Deaf and Frustrated

deanna-mccoy · ‎10-14-2021

Hello my name is Deanna..

first of all I've been a member for a while now.. I need some help or advice would be appreciated.. I applied over 550 jobs here and even about 550 archived as well.. What I am going through here is..

- Clients request Zoom calls - But I can't hear Zoom video for interview and or meetings.. I offered them to use Google Meet because it has closed captioned.. Many Clients rejected me on that.

-Many Clients asks for phone number and I wont give out my personal info on upwork..

- Will Upwork add closed caption for video right on Upwork messages area?

- I think (no proof) that I am being discrimated because of me being Deaf .

- I've been looking for jobs here on Upwork everyday few times day I log in to find something.

Any advice or suggestion would be helpful please I am frustrated I was ready to QUIT but I am not a quitter at all .. I just keep on going and hopefully I find a long term job here..

Thank you all for your understanding and your time

Sincerely,

Deanna

martina_plaschka · ‎10-14-2021

Deanna M wrote:
Hello my name is Deanna..

first of all I've been a member for a while now.. I need some help or advice would be appreciated.. I applied over 550 jobs here and even about 550 archived as well.. What I am going through here is..

- Clients request Zoom calls - But I can't hear Zoom video for interview and or meetings.. I offered them to use Google Meet because it has closed captioned.. Many Clients rejected me on that.

-Many Clients asks for phone number and I wont give out my personal info on upwork..

- Will Upwork add closed caption for video right on Upwork messages area?

- I think (no proof) that I am being discrimated because of me being Deaf .

- I've been looking for jobs here on Upwork everyday few times day I log in to find something.

Any advice or suggestion would be helpful please I am frustrated I was ready to QUIT but I am not a quitter at all .. I just keep on going and hopefully I find a long term job here..

Thank you all for your understanding and your time

Sincerely,

Deanna

I can't answer your specific question, but you are not allowed to communicate outside of upwork before hire anyway.

You could do a lot to improve your profile. It shouldn't be a list of skills, with punctuation errors. That does not demonstrate the diligence and attention to detail a bookkeeper must have.

You should engage the reader. Ask questions. Tell him how you will make his life easier. Make it personal.

prestonhunter · ‎10-14-2021

A talented, educated person such as yourself should not be presenting herself as a "data entry" worker.

tlbp · ‎10-14-2021

You are in a difficult position because Upwork doesn't permit off-platform contact before a contract is entered into. Yet, Zoom, afaik, doesn't suport closed-captioning.

As a work around, could you explain to clients that you can be present in a video meeting but you'll need to communicate using the text chat feature during that meeting because you are deaf? You can also point out that the work around is only temporary. After a client hires you, you can switch to a video app that supports accessibility.

If a client rejects your solution at that point, then it may be that they aren't serious about hiring anyone or they, as an individual, are discriminating against you due to your disability.

IME, most clients want to 'do a call' to visually confirm that a freelancer is who they say they are and because they are better at communicating verbally and want to make things easy for themselves. A good prospective client should be willing to accept your solution or agree to communicate via text only during the negotiation stage.

As an aside, a client who is requesting a phone call before contract is violating Upwork's TOS. And, many clients do not require Zoom calls. I would estimate about half of my successful contracts involved some kind of call prior to the offer. The rest were negotiated purely through texts in the message room. (Although, I understand that missing out on half of the available opportunities is still a problem.)

There are plenty of bad gigs and unagreeable clients on Upwork. Hopefully, you will be able to find one of the many the good ones!

ETA: I would recommend beginning your profile summary with a conversational explanation of what you can do for clients. I'd offer suggestions but bookkeeping is way outside of my area of expertise. Then, list the tools (apps) that you are skilled at using at the end. Take a look at top-performing bookkeeper or other profiles to get a feel for what type of messaging to use. 🙂

prestonhunter · ‎10-14-2021

I worked for years on Upwork without having any type of microphone or camera. Communicated with clients only through email, chat.

Even today, the majority of my clients have never spoken with me using any audio method, but have only ever communicated with me using email and text.

These clients have no way of knowing if I am deaf or not.

There are many deaf freelancers on Upwork. The platform has long been a place where deaf freelancers can work without needing to let anybody know about their hearing status if they don't want to.

kochubei_valeria · ‎10-15-2021

Hi Deanna,

I appreciate you reaching out for assistance and for sharing your experience. I have shared your feedback about close captioning with out product team and am happy to share that enabling it on Upwork Zoom integration is something they're already looking into! There are still some technical limitations they'll need to address, but it's on their radar. In the meantime, other community members have also shared some tips and suggestions here.

Tonya and Martina mentioned restrictions on sharing contact information prior to the contract starting. That information is correct and you can learn more here. But I'd like to note that we absolutely will make accommodations for those who need them. If a hearing, visual, or other impairment makes using Upwork Messages or integrations difficult, please send an email to accessiblitycoordinator@upwork.com to request an exception.

~ Valeria

researchediting · ‎10-15-2021

Deanna,

I think you've been given a lot of good tips, and those would be good places to start.

Once some of those ducks are in a row, you might be interested in Upwork's Diversity-Certified Badge program. (Keep in mind that as an independent contractor, you are a business owner.)

All the best,

Michael

prestonhunter · ‎10-15-2021

re: "Once some of those ducks are in a row, you might be interested in Upwork's Diversity-Certified Badge program."

Yes.

She might me.

Or she might not be.

I believe most deaf freelancers who are aware of the Badge have no interest in displaying it.

gilbert-phyllis · ‎10-16-2021

Preston H wrote:
re: "Once some of those ducks are in a row, you might be interested in Upwork's Diversity-Certified Badge program."

Yes.
She might me.
Or she might not be.

I believe most deaf freelancers who are aware of the Badge have no interest in displaying it.

I believe that you have no empirical support whatsoever for that belief and are simply projecting your own perspective about the Diversity-Certified Badge program.

prestonhunter · ‎10-16-2021

Phyllis: Yes, this is my perspective, but not really about the Diversity-Certified Badge program (which mostly deals with things that have nothing to do with deafness), but more about the deaf freelancer experience.

Think about it:

On Upwork, a deaf freelancer can work with people around the world on an even playing field... Applying to jobs, getting hired, interacting with colleagues, etc., without their hearing condition ever being a factor.

That does not mean that a deaf freelancer can do everything in the same way that a hearing freelancer can. That's the topic of this thread. But my own experience on Upwork tells me that a freelancer can be very successful on the platform without hearing or speaking.

I believe this opportunity to work and earn money without deafness being a factor would be very appealing. A deaf freelancer may well prefer to simply be known as a talented professional, such an "top-level financial markets writer," rather than a "top-level deaf financial markets writer."

The same can be said for freelancers with other conditions which would be a factor in a brick-and-mortar situation, but which would not even come up when working on line. For example: somebody who is in a wheelchair.

We can think of highly-admired people, such as Charles Krauthammer, who was paralyzed from the waist down but worked as a leading on-air news commentator. As you will recall from what was said at the time of his death 3 years ago, many of the people who worked with him didn't even know that he was in a wheelchair. Not because he had anything to "hide" but because he was a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and commentator whose work had nothing to do with him being paralyzed.

Or Thomas Edison, who is the first name that many people think of when it comes to inventors. Did you know that he was deaf? But he is not known as a "famous deaf inventor."

gilbert-phyllis · ‎10-16-2021

Preston H wrote:
Phyllis: Yes, this is my perspective, but not really about the Diversity-Certified Badge program (which mostly deals with things that have nothing to do with deafness), but more about the deaf freelancer experience.

Think about it:
On Upwork, a deaf freelancer can work with people around the world on an even playing field... Applying to jobs, getting hired, interacting with colleagues, etc., without their hearing condition ever being a factor.

That does not mean that a deaf freelancer can do everything in the same way that a hearing freelancer can. That's the topic of this thread. But my own experience on Upwork tells me that a freelancer can be very successful on the platform without hearing or speaking.

I believe this opportunity to work and earn money without deafness being a factor would be very appealing. A deaf freelancer may well prefer to simply be known as a talented professional, such an "top-level financial markets writer," rather than a "top-level deaf financial markets writer."

The same can be said for freelancers with other conditions which would be a factor in a brick-and-mortar situation, but which would not even come up when working on line. For example: somebody who is in a wheelchair.

We can think of highly-admired people, such as Charles Krauthammer, who was paralyzed from the waist down but worked as a leading on-air news commentator. As you will recall from what was said at the time of his death 3 years ago, many of the people who worked with him didn't even know that he was in a wheelchair. Not because he had anything to "hide" but because he was a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and commentator whose work had nothing to do with him being paralyzed.

Or Thomas Edison, who is the first name that many people think of when it comes to inventors. Did you know that he was deaf? But he is not known as a "famous deaf inventor."

What you or I believe deaf people might or might not feel is kind of beside the point, though, isn't it? Presuming to speak for a community of people to which we do not belong, especially in the context of challenges those people must navigate that don't affect us, doesn't really add anything worthwhile to the conversation. And yes, the Diversity-Certified Badge program encompasses many things that are unrelated to deafness but also includes provision for business owners who contend with certain physical/physiological barriers. It's an optional program and whether or why eligible FLs choose to participate is their own business. It just seems to me, whenever any of us outside those communities opine about the virtues of not participating, criticism of the existence of the program is implied. If I'm reading too much into your remarks, then never mind. At the same time, I'll bet I'm not the only one who hears it, intended or not.

prestonhunter · ‎10-16-2021

Phyllis, I appreciate your willingness to share your thoughts and perspective on this topic.

Obviously I am speaking only from my own firsthand experience, which I hope is informative and helpful.

re: "It just seems to me, whenever any of us outside those communities opine about the virtues of not participating, criticism of the existence of the program is implied"

I was not criticizing the diversity badge program. I was saying that deaf people would not necessarily want to post a badge on their profile identifying them as deaf. Moreover, I said I believe most deaf Upwork freelancers choose to not participate in the badge program, and I explained why. It wasn't my intention to criticize or comment on the badge program as a whole.

But there is certainly nothing wrong with criticism of the diversity badge program. There is a large thread with dozens of pages of criticism of that program. I haven't really had much to say about it myself.

a_lipsey · ‎10-16-2021

Preston H wrote:
Phyllis, I appreciate your willingness to share your thoughts and perspective on this topic.

Obviously I am speaking only from my own firsthand experience, which I hope is informative and helpful.

You have first hand experience being deaf?

petra_r · ‎10-16-2021

Phyllis G wrote: If I'm reading too much into your remarks, then never mind. At the same time, I'll bet I'm not the only one who hears it, intended or not.

You're not.

a_lipsey · ‎10-16-2021

Deanna, I hope a mod will chime in. They do allow freelancers with disabilities to apply an exemption to the no contact rule so you can use accessibility services to accommodate you.

LuiggiR · ‎10-16-2021

Hi everyone,

We've been following this conversation and I'll close the thread to further replies since the arguments have been exhausted and the conversation is moving into an unproductive direction.

Thank you,

~ Luiggi