First, I’d like to honor Tiara Mason to recognized #BlackDeafHistory month in Missouri! Tiara is a current president for St. Louis Black Deaf Advocate, first black Deaf secretary of Missouri Association for the Deaf, Inc., and works at Chick Fil A. Video Description: The slide shows the spotlight screen with text showing Deaf Success Stories Spotlight, A conversation with Tiara Mason at Chick Fil A is located on the right. Another black woman on the left is wearing white turtleneck sweater and blue jean jacket. She has a ponytail and she is sitting next to the black woman with black sister locks. She is wearing a grey collar short sleeve shirt with black long sleeve under neath it. The transcript is below: Sonya: Hello, guess who I am here with? I’m here with Tiara Mason. Tiara: Hi! Sonya: Tell me about yourself Tiara: I’m born deaf, born raised in St. Louis, MO. I graduate from Central Institute for the Deaf which is a deaf oral school unfortunately that school prohibited Sign language Growing up, I had no idea about ASL. I graduated from mainstream high school and I currently at Chick fil A for more than one years. Sonya: What’s your current position? Tiara: I work as prep cook team leader Sonya: That’s good! How do you like your job? Tiara: I really love my job because I really enjoyed do the same routine and easily to make salad. Its simple task that I can do everyday. Its nothing but yes! Sonya: That’s good! So where do you see yourself in the next five years from now? Tiara: Wow! Five years from now, I would like to promote one more position from here to see what will brings me here. Right now, I’m in this position as a prep cook leader is part of the challenging for me. I will talk about that later. I want more than this position… Sonya: Do you know what you want more than this? Have you decided? Do you know in life? Tiara: I know I want something outside of this job on my own time and own boss as an entrepreneur. Self employee. Sonya: What is your favorite part of your job? Tiara: My favorite part of my job is when team show each other friendly, respect, and communication which is so much better than before because they don’t know what to do and felt awkward. They will grab a pen and notebook to communicate with me but I became assertive to make sure they communicate with me and be a bigger person to come to them if anything. So far it’s been going well. Sonya: How do you communicate with your co-workers? Tiara: Central Institute for the Deaf(CID) taught me how to read lips, oral, and listens but as for right now I have a cochlear implant and hearing aids but at this moment I’m not wearing both hearing and cochlear implant. I have a voice to speak. I’m good at reading lips but sometime people who don’t move their lips its hard for me to read lips and hardly to understand them. If I don’t understand then Its easier to write notes back and forth to communicate. I don’t understand this or I don’t understand this language. Sometimes they will use dictate voice translator and it will show subtitles. When I have a meeting, I used videophone in a different room to rely on interpreters to interpreting for my meetings. It’s easy and convenient for me to have access communication. Sonya: That’s good! You have to communicate with others!