Meet Samantha Burns, a (Deaf) Paralegal Manager and Litigation Paralegal at Marjiya Law PC. Samantha has a true servants heart, she serves as the President and Board Director for the Los Angeles Paralegal Association (LAPA); is a Member of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Bar (DHHBA); the American Bar Association (ABA); the California Alliance of Paralegal Associations (CAPA); the Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists (ACEDS); the Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA); the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA); the National Notary Association (NNA); the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA); the Women in eDiscovery (WiE); and the National Association of the Deaf (NAD). Try saying that twice!
Beyond that, Samantha is the first contributor to our new series “Write Minded” where we aim to encourage and inspire paralegal writers to show off their legal writing skills.
***
Deaf Legal Professionals. By: Samantha Burns
Deafness is a vast spectrum because not all deaf people are deemed disabled. But even in today’s age, not all employers will provide the accommodations during any stage of job interviews. Technology is everywhere today, and we have gone from face to face in person interviews to virtual platforms such as ZOOM which provides live transcriptions (which are about 70% accurate). But not many people know how to turn on these settings at all which further discriminates the Deaf and Hard of Hearing people during their job interview processes. One of the sad things about being a Deaf person who is also labeled by society as a disabled person is that we are almost twice as likely to be unemployed as non-disabled people.
I have experienced discrimination all my life no matter where I go. Sometimes I even get the enjoyment of being deaf as well! For example, when someone annoyed me so much or has been incredibly inconsiderate of me, I can just ignore them, and they just think I can’t hear them because I’m deaf. I have a device called cochlear implant which helps me hear so when I pretend to not hear someone, it’s usually my cue of saying “I am not wasting my time with this”. But the discrimination is not the fun part of being deaf at all. I must constantly prove that I am worth the job every day. I am not a burden on anyone, especially in the legal field. My skill sets are what helps me be set apart differently and I can be utilized just as much as the person next to me.
Just like any other Deaf and Hard of Hearing people out there, I am continually advocating for and educating other people about Deaf Community’s language (American Sign Language) and communication needs. I am a profound deaf person who grew up in a “hearing world” so I am like a foreigner here in our mutual world. The reason why I would be considered a foreigner is because my way of communication is different than the society standardized way of communicating. While I can speak and hear because of my cochlear implant, I still require repetitions and patience to further make sure we’re on the same page about something. Some hearing people will appear annoyed or become frustrated with the communication style change being sprung upon them.
The Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities are not really asking much of anyone. All we’re asking is for hearing people give us a chance to communicate and do our jobs in this hearing-dominated world. It is already stressful in the legal field for anyone and it’s just even more stressful for a Deaf or Hard of Hearing person in the legal field because they must constantly prove their worth every day and not be paid their actual value.
This is the time to press a pause button when you are communicating with a Deaf or Hard of Hearing person. Take a moment to breathe and collect yourself and remind yourselves that Deaf and Hard of Hearing people just have different methods of communication. What will help ensure that you both are on the same page? Find a method both of you are comfortable with and do that. Educate yourselves on different ways to communicate with Deaf and Hard of Hearing people and as hiring managers, give them a proper chance and do not add additional stress on them. I promise you that they will be one of the best workers you’ll ever hire.
***
Are you interested in submitting a short legal story or legal brief (up to 1,000 words) fiction or non-fiction?
Contact us for information on how to submit your writing.
New and amateur writers are welcome to apply.
For more helpful resources visit our Resource Center or visit our Shop page to check out our new collection of legal swag.
