Already a member?
Login now to see member only prices and resources

Back to news

Deaf Girl in Marketing

   

Friday 17 February 2023

Deaf Girl in Marketing

By Amy McMillan of Agnew Group.

Having a disability is something that is part of who you are but it doesn’t need to be who you are.  My name is Amy and I have worked in Digital & Content Marketing for several years. Being deaf has had a significant impact on my professional career and perhaps not in the way you would think.  



 

Society attaches stereotypes to people who have disabilities, and this was very evident when I was trying to get into the industry. Even with a Masters in Digital Media Communications I felt that my education and experience wasn’t enough to beat the pre-judgement of my capabilities. I feel that many businesses including Marketing are missing a vast amount of talented individuals just by assuming their abilities rather than asking the person.  

A common characteristic in anyone with a disability is that we are resilient, creative and problem solvers. Which I have found works extremely well for me in my marketing role.  Seeing creative ways to make content, writing effective communications when there is a crisis and starting from scratch when things fail are all aspects of my job that I feel I do better because of my disability.  

I have found that being such a visual person due to being deaf makes me pay close attention to detail and focus on what imagery or video content we’re putting out. Captioned video content completely changed Social Media for me, videos became so much more accessible and I was much more engaged online. If your company uses videos with voiceovers or without a clear shot to lip-read then captions is a must.  Being deaf has given me a lot of grit and a strong mind-set.

There is some random parts of my job that are hard, they may seem simple to everyone else but it’s taken me years to hone my skills in to overcoming these obstacles with professionalism and without making myself look less competent than anyone else. Lip reading and writing isn’t a skill that I could ever master. Therefore, I position myself with the most talkative person in my line of sight, I have learnt to be focused so that I can take in what is being said and once there is a pause I write down a few bullet points of information.  

Many parts of my job are on the go, going from brand to brand having meetings and organising content. Each destination has it’s different background noise and usually full of chat from many different people. Therefore, lists are my best friends. I make lists of what’s said and by who so if I require further information I know who to go to. Not only does this make my life so much easier, it makes me far more efficient at my job as you catch things that were perhaps once before missed.  

If you’re an employer and your reading this, when recruiting for jobs be open minded, look at what education and experience your applicant has no matter what their disability and know having a disability makes you determined, hardworking and brave. It takes a lot more courage for that person to have got as far as your interview than it does for you to give them a shot. 

Friday 17 February 2023

You may also be interested in