Ramadon explains the experience of being a ride-share driver - have you been in a Lyft or an Uber with a deaf driver before? How was your experience!? #DeafAtWork #NDEAM

[VIDEO DESC & TRANSCRIPT: Ramadon is standing in front of cars, the Golden Gate Bridge is in the background. The NAD logo is on the bottom right corner.

RAMADON: I first joined Lyft as a driver in 2013, I think there were only five of us who were deaf at the time. Soon after that, the number of deaf Lyft drivers increased! Of course, there was a rough beginning in terms of communicating with the riders. Some of the riders had never met a deaf person before so some of them thought deaf people shouldn’t drive. Yet at the same time, with the increasing number of deaf drivers, we were able to share feedback to do something simple with a click of a button to notify riders their driver was deaf. Lyft took our input and developed something. It was much easier after that!

Ramadon seated inside his car putting up the Lyft notification bar on the dashboard. Next clip, Ramadon is opening the Lyft app on his phone while seated in his car. In the center, a white border surrounds white text “RAMADON” underneath, appears in white text “RIDE-SHARE DRIVER.”

RAMADON: Hello, my name is Ramadon Furgon and I work with Lyft as a driver.

Black and white clip of Ramadon seated in his car driving.

RAMADON: I’m from here, San Francisco, born and raised. I was mainstreamed in public school from kindergarten until middle school. After that, I went to the California School for the Deaf in Fremont.

Black and white clip of Ramadon’s hand on the steering wheel.

RAMADON: When people sit in the backseat of your car, it’s harder to communicate with them but because the app already told them I’m deaf, I feel at ease. As soon as they get in, it’s go time. I enjoy it, it’s easy and you’re not required to put much effort in communicating with your riders. Sometimes, I start with simply writing down, “how are you?” or give them a fistbump. Most of my riders are going to work, taking personal or business rides -- people use Lyft for many reasons.

Black and white clip of Ramadon in the driver’s seat driving.

RAMADON: First, I drop my kids off at school then get some driving hours logged in, during the mornings and afternoons. Whenever I’m ready, I just change my status to “ON.” I usually take my riders home to work or from work to home. On the weekends, I usually take my riders to the clubs! No one drives drunk and people can leave their cars at home. I pick them up and drop them off at the clubs. It saves their time and it’s safer.

Black and white clip of Ramadon opening the Lyft app while seated in the driver’s seat.

RAMADON: Grab the opportunity to sign up as a ride-share driver, most college students do this as an extra source of money, like a side job.

Black and white clip of Ramadon driving around in his car. White text appears at the bottom center, “The convenience of working as a ride-share driver can pay for the food on the table and pay off your tuition.” Light blue text “- Ramadon” and a light blue line outlines the left side of the text.

RAMADON: The ride-share apps do a background check to make sure you have a clean background. They check if you have any DUI charges. They’re really strict with this and have policies to ensure the safety of the drivers and riders. You can get started by downloading the app, either Lyft or Uber, whichever one you prefer -- or even both! You can work for both at different times. You don’t need a schedule, you’re on your own -- you’re your own boss!

Black and white clip of Ramadon’s phone with the Lyft app open.

RAMADON: The number one thing to do is to be friendly! Be deaf-friendly and ask how they’re doing. They love learning some basic signs like “thank you” and “you’re welcome.” Just keep it simple and they will be comfortable and friendly around you!

Black and white clip of Ramadon driving. Video cuts to a gray background. Many small red and blue balls appear and swirl towards the center of the video before revealing the NAD logo in red, blue, and white with a water ripple effect. The copyright text appears in white underneath, “National Association of the Deaf, Copyright 2021, All Rights Reserved.”]