For ten years, Jamie Berke has been producing articles on deaf and hard of hearing topics for About.com. Her chance to become a Guide almost didn’t happen.
“It was winter, 1997—not long after I graduated from Gallaudet University,” Jamie recalled the process of becoming an About.com Guide. “I received an email that I thought was a junk email from Mining Company,”
Jamie deleted the email, thinking it was spam.
Jamie received a second email several days later and this time, the email was more personal. After doing some investigating, Jamie learned that the Mining Company was indeed a legitimate company.
“The Mining Company invited me to be a Guide for the Deafness and Hard of Hearing topic.” Jamie explained. “They had found me on the internet after seeing my writing on other websites.”
Jamie accepted the job, figuring it would be a temporary thing. Ten years later, Jamie continues to be a central resource for topics covering deaf and hard of hearing issues. She is one of the few original Guides that continue to work for About.com.
“The key word is ‘Guide,’” said Jamie. “That means I provide information, answer questions, do research for people who need help, and point people to other websites, as well as writing my own content.”
Back in college, Jamie wanted to major in journalism or public relations. She obtained a degree in English from Gallaudet University. She went on to obtain a Masters degree from American University in Public Communications. In 1996, Jamie decided to switch careers and headed back to Gallaudet to get a degree in Computer Information Systems. By day, Jamie works with computers at a government job. At night, Jamie tends to her Deafness About.com website.
“One of my favorite articles is the one I did on discrimination during job searches,” said Jamie. That article can be found here: Job Searching Frustrations of Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
Jamie has written a series of personal articles describing what it is like to grow up deaf, covering topics such as teasing, hearing aids and American Sign Language. Jamie also shares what it was like to attend school without access to communication in the classroom. Her series covers twenty articles: Growing Up Deaf.
Jamie is also the parent of two deaf sons. Her personal experience as a parent of deaf children enables her to provide a unique perspective as an About.com Guide to parents with newly diagnosed babies and children. The parenting section can be located here: Families and Parenting.
If you have a question on a deaf or hard of hearing topic, Jamie is the gal to ask. If she doesn't have an answer for you, she'll scout until she finds one.
