A MINDSET FOR SUCCESS

Our colleague Harry is one of Vitesco Technologies' hearing disability employees. Despite this, he succeeded in adapting in different situations and workplaces. He strongly believes that as long as we have the right mindset, we can overcome any challenge. Read his story to find out what an inclusive workplace means to him, and how he adapted to mask mandates during pandemic, as a person who has relied on reading lips to communicate.

Tell us your story and how the journey at Vitesco Technologies started.

My career at Vitesco Technologies started in September 2019, when it was formerly part of Continental. My wife and I decided to move to the area to be closer to all three of our adult children, and their families. We agreed that having an „empty nest” was nice but being closer to our children was more important, and Vitesco provided us this opportunity.

What were your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

When I joined the Vitesco team, I had over 20 years of manufacturing experience and was well versed in different types of quality circles; however, some of the day-to-day operations were different. Having to learn these new systems was a struggle, at first, due to my hearing disability. One of the major factors that played into this difficulty was COVID and mask mandates. As a person who has relied on reading lips to communicate, I found that the masks now made this impossible. Thus, I had to learn to adapt and find new methods of communicating. Apps such as: MS Translator, Ava and even voice to text option via sending a standard text message, were all helpful. Unfortunately, a „no cell phone” policy made using these apps slightly awkward at times. My coworkers fully understood and accepted my unique situation with open arms.

Some people might not know how to treat people with disabilities. Do you have any tips to them?

Patience! Although those of us who have some form of disability may struggle in the area of our disability, we also have tremendous strengths in many other areas. Be patient and give us the benefit of being able to navigate our disabilities using new technology or other methods we find to be beneficial. Take the time to get to know the person with a disability, and you will most often find he is not much different than yourself.

What does an inclusive workplace mean to you?

For me, personally, it means have the same value for the company as every other employee, regardless of my disability. It means that company’s policies and procedures are flexible enough to provide the necessary accommodations for an individual with a disability to perform his job function or task, without judgement.

What are the abilities of a person with disabilities?

The human body is amazing! Although I may be deaf, my other senses are above average particularly my vision. It’s truly remarkable how our bodies can adapt to make up for the losses or disabilities that we may have. These adaptations allow us to succeed, as long as we have the right mindset.

If you liked this interview, don´t miss out on more of our employee stories.