More than 5 percent of Arkansans have a hearing disability according to a 2017 report by Cornell University. One challenge they face is finding employment. That’s why Goodwill Industries of Arkansas has created a program to fix that.
26 year old Charles Girley Junior is part of the new DREAMS program at Goodwill.
"My favorite job is cleaning," Girley said with the help of a translator.
The Deaf Readiness to Employment and Achieving Maximum Success program, or DREAMS program, helps people who are deaf or hard of hearing find employment.
"My favorite part is having it in my own language," Girley said.
"We'll go out in the community and meet with managers and talk with them," said Brittany Fuhrmann, an interpreter and job coach with the DREAMS program.
“It was created because there’s a great need within the deaf community needing to find employment and they’re wanting to find employment," Fuhrmann said.
The program that started in October has six people enrolled so far. It offers job training, resume help, interview help, and on the job support.
"In the DREAMS program I work, I learn classes like interviewing skills, job readiness skills," Girley said.
Another goal of the program is to erase a stigma and show employers that people with hearing disabilities can be valuable employees too.
"They’re capable of doing this. We might need an interpreter to do trainings or maybe you need to write back and forth," Fuhrmann said.
Already two people have gotten jobs in retail and one in housekeeping thanks to the program, but the possibilities are endless
"Anything they’re wanting to do, so we don’t limit them. We let them pick what they want to do," Fuhrmann said.
The program is free for participants, but they have to go through the Arkansas Rehabilitation Services to get referred to the program.