The coffee shop was busy today. Nearly every table was cluttered with laptops and stacks of books. Caleb considered himself lucky to have nestled into a two person table in the far right corner of the shop, prime real estate. There were several long “community” tables, but these were best to be avoided, as sitting there was an open invitation to annoyance.
Taking a long drink from his coffee he opened his laptop and logged onto work. This morning was his weekly call with the new project manager Frank. This guy -- what a headache. Caleb spent more time documenting his work than actually working.
He opened up his Video Relay Service (VRS) app and clicked on his boss’ name. Caleb’s stomach churned. Frank was a true idiot and Caleb wasn’t sure if Frank thought that he was a bad programmer because he was Deaf or if Frank was just out to get him. The friendly interpreter appeared on the screen signing “Hello.” “Good morning.” Caleb signed back, glad his boss couldn’t see his grimace. When Frank insisted they have weekly video chats every Thursday to “ensure maximum productivity and accountability” Caleb didn’t realize it meant an hour long call demeaning him and criticizing his work. At first, Frank wanted a regular Skype call where they could talk over chat so Frank could actually see him face to face - bright and early! But, Frank kept speaking rather than typing out his questions while expecting Caleb to read his lips over the often blurry connection. Finally, Frank allowed Caleb to use a VRS, but he didn’t like it. Caleb had been telecommuting for years and was one of the company’s brightest coders. This remedial treatment was grating on his last nerve.
One hour and exactly 7 minutes later Caleb’s head was pounding and he could feel every angry heartbeat in his fingers. After explaining the how and why of every code change he had submitted he was asked to rewrite half of it. “Re-write 3,000 lines of code!?” Caleb kept playing it through his head. He wondered if the interpreter spoke what he was saying as angrily as he was signing it.
