[VIDEO DESC & TRANSCRIPT: Joseph is seated in his office.
JOSEPH: Growing up, I liked school. I mean, I enjoyed it but I never thought about life beyond school. I remember at one point, I told someone that I wanted to become a scientist — the first Deaf scientist. They told me there were many Deaf scientists out there already… dang. I knew I wanted to do something related to science, so then I discovered Computer Science. Then I told myself, “Well, I can be a Deaf Computer Scientist!” Later I realized that it wasn’t what I wanted to do. Eventually, I changed my course and technically, I’m still a scientist, I’m a Language Scientist!
Black and white clip of Joseph working at his desk. In the center, a white border surrounds white text “JOSEPH” underneath, appears in white text “DEAF STUDIES LAB DIRECTOR & PROFESSOR.”
JOSEPH: My name is Dr. Joseph Hill, I’m a Professor here at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID). I work in the Department of ASL and Interpreting Education and I am also the Director of the Deaf Studies Lab here.
Black and white clip of Joseph looking at something off screen. Next, black and white clip of Joseph at his desk with a view of his keyboard and computer mouse.
JOSEPH: When I first enrolled in college, I majored in Computer Science which is very similar to Information Technology. I really enjoyed learning about various computing programs and how to work with databases. I also did an internship every summer to learn more programming and computer related work. I learned a lot during those internships, I enjoyed them! As I approached graduation during my last year, I realized I didn’t really want to work with computers. I was surprised with myself, “I changed?” Then I remembered while growing up, I really liked going to the library to learn about American Sign Language (ASL) or Deaf Studies. That was a personal hobby I enjoyed and I didn’t read those books for classes. So then I thought, “Well, maybe this was what I truly wanted?” So that meant Gallaudet University was the place to be. I decided to apply their graduate program in Linguistics and was accepted into.
Black and white clip of Joseph working at his desk.
JOSEPH: At the time, I didn’t really know what it meant to be working and studying for your PhD. I started doubting myself, I wasn’t sure if I was cut out for this kind of work. I thought about quitting several times. I decided to meet with a Sociolinguistics professor who studied language variations in communities. Their work focused on figuring out why a community would sign differently than others based on history, culture, and identities. That work fascinated me! I was lucky I stayed in the program because I got many opportunities through my PhD studies. To share a few examples, I got to travel to other countries, attend conferences, and study other sign languages. I learned Lingua dei Segni Italiana (Italian Sign Language), that was cool!
Black and white clip of behind Joseph as he works on an animation program on his computer. Black and white clip of close up of the animation program.
JOSEPH: During my PhD studies, I was lucky to be involved in research that focused on Black ASL. Let me share a little bit about what Black ASL is. People who lived in the south during segregation where, unfortunately, deaf schools segregated their black and white students — this meant black students developed their own sign language which was very different from their white peers. Even though segregation ended, there are still traces of sign language differences. ASL dictionaries don’t talk about this. Interpreting programs don’t include this in their curriculum. There’s very little information about this in ASL and Deaf Studies. There’s not enough resources and information about that history. So, we knew this work was important to study because Black ASL is still being used in our community. Once we collected information, we published it and made videos so this information can be more accessible for the community. That research was needed to publish the history and how it happened. We need more diverse content in ASL and Deaf studies as well as interpreting programs. Once I graduated with my PhD, I started working.
Black and white clip of a faculty member chatting with Joseph. Black and white clip close up of Joseph chatting with a co-worker off screen.
JOSEPH: Because I was working at a hearing university, I felt like I needed something more. A position at NTID opened up and I knew I had to apply for it because this opportunity meant I could work with deaf peers, faculty members, and researchers. That was important for me. Also, the technology bit was a cool incentive — I mean, the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is known for technology, of course! I had a lot of ideas that required technology, but the hearing university I was at didn’t have the resources.
Black and white clip of Joseph working at his desk in his office. White text appears at the bottom center, “A degree and a resume doesn’t show the employer who you are. Networking opens the door.” – Joseph” and a light blue line outlines the left side of the text. Black and white clip of Joseph walking down a hallway with glass windows with someone.
JOSEPH: I’m very excited about my current research. My research focuses mostly on language — especially sign language which includes some things that people don’t really study. The work can be slow sometimes, problems can come up, it can get frustrating but once you’re finished with your research and you turn it in — it feels so good! For me, that is very rewarding — to see your progress from the beginning to end, it’s a real good feeling.
Black and white clip close up of Joseph working at his desk in his office. Black and white clip of Joseph laughing and walking down the hallway with someone into his office.
Video cuts to grey background with the NAD logo quickly changing in different bright colors from teal to white to black to hot pink to green to orange to teal to yellow to purple to finally the official NAD logo with copyright text underneath “The National Association of the Deaf (c) 2019 All Rights Reserved”.]