Celebrate Deaf Women: A Discussion About Navigating Barriers and Building Success

Published on March 22, 2021

This image shows a woman smiling with her hands in the air. She seems to be throwing confetti in the air. She is wearing a dark green jacket.

Celebrate deaf women with the National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes (NDC). Join us on March 30 for a live online discussion, featuring a panel of successful deaf women who have broken through systemic barriers in education and employment.

Women Build Power by Working Together

Women are not all the same — they are diverse in identity, background, and gifts — offering unique views of the world. However, shared experience is a thread that unites women.

“It’s no secret that women, despite systemic barriers, create pathways and often blaze trails, in spaces they are not often invited to. Yet, despite their many achievements and the numerous accomplishments, women are still fighting for equity,” said NDC Director Carrie Lou Garberoglio. “But, we would be remiss to not pause, reflect, and celebrate our sisters. Lifting each other up and working together creates power that cannot not be taken from us.”

Deaf women face steeper barriers than their hearing counterparts. Despite completing college at higher rates than deaf men, deaf women still earn only 77 cents to each dollar that deaf men earn. Hearing women earn 83 cents for each dollar that hearing men earn, according to NDC research.

We invite anyone who employs, educates, or supports deaf women to learn from the panelists’ experiences and discuss ways to build a more equitable and inclusive future.

The event will take place at 4:30 p.m. CDT on March 30 via Zoom. Participants will qualify for 0.1 RID CEUs.

Successful Women Share Their Stories

The panelists are all deaf women who have succeeded in a wide variety of roles, both personally and professionally. They will discuss their own vision of success, barriers they have faced and continue to face, and ways they have overcome those barriers.

  • Julia Williams-Wallace: A biracial Black and Samoan Deaf woman, Julia is currently working as a house manager at National Children’s Center working with deaf adults with intellectual disabilities and a residential children youth care practitioner at Maryland School for the Deaf Columbia.

  • Claire Frances Roberts: Claire is a high school science teacher at Michigan School for the Deaf. She teaches biology, chemistry, earth science, anatomy and physiology, and astronomy. She also teaches integrated science for students with challenging or special needs.

  • Kavita Pipalia: A native of India, Kavita is currently the President of California Association of the Deaf and is actively involved in several deaf-serving organizations providing consultation and advocacy support on access issues for deaf people.

  • Leah Katz-Hernandez: Leah is an expert on disability inclusion, communication strategy, and civil rights. Her career portfolio includes working at the White House, on Capitol Hill, and currently with Microsoft. She is passionate about building equal access for the deaf, disability, and Latina communities.

Event Details

This online event will take place on Zoom. You must register for the event to attend. A Zoom calendar invitation will be emailed to you closer to the day of the panel.

The room will open 5 minutes prior to the event start time. American Sign Language interpreters and real-time captioning will be provided for the panel. For additional access requests please email: help@nationaldeafcenter.org at least 3 business days prior to the event.

In order to attend this event you will need to:

  1. Register for the panel

  2. Download or update Zoom on your computer to the latest version.

  3. Sign in with a Zoom account. (The webinar link alone will not give you access to the live event, you must sign in to Zoom using a personal or work account. You can sign up for free at zoom.us)

Live Event FAQ: https://www.nationaldeafcenter.org/live-event-faq

Tips for Zoom Access

  • Download or update Zoom on your computer to the latest version.

  • If you have not used Zoom successfully in the past, check with your IT department to grant access to Zoom.

  • Use a laptop or desktop computer to optimize your view of the live panel. If you do not have a computer, a tablet is preferable to a smartphone.

  • If you use captions, a link will be provided to view captions on a separate window or device.

  • If you are unable to access the live panel video, you may call in via video phone or telephone. Phone numbers, Webinar ID and Participant ID will be provided in the registration confirmation email.

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Type of Resource: deaf women, live panels

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