, a Yelp-like platform that can tell you where to find
