Marlene Brady works as a Job Coach at Hinsdale South high school in Illinois. Marlene is part of a vocational team that consists of two other Job Coaches and a Vocational Coordinator. The team works to prepare deaf and hard of hearing students to transition into competitive employment.
“I have a tremendous passion for the students and I want to help them have the same sort of positive learning experiences that I had in my young adult life,” said Marlene. “My goal is to get students to realize the importance of what a vocational program can do for them. I want to be able to make a positive impact on the students’ lives.”
Marlene attended Gallaudet University but left before finishing her degree. She was undecided about a major at the time. After leaving Gallaudet, Marlene worked at several different jobs. She worked as a Data Processing Operator at a bank, as a Patent Clerk in Intellectual Property Law at Argonne National Laboratory and as an Outreach Specialist of a Domestic Violence program at the Chicago Hearing Society. “I took career courses and training at each of my jobs to gain my educational and work experience,” Marlene explained.
One of the biggest hurdles that Marlene faced when looking for jobs was the communication barrier. “Before the Americans With Disabilities law was passed, I had no access to interpreters for job interviews and meetings when I needed them,” said Marlene. “I relied on writing notes or lipreading, even though I missed out a lot of detailed information without an interpreter.”
When Marlene went to work at the Chicago Hearing Society, she found that there were no communication barriers on the job from day one. “It was my first time working in the Deaf Community and I felt a tremendous burden lift off my shoulders. It was the best day of my life!”
Today, Marlene enjoys her current employment as a Job Coach. She challenges deaf and hard of hearing students to overcome communication hurdles by utilizing different strategies in the work environment. “Often a student’s biggest fear is how to communicate with employers,” said Marlene. “In the transition from school to work, the students learn that they can’t depend on family members, communication facilitators or interpreters on a daily basis. I make sure to provide communication tips to improve their everyday communication and build bridges between the deaf/hard of hearing student and the employer, so that beneficial work relationships can be developed.”
In 1989, when Marlene was working at a bank, she met and trained a high school student from Hinsdale South who was accompainied by Candy Butler, a Vocational Coordinator. Nineteen years later, Marlene is now working with Candy at the high school.
“What a small world,” said Marlene. “Candy Butler inspires me to work well past my abilities and to have the confidence to handle any task given to me. She respects me as a person and appreciates the job that I do.”