4 ms·

The way he talks about office communication and missing out on things reminds me very much of being a remote worker, I don't think I can begin to imagine how fr

The way he talks about office communication and missing out on things reminds me very much of being a remote worker, I don't think I can begin to imagine how frustrating it would be to be in the office and feel like you weren't there. A few years ago there was a wonderful post on somethingawful.com from a deaf person who answered questions and talked about his life experiences, there was hours and hours of content to read and it was really informative and interesting, unfortunately it's hidden behind the archives pay wall now.

jyothi 14y ago
That is an excellent point you bring up there: remote workers are very close to being deaf. There are so many things you feel like expressing - small things not worthy of a call or an even an email - a chat works but still not the same effect. Being a remote worker is like being both deaf and dumb. I hope one day we would have the Cisco tele presence affordable in small offices too http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQpBPUbNJcM&feature=fvwrel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQpBPUbNJcM&feature=fvwre...
- shakesbeard 14y ago
  I don't think this is accurate. As a deaf person you see when conversations take place, and when you are excluded from them. As a remote worker you don't get this consistent reminder. You are correct, that it might be similar when trying to do small talk, though. PS: I work 100% remote.
liotier 14y ago
The presence of remote workers in a team greatly enhances written communications - take most open source projects for example : for lack of frequent oral interaction they are heavy on forums, mailing lists, bug trackers, wikis etc. I guess that the presence of deaf people in a team might provide the same challenges and produce similar effects. But I'm not sure that deaf people want to be treated entirely like remote workers : as the article shows, the need for social life must be taken into account too.
jwingy 14y ago
Sorry I understand the point you're trying to make with your analogy, but I think it greatly understates the fact that deaf people have to deal with this in EVERY aspect of their lives, and not just work. No disrespect, just wanted to point that out.

jyothi 14y ago

That is an excellent point you bring up there: remote workers are very close to being deaf. There are so many things you feel like expressing - small things not worthy of a call or an even an email - a chat works but still not the same effect. Being a remote worker is like being both deaf and dumb. I hope one day we would have the Cisco tele presence affordable in small offices too http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQpBPUbNJcM&feature=fvwrel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQpBPUbNJcM&feature=fvwre...

shakesbeard 14y ago
I don't think this is accurate. As a deaf person you see when conversations take place, and when you are excluded from them. As a remote worker you don't get this consistent reminder. You are correct, that it might be similar when trying to do small talk, though. PS: I work 100% remote.

liotier 14y ago

The presence of remote workers in a team greatly enhances written communications - take most open source projects for example : for lack of frequent oral interaction they are heavy on forums, mailing lists, bug trackers, wikis etc. I guess that the presence of deaf people in a team might provide the same challenges and produce similar effects. But I'm not sure that deaf people want to be treated entirely like remote workers : as the article shows, the need for social life must be taken into account too.

jwingy 14y ago

Sorry I understand the point you're trying to make with your analogy, but I think it greatly understates the fact that deaf people have to deal with this in EVERY aspect of their lives, and not just work. No disrespect, just wanted to point that out.