[VIDEO DESC & TRANSCRIPT: Gardar is seated in front of various equipment on shelves. The NAD logo is at the bottom right corner.
GARDAR: When I was around 7 years old (between 6 and 8 years old, give or take), there was a small shed that I’d play with, building it piece by piece. I’d look for empty coke cans while walking out and about, I’d recycle those coke cans for money and use the money to buy nails to continue building the cute little shed. I’m actually from Iceland and started working in construction when I was 14 years old. Even with the cold weather, I was really into construction. When trying to figure out what to do as a career, I decided to work in construction. Eventually, I became exhausted and decided to supervise instead. I’m now a supervisor at Augustana University! It is fantastic and I love this school!
Black and white clip of Gardar walking out of a door into a hallway. In the center, a white border surrounding white text “GARDAR” underneath, appears in white text “NIGHTSHIFT MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR”.
GARDAR: Hello, my name is Gardar Audunsson. I’m a supervisor here at Augustana University.
Black and white clip of Gardar unlocking a door with his keys and turning on lights in a classroom.
GARDAR: I went to a mainstreamed school growing up. I was involved with various activities and leadership. I also worked in construction while attending a technical school. I learned a lot about electricity, mechanics, and so on. I got certified when I graduated from the technical school while I graduated from high school with honors. When I entered college, I tried to find a major that was related to my passion which was construction. I wasn’t really motivated in college because I had been doing construction for so many years.
Black and white clip of Gardar turning off the lights in a classroom and closing the door.
GARDAR: I had been working here for about three months before my boss asked me to interview for a supervising position. Two days later, I was shocked to learn that I got a supervising job! This made me feel really good. I’m the only deaf person here, ever! And the school has been around for 150 years. I really like being here and meeting students, staff, and faculty. I never thought I wouldn’t be able to be a supervisor. I knew I could supervise a full staff of 15 people. It’s incredible and I enjoy it!
Black and white clip of Gardar walking through a hallway and waving at someone off screen through a window and a door.
GARDAR: The first thing I do when I arrive at work, I head to my office in the other building to grab the keys, check who’s out sick, meet with the maintenance staff and delegate tasks. When that’s all done, I come back to my office here, I know it’s odd — apologies for the mess! I usually focus on the concourse which is just outside of my office. I start with the classrooms, making sure they’re clean. I hop from building to building to check on my staff and make sure supplies are stocked up. I make sure lawns are mowed. I check on everything, you name it! I handle emergencies too, such as a kid falling in the swimming pool. That’s what my job, I supervise anything that is considered an emergency — I get texts from others or campus safety, it has to be handled immediately.
Black and white clip of Gardar giving an “okay” sign to someone through a door and walks through the hallway.
GARDAR: Thanks to technology today, it makes things easier to communicate through my phone using text or voice to text apps, it’s fantastic! Often, while I’m working or when I finish a task, I send a text — the key to being a supervisor is communicating with my staff. I check on them to see if they finished their tasks or to find out where they are. I either send a text or head over to their building to check in with them in person. If there’s no communication, we’ll get complaints about rooms being dirty — I don’t like this at all! I’m a supervisor and I have the responsibility to make sure everything is ready before lights out and my staff clocks out. And that’s what I do.
Black and white clip of Gardar checking rooms in the gym through the window.
GARDAR: I have three certifications: forklift, carpentry, and OSHA’s Chemical Hazard. I also have a license to handle hazardous waste. It is required to have a license in case of a chemical explosion, I can handle the situation. You don’t need to have a certificate or a college degree to be a supervisor. Your qualifications and your experience with various equipment, like operating a mower, handling electrical tasks, plumbing, and all that — your experience is more important. For example, if you have experience as a foreman in construction, that position is similar to supervising. I used to be a foreman for eight years, that gave me a lot of experience! It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a Bachelor’s degree, just show who you are with your qualifications and experience.
Black and white clip of Gardar smiling at the camera while walking through the hallway. White text appears at the bottom center, “If you’re interested in being a supervisor — that’s great! You can be a supervisor in any capacity… no matter what degree or certifications you have. Supervising isn’t an easy job but you can do it!” Light blue text “- Gardar” and a light blue line outlines the left side of the text.
GARDAR: Having a deaf supervisor work with the hearing staff does encourage the hearing staff to really respect their deaf supervisor. Augustana University believes in respect and we treat each other like family at this school. I chose this job because I wanted to be a night shift supervisor because when we’re done with work, students and staff will come to a clean school and feel like they’re able to start fresh — and that’s thanks to the night shift, that’s my main job!
Black and white clip of Gardar winking and giving a thumbs up to the camera while walking through an open hallway.
Video cuts to a dark blue background. Red alphabet letters of “N-A-D” in American Sign Language appear one by one in the center of the video. The copyright text appears in white underneath, “National Association of the Deaf, Copyright 2020, All Rights Reserved”.]