A message to Gallaudet students from IT professionals: you belong in tech

When Dr. Vint Cerf, a pioneering computer scientist known as “one of the fathers of the Internet,” appeared at an event on campus this spring, he was asked how Gallaudet students can make an impact in tech. He replied with a piece of advice given to him by Nobel Prize recipient Dr. Joshua Lederberg: “You have to do something. You can’t just think about it. That’s the important part of success and impact.” (Cerf is pictured above with IT students and faculty)

Cerf, a former Gallaudet Board of Trustees member, is one of many role models for students to “do something” in tech fields. Adjunct Professor Shuxu Huffman, ’16, is a full-time software engineer at Microsoft who also teaches in Gallaudet’s Information and Technology (IT) and Accessible Human-Centered Computing (AHCC) Program. For her AI Software Development Tools course, she recently brought in two more professionals to share their career journeys: Julie Spigner, ’12, a User Experience, or UX, designer at Amazon, and Ana Liu, a Product Manager (PM) at Microsoft.

Huffman explains that tech is a broad industry, and this means there’s a place for many different skill sets and interests. So it is fascinating to learn how Spigner and Liu landed in their current roles.

Spigner, who has a degree in Psychology, was working at a state agency when they launched a rebranding project for the agency’s website and app. A UX designer was brought on to improve user experience, and Spigner became fascinated as she learned all that UX entailed. She realized this is what she wanted to do going forward, so she enrolled in classes, worked with mentors, and taught herself.

Her background prepared her well for this career shift. “You use psychology to understand people’s needs as they relate to interaction with a product – their emotions, perspectives on things, and how to work with people in general.” She describes UX as focusing on a person’s journey within a product, asking “Is it easy for me to find information or to do tasks? Do I trust what I see?” She started at Amazon in an apprenticeship program in 2022, which led to a full-time job as a UX Designer. Now she works largely on cross-platform experience design, ensuring users have an equivalent experience shopping for and using Amazon devices.

“Accessibility is such a broad term – what may be accessible to one group of people may not be accessible to another,” Spigner says. Her job is often to think of how to expand accessibility, or if need be, to create something that will accommodate a user so they can have equal access to the product. Spigner says UX is a great field for Deaf people to get involved in, noting, “We are constantly problem solving, breaking down communication barriers, or creating workarounds to make sure we are understood or to get information. People with disabilities are experts in this.” 

Liu was always drawn to tech, and when she was in college, she networked as much as possible, approaching people and engaging with them about the field at conferences and job fairs. That is how she knew she wanted to become a Product Manager, or someone responsible for the entire life of a product, end-to-end. “I talked to a lot of Product Managers, some of whom were Deaf, and saw their experiences fit my own vision of what I wanted in a career,” she says.

She started her job search in earnest after her first semester in graduate school, landed a PM internship that summer, and had an offer at Microsoft by the end of it. She’s been there for four years. 

Huffman advises students not to underestimate the power of internships. “They’re one of the best ways to gain experience, build a network, and get your foot in the door. Start early if you can, and don’t be afraid to apply even if you feel underqualified. Tech companies are looking for people who are curious, motivated, and willing to learn,” she says. “Also, keep an eye out for programs and scholarships specifically for underrepresented groups in tech — there are a lot of great resources out there.”

Spigner emphasizes the importance of continual learning and improvement. She has had three mentors, each for a different aspect of her work. Liu describes how she goes up to people and simply asks if they will be willing to mentor her around a specific goal. Since there are still not many Deaf professionals in her field, she also notes that it can be a challenge to find a mentor who understands what it’s like to be in her shoes. 

Both Liu and Spigner have to educate people about how to work with them, since some colleagues have never worked with a Deaf person before. They both advocate for finding the right interpreting teams. It may take time, but there are opportunities to change work culture, Liu says. For instance, in her team meetings, everyone knows to pause and check in with one another before moving on to the next topic. Not only does that allow for interpretation processing time, but it also shifts the culture to be more inclusive, ensuring everyone moves forward together. “That’s standard practice now,” she says. 

With as many as 7-8 meetings a day with engineers, product managers, designers, salespeople, stakeholders, interpreters, and other teams, Liu schedules focused time for herself to do independent work and to take a break from working through interpreters. Spigner does the same.

Liu points out it’s important to gain clarity as soon as you don’t understand something – a skill students can practice starting now. She also wants them to forget about the stereotype of a lone individual plugging away at a computer. Diplomacy and strong communication skills are essential for understanding what the business needs and how to get there.

Spigner advises students to develop resilience: to learn to treat failures as learning experiences, and to reframe criticism as feedback for improvement. “Can you always be willing to learn, show curiosity, ask questions, and have discussions so you can come to agreements? This is super important,” she says.

Fortunately for students who would like to follow in Spigner or Liu’s footsteps, Gallaudet is a great start down that path. Gallaudet’s M.S. in Accessible Human-Centered Computing (AHCC) program “does a great job preparing students for these kinds of roles,” as well as working in research, says Huffman. The IT program prepares students to enter the workforce in a wide variety of tech fields, and they can choose concentrations to do deep dives into areas such as Cybersecurity, Medical Informatics, or Network/Database/Web. 

“I’ve seen DHH professionals succeed in all kinds of roles in tech—engineers, managers, researchers, designers,” Huffman says, “I don’t believe there’s any one type of role that Deaf people should or shouldn’t pursue.”