Interview

Dr. Glenn Anderson

Glenn Anderson, Ph.D., teaches at the University of Arkansas and works at the university's Research and Training Center for Persons Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. Anderson began his professional career as a vocational rehabilitation (VR) counselor helping people get jobs and training. Now he teaches students to be good VR counselors. Here is an extra feature for the World Around You Web site, the full text of an interview with Anderson. The excerpt published in the print version of the magazine can be viewed here (in PDF, 131KB).

Q. What do you do?

A. I work in Little Rock, Arkansas, with the Research and Training Center for Persons Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing at the University of Arkansas. Our center is doing research to benefit VR programs that provide services to deaf and hard of hearing clients. Our goal is to help improve and further expand education, training, and employment opportunities for deaf and hard of hearing people who seek services from VR programs.

I am also a professor in the rehabilitation education program at the University of Arkansas. I teach and serve as a faculty advisor for students in the master's degree program in rehabilitation counseling. Our program prepares students for professional careers working as counselors in public and private agencies with individuals with disabilities, particularly those who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Q. Are there many deaf people where you work?

A. Three of the eight faculty members who work at our center are deaf and Gallaudet alumni.

Q. What is your favorite part of your job?

A. There are three things I like about the work I do. The first is that I enjoy writing. We write reports based on the work that we do. The reports are sent to VR agencies and other programs interested in the work that we do. Second, I enjoy teaching and working with students. And third, I enjoy traveling to other parts of the United States to give presentations and to serve on committees and boards.

Q. How did you get your job?

A. The director of our center knew and worked with me while I was a doctoral student at New York University. He recruited me to come to Little Rock and work with him.

Q. What does research on transition mean for deaf kids?

A. I view transition as a very important part of the process of education. To me, it focuses on preparation. Preparation means doing what is needed to be ready for the next step of a student's life after completing either high school or college. Work in the area of transition interests me because of its focus on helping young people prepare for careers and work. My first professional job was working as a VR counselor in Detroit, Michigan. Working as a VR counselor provided me opportunities to do career counseling and help my clients with vocational training and jobs.

Q. Do you think opportunities are better for deaf workers now than in the past?

A. Opportunities for deaf workers are definitely better nowadays than in the past. There are a number of reasons why. Deaf young people today have many more choices for educational opportunities after completing high school. There are many vocational programs, colleges, and universities, including Gallaudet and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, which young people today can choose to attend. Our youth have access to a phenomenal range of career training opportunities. Many of those careers were unheard of in the past. Also, with the support of new laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act and improvements in communications technology, there are fewer barriers to employment opportunities than in the past.

Q. What's the hardest part of getting a first job? What is the key to finding a good job?

A. The hardest thing about getting that first job is getting our "foot in the door" so that we can make a good impression on the employer through our resumes and during the job interviews. The key to finding a good job is having access to a good network of mentors and supporters. Our mentors and supporters may be our teachers, counselors, family members, or friends who give us tips and provide us with good recommendations.

Q. Does working in high school help or hurt teenagers?

A. Young people who obtain jobs and acquire work experience while still in high school often are better prepared for jobs later on than those who did not work. It's important to develop good work ethics and to learn how to get up and go to work on a regular basis while still young.

Q. Does discrimination still exist in the job market against deaf people? Against deaf people of color?

A. With all the progress we have made in our society today, discrimination in the workplace, unfortunately, continues to exist. It is probably less open and obvious today than it was in the past. Deaf people still face barriers to opportunity; however, I believe it is more a problem for those with less marketable skills or good training and education. Deaf people with education, training, and marketable skills are likely to have more options and choices for work than those who do not have them. I also think that it is especially problematic for deaf people of color. I am not convinced that our schools have a good record of success in preparing large numbers of deaf youth of color with the foundation needed to make successful transitions to post-high school training, college, and employment.

Q. Where were you born? Where did you go to school?

A. I was born in Chicago, Illinois. I attended an elementary day class program for deaf students and a mainstream public high school in Chicago. I earned my bachelor's degree from Gallaudet, my master's from the University of Arizona, and my Ph.D. from New York University.

Q. What inspired you to become what you are today?

A. I believe my experiences at Gallaudet had a big impact on me. Coming to Gallaudet from a mainstream public high school certainly changed my perceptions of what deaf people could do. My expectations for myself definitely became higher. I had never thought of myself as a leader until I attended Gallaudet. During my days as a student, many deaf leaders came to speak to us. They shared a common theme. The theme was that, after you graduate, we need you to come and serve our community.