Hearing impaired plumber elated over employment

Jan 14, 2019 News

I was very excited to work because being at home not doing anything was very difficult as I became bored and just wanted to work so as to earn my own money,” says 21-year-old Julian Sarjoo who was born deaf.

Julian Sarjoo

He was at the time expressing his excitement on his recent employment in the health services of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), Regions Four.
Sarjoo, who attended a Special School has also participated in workshops and skills training at the Sophia Learning Institute, where he successfully completed the plumbing programme. Afterwards, he sought employment within the RDC, and commenced duties last week.
According to him, too many times persons with disabilities are shunned and discriminated, rather than given an opportunity to showcase what they can do.
“I was very happy when I gained employment because it means that I am getting a chance to do what I can, to show them that I may be deaf but still can work very well.”
He confessed that while he has the ability to lip-read and depends on this skill and his knowledge of sign language to get by.
“It’s not very challenging for me, as I have an understanding of what the staff needs to be done. I am already clear of what I am supposed to do. When I get to work, I try to do my job to the best of my ability while maintaining great relationships with my colleagues. This job is very important to me and I have no intentions of doing anything to lose it.”
Revealing that he plans to marry his long-time girlfriend in the near future, Sarjoo added, “I intend to begin saving towards our wedding so I am excited with my new job. He is making all the required plans so they can go on their own after the wedding.
“My girlfriend is a seamstress and I am a plumber so we have already planned how we will go about our lives after we get married. I must say that our respective families are very supportive and my parents and three siblings help me a lot as they are really backing me in standing on my own, so I intend to begin saving towards our wedding so I am excited with my new job.”
Confessing that his family was prepared to assist him whenever they could owing to his disability, he feels that his deafness is no excuse not to work, noting that this is his opportunity to better develop himself. He also plans to further improve himself academically.
“I can only get better with training and improved education and that is one of my plans. My mother is very excited that beginning from this month, I will be earning my first salary as an employee within the Public Service and I am even more excited than her because it means that my girlfriend and I can get married and start our own family.”
His sister, Nandranie Singh was high in praise for her brother’s employer. She said that her mother and other family members are not only proud of Sarjoo but very thankful to the Region.
“He is deaf but as you can see, he is determined to work so that he can be contributing to society in a very positive way…Despite his deafness, he has a skill that the Region can benefit from.”
Sarjoo who is believed to be one of the first deaf persons employed within the Health Service of RDC Region Four expressed gratitude and hopes that other places will follow suit in what he dubs as the Region’s commendable step in employing him.

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