Deaf employed on cruise ships?

[pamrose228]

My son is on the autistic spectrum has social issues and communicating ones. No way he belongs on a cruise ship working anyjob. He is 6'4" 195 and extremely handsome but a vacation once a year is enough. JMHO

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[sail7seas]

I am interested juts what type job the boy wishes to do on a cruise ship? If the srrt of job he wants was mentioned, I must have missed it... His hearing impaiment may not be as petinent for some work as other type jobs.

[KandCsailing]

Maybe he could work for a cruise lines' head office if not actually on a ship.

 

Sent from my VKY-L09 using Forums mobile app

[chengkp75]

I am interested juts what type job the boy wishes to do on a cruise ship? If the srrt of job he wants was mentioned, I must have missed it... His hearing impaiment may not be as petinent for some work as other type jobs.

 

The link I posted in post #5 is the minimum hearing requirements for everyone working onboard, regardless of job, which is fairly minimal hearing loss allowed (corrected). Other positions like seamen, and deck and engine officers have even more stringent requirements, based on their certification/license.

[mringenoldus]

As a special educator for the past 35 years, I might offer a viewpoint on the issue. I am unsure if your child is profoundly deaf or hard of hearing. If your son were to hone his lip reading abilities and was able to develop intelligible speech,he may indeed qualify for a shore side position protected by the ADA which would then provide employee incentives allowing him to cruise more often.

 

I know you wish to advocate for your child's transition skill development, but I can assure you that teens must self-direct the school - to -work process for it to have a successful result.

 

Best of luck to your son!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[thinfool]

Great thread!

A few posts back mention sign language skills for the young man.

 

My question: How can a deaf person serve as an interpreter for deaf people?

 

I know interpreters...all have normal, or near normal hearing.

 

??

[SJSchell]

Not only is there a shortage of qualified interpreters in the field there is an even greater shortage of Certified Deaf Interpreters (CDI). (See link posted earlier.) A CDI can bridge communication with deaf individuals if the language needs are more complicated than a hearing interpreter can handle on their own. This could be for a deaf individual who recently moved from another country and has not yet fully learned ASL or a deaf/blind person who needs the interpreter sitting close for close vision needs or even tactile while the hearing interpreters are standing farther away so the full group can see them.

 

This could come up in many different situations. In this context it could be theatre shows, excursions, and other activities on the ship. A CDI is generally teamed with a hearing interpreter.

 

An example of job postings I've seen would include 2 hearing interpreters and as many CDI interpreters as are needed to ensure deaf/blind passengers in the group have the support they need. Depending on the deaf/blind passenger's level of vision loss, support could also include navigating the buffet line and around the ship.

 

Sent from my SM-G900T using Forums mobile app

[MJSailors]

Here are some of my thoughts as an educator with thirty-six years experience and being a mother and grandmother. What a fifteen year old considers his/her ideal job/profession can certainly change in the years ahead.

Many college students have been known to change majors and many people change careers throughout their lives. What is appealing at fifteen,may not be so ,at say,the age of twenty one.

Also , experiencing a cruise ship as a passenger is far different than the experience of a crew or staff member on the same ship. A life on a ship may seem exciting,adventurous or glamorous from a vacationer's point of view. But, for some staff /crew, the work may be considered differently. Also, another factor is the long periods of time that ship employees are away from their homes and families.

If this young man continues to want to work in some capacity in the cruise ship industry, I agree with many who have suggested that he work for a cruise line's corporate office.

In this way, he would be in a field that interests him and he would possibly get benefits for cruise travel as part of the company's perks.

I would suggest to his mother,as others have pointed out, that much of the research about such jobs and the requirements for the jobs should be the responsibility of the young man. Of course, his mother would be there to give support and encouragement,but doing such research for himself would be a good preparation for him to enter the work world.

[mringenoldus]

Here are some of my thoughts as an educator with thirty-six years experience and being a mother and grandmother. What a fifteen year old considers his/her ideal job/profession can certainly change in the years ahead.

Many college students have been known to change majors and many people change careers throughout their lives. What is appealing at fifteen,may not be so ,at say,the age of twenty one.

Also , experiencing a cruise ship as a passenger is far different than the experience of a crew or staff member on the same ship. A life on a ship may seem exciting,adventurous or glamorous from a vacationer's point of view. But, for some staff /crew, the work may be considered differently. Also, another factor is the long periods of time that ship employees are away from their homes and families.

If this young man continues to want to work in some capacity in the cruise ship industry, I agree with many who have suggested that he work for a cruise line's corporate office.

In this way, he would be in a field that interests him and he would possibly get benefits for cruise travel as part of the company's perks.

I would suggest to his mother,as others have pointed out, that much of the research about such jobs and the requirements for the jobs should be the responsibility of the young man. Of course, his mother would be there to give support and encouragement,but doing such research for himself would be a good preparation for him to enter the work world.

 

100% accurate! Obviously, you are a very experienced professional educator.

 

To address the poster who felt that referring to deafness/hard of hearing as a disability was insensitive or wrong, there is no disrespect or inaccuracy in doing so as long as the child is referred to in "person-first" language. For example, "student with a disability" rather than "disabled student".

[DCLCrazy]

100% accurate! Obviously, you are a very experienced professional educator.

 

 

 

To address the poster who felt that referring to deafness/hard of hearing as a disability was insensitive or wrong, there is no disrespect or inaccuracy in doing so as long as the child is referred to in "person-first" language. For example, "student with a disability" rather than "disabled student".

 

 

 

I am that poster. I have been a teacher in Deaf Education for almost 20 years. If this child considers himself to be "capital D Deaf" instead of "little d deaf", I assure you, it doesn't matter where you put the word "disabled" before or after his name. He does not want it there bc he does not consider himself disabled. Culturally Deaf people consider themselves non disabled who just use a different language than you do. It would be the same as a person who speaks Spanish on the cruise and the orders are given in English. It's the same thing to them. I wish his mother would post which he considers himself to be so we know how to address him, respectfully.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[mringenoldus]

While I appreciate your point regarding the deaf community's view of ASL as an alternate language, if a person requires accommodations under the ADA/Section 504 to level the employment playing field, they must identify a qualifying area of disability.

 

I also wholeheartedly assure you that person-first language is immensely important to those with disabling conditions.

 

Thank you for your important work in the area of deaf education.

[BlueRiband]

I am that poster. I have been a teacher in Deaf Education for almost 20 years. If this child considers himself to be "capital D Deaf" instead of "little d deaf", I assure you, it doesn't matter where you put the word "disabled" before or after his name. He does not want it there bc he does not consider himself disabled. Culturally Deaf people consider themselves non disabled who just use a different language than you do. It would be the same as a person who speaks Spanish on the cruise and the orders are given in English. It's the same thing to them. I wish his mother would post which he considers himself to be so we know how to address him, respectfully.

 

Ironically enough though, many people with hearing loss collect Social Security Disability benefits while telling us that they are not disabled.

[CPT Trips]

Perhaps pp means SSI?

[navybankerteacher]

Ironically enough though, many people with hearing loss collect Social Security Disability benefits while telling us that they are not disabled.

 

I suppose it is more gracious to refer to them as "otherwise auditorily enabled" - of course coherent communication becomes increasingly difficult as more and more social conventions are applied.

[mom says]

Whatever you choose to label the young man, he will be responsible for determining his life goals, based on his interests and abilities. As with the vast majority of teens and young adults, this will most likely change (perhaps more than once). His mother is doing him a disservice by trying to do it for him. Time to park that helicopter, mom.

[Elaine5715]

That wasn't my point. I'm fully aware where everyone's offices are. Since I work in the business myself, I recommended talking to those ones as they are easy to talk to their HR and I know their hiring process is different. Since none of us are experts on the subject, I think giving her some options to explore is better than telling her there is no hope for her son. I'm sure she's heard that enough. There's still more research she can do.

 

Sent from my SM-G935W8 using Forums mobile app

Mr. chengkp75 is indeed an expert.

[Elaine5715]

Oh my goodness. I gave suggestions for her to contact those HR departments to get some clear answers from them. Move on. Enjoy your day. Seriously!!

 

Sent from my SM-G935W8 using Forums mobile app

The answer was pretty clear. It is no.

[Elaine5715]

Why don't you call the HR department of his favorite cruise line and ask what their policy is. It may be that he can only have a certain dB loss. If he can function with a hearing aid, I don't see why they wouldn't hire him. I teach Deaf children, and we asked a police officer (who later became my husband) what the rule was bc the student wanted to join the force. He said it depended on how much loss he had. Some deaf people can become interpreters for other deaf people. If he knows ASL, he may want to try and get his CDI and possibly work as a ship interpreter for the shows and excursions. Here's a link to the certification. http://www.rid.org/rid-certification-overview/cdi-certification/ Good luck to him!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

That is not going to happen. As Mr. chengkp75 has clearly outlined, hearing loss is a barrier to ship employment.

[Elaine5715]

Not only is there a shortage of qualified interpreters in the field there is an even greater shortage of Certified Deaf Interpreters (CDI). (See link posted earlier.) A CDI can bridge communication with deaf individuals if the language needs are more complicated than a hearing interpreter can handle on their own. This could be for a deaf individual who recently moved from another country and has not yet fully learned ASL or a deaf/blind person who needs the interpreter sitting close for close vision needs or even tactile while the hearing interpreters are standing farther away so the full group can see them.

 

This could come up in many different situations. In this context it could be theatre shows, excursions, and other activities on the ship. A CDI is generally teamed with a hearing interpreter.

 

An example of job postings I've seen would include 2 hearing interpreters and as many CDI interpreters as are needed to ensure deaf/blind passengers in the group have the support they need. Depending on the deaf/blind passenger's level of vision loss, support could also include navigating the buffet line and around the ship.

 

Sent from my SM-G900T using Forums mobile app

Every crew position requires a bunk and a lifeboat seat. There is no way any cruise line is going to give this away. Passengers are required/expected to bring and pay for anybody needed to provide such assistance.

[DCLCrazy]

Every crew position requires a bunk and a lifeboat seat. There is no way any cruise line is going to give this away. Passengers are required/expected to bring and pay for anybody needed to provide such assistance.

 

 

 

If you're referring to interpreters, the ships hire them to join them for the week from private agencies. I have interpreter friends that do it every so often. The ship pays the interpreter.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[donaldsc]

If you're referring to interpreters, the ships hire them to join them for the week from private agencies. I have interpreter friends that do it every so often. The ship pays the interpreter.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

And I will bet that if it is a group that has specific needs for an interpreter, the fare for that group reflects the cost of the required interpreter. So in the end, the people who need the interpreter pay for them.

 

DON

[SJSchell]

Yes, the cruise line does hire contracted interpreters both deaf (CDI) and hearing interpreters for specific sailings. Not only have I been a passenger on a sailing with interprerers. I've also been hired and worked a sailing as an interpreter. I also have co-workers who are CDIs and have worked on the ships for specific sailings. These are paid positions. Granted they don't pay much but they are paid positions.

 

Sent from my SM-G900T using Forums mobile app

[SJSchell]

And I will bet that if it is a group that has specific needs for an interpreter, the fare for that group reflects the cost of the required interpreter. So in the end, the people who need the interpreter pay for them.

 

DON

Nope, no additional cost to the passenger. If the sailing starts or ends in the US then the cruise line hires the interpreter.

 

Sent from my SM-G900T using Forums mobile app

[chengkp75]

Yes, the cruise line does hire contracted interpreters both deaf (CDI) and hearing interpreters for specific sailings. Not only have I been a passenger on a sailing with interprerers. I've also been hired and worked a sailing as an interpreter. I also have co-workers who are CDIs and have worked on the ships for specific sailings. These are paid positions. Granted they don't pay much but they are paid positions.

 

Sent from my SM-G900T using Forums mobile app

 

Nope, no additional cost to the passenger. If the sailing starts or ends in the US then the cruise line hires the interpreter.

 

Sent from my SM-G900T using Forums mobile app

 

This will vary by cruise line, as some will only comp the cabin fare for the interpreter, and the interpreter has to consider it an unpaid working vacation.

 

Also, the hiring of interpreters is not mandated for cruises starting or ending in the US. As I noted in an earlier post, the SCOTUS ruled in Spector v. NCL that not all aspects of the ADA apply to foreign flag cruise ships, most importantly being those that pertain solely to the ship's "internal policies and procedures", which the providing of interpreters falls under. While I feel it is great that some of the lines will comp a cabin, and some also pay the interpreter, just know that it is not a universal thing across all lines, and is done for guest relations, not legally mandated.

[SJSchell]

That's correct and is great more and more cruise lines are making the decision to provide access as a guest relation accommodation.

 

Sent from my SM-G900T using Forums mobile app