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Can Do Anything

Through the #CanDoAnything project, the Commission has been spotlighting deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing individuals all around Minnesota, sharing their stories of employment, and in some cases, retirement after a successful employment journey. These stories were shared across the Commission’s social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

The #CanDoAnything project showcases people who are deaf, deafblind, or hard of hearing at work, giving them an opportunity to share what they do at their jobs and explain how communication access works for them. This campaign shows what our community can do, which is anything!

Who this impacts

  • Deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing Minnesotans
  • Parents and families of deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing children
  • Educators of deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing students
  • Prospective employers seeking to hire deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing employees

Solution

The Commission kicked off the campaign to share employment stories of successful deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing individuals to share their experiences gaining employment, facing barriers in the workplaces, and how they worked through those challenges, and the advice they share with their fellow community members about working and life in general. 

These stories have connected potential employees with future employers, led to volunteer opportunities, helping folks make new connections in their ever-growing networks of community connections, among others. This presented the opportunities for the deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing community to “meet” new members of their community and see what old connections have been up to - which kept the community connected on a virtual platform during the  pandemic. The Commission continues to share these stories on their social media platforms, and now have made them available here on the website. 

Who was involved

  • Sarah Arana, Outreach and Civic Engagement Specialist
  • Jaemi Hagen, Communications Specialist
  • Kaitlyn Mielke, Communications Specialist
  • Maya Larson, Administrative and Communications Specialist
  • Anne Sittner Anderson, Director of Communications
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