Prabin moved from Nepal to Australia during his primary school years. Born Deaf, he was fluent in American Sign Language and Nepalese when he first arrived in South Australia and quickly began learning Auslan (Australian Sign Language) and English.
At 18 years old, when Prabin was struggling to find employment, he met Naomi, an Employment Consultant from WISE Employment at a Deaf Youth Club. The two struck up a conversation and Naomi shared an information pack detailing all the work WISE does as an employment and disability service provider. One year later, Prabin got back in touch with Naomi and they started their journey together to find him employment.
Attempting to juggle four languages, Prabin was experiencing significant communication barriers. Naomi – a proud Deaf woman herself – worked immensely hard with him to secure employment that would be suitable to his needs.
Prabin joined Conroy’s Meats as a cleaner, working three hours each shift alongside an Auslan interpreter to support him in the early stages.
Along with organising the application, Naomi helped with employment assistance funding, booking interpreters, and purchasing all of Prabin’s workwear, thermals and boots for the new job. Visual training was also helpful for Prabin to ensure the employer could clearly communicate different hygiene and safety practices.
“It wasn’t too long until Prabin requested frequent work and more hours. His employer was thrilled to see this enthusiasm and eventually began offering him extra shifts,” says Naomi.
The Conroy’s team saw a lot of potential in Prabin, promoting him to packing meats and other back-of-house duties. He now works across two areas of the business, ensuring the workplace is clean and safe and is now equipped in knife safety to help others in the business where he can.
“Conroy’s are a very good team and they always make sure I understand what is happening around me at work. I know I can ask for help if I’m ever unsure, and really enjoy working for Conroy’s,” says Prabin.
Further to securing Prabin’s employment, Naomi has gone above and beyond supporting his employer on-site by assisting with the staff newsletter – something that also includes tips when working with people from the Deaf community.
The Convo Australia App, which launched last year, has been a great help to Naomi and Prabin. It allows people to have access to an interpreter anytime, anywhere, at the press of a button. Slowly but surely, technology is helping break down communication barriers.
“I’m just in the background supporting along the way. Honestly, he is doing it all himself and really does have the right attitude. Yes, the language barriers are there, but he now tells himself ‘how will I work around this?’ which is a brilliant thing to see. Deaf people are some of the hardest working people I know, and a lot of employers can be hesitant, but I try to tell them with modern technology and a bit of understanding things are so much easier,” says Naomi.
Prabin has come a long way with WISE, maturing and growing in such a short time. With Naomi’s support, he recently passed his driver’s license test and was able to buy his very own car.
“I get goosebumps every time I talk about him, just seeing him flourish is so admirable,” adds Naomi.
Naomi believes Prabin’s bright attitude, commitment and willingness to adapt will make him successful in anything he strives to achieve.
“I feel like a new person. I feel more independent and more confident and my Deafness does not stop me from enjoying life,” reflects Prabin.
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