Workers who are deaf-blind: the impact of disability on career choice.
Katrina Arndt
Syracuse University
College students who are deaf-blind negotiate their identity, think about and sometimes struggle with social relationships, and navigate institutional expectations and rules. Each of these themes provides a starting point for conversation about the ways that institutional ethnography can direct this project and analysis. Of particular significance for this conference is the expectations institutions have for students. Institutions include the college itself, vocational rehabilitation agencies, associations for the blind, and a national center on deaf-blindness. A final parameter of student experience is the fact that students who are deaf-blind face high underemployment and unemployment rates, a factor that may impact their choice of major and their progression through college toward job seeking. Data collection included open-ended interviews with students, connection with a gatekeeper, and the collection of texts generated by the college.