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By Ann Balaban, Scholarship Committee
Being deaf, raising a family with three teenage boys, and completing the maximum hours the university allows defines Gregg DePorter's life right now. Gregg is one of the recipients of a Lone Star Chapter scholarship for fall 2004.
Before attending the University of North Texas, Gregg worked in mechanical/piping design with AutoCAD and MicroStation for 20 years. His hearing was deteriorating to a point that he could no longer use the telephone or sit in on vendor/client meetings. Gregg decided to change his professional direction.
Gregg chose technical writing because he "always liked writing about things". "When I took my first technical writing class, I knew I'd really found my niche in life!" Gregg says, "There is nothing I enjoy more than writing a set of instructions where they're not only easier to read, but they also look good in print and on the web."
Gregg is classified as a senior and will graduate in May 2005. He completed two and a half years of school in less than two years. He hopes to work in the construction industry as a technical writer, but if he can't find a job, he will continue his education with a master's degree. Gregg also finds time to volunteer. He has worked on technical instructions for the Keep Denton Beautiful Rental Center, and for one of his classes, an instructional manual on how to access the net for the Denton Senior Center. He was so impressed with the center and how the computer classes were taught, he volunteered to help. He also tutors a classmate with dyslexia. Gregg will start proofreading the Denton Bible Church quarterly magazine. He will also write a story for them next year.
When asked about being deaf as a technical writer and how he will communicate with his SMEs, Gregg says he will find a way. At the university he uses a CART (Computer Assisted Real Time) technician as his ears. She types everything that is said in the classroom and he reads it on a screen. He has a lot of trouble hearing voices in the higher sounds. In group settings he is totally at a loss because his hearing cannot distinguish the sounds. Gregg says, "With a hearing aid, all the sounds come in at once and overwhelm my senses." One of his professors says, "Gregg is an eager participant who is well liked by his group members. He is a good writer, but continually strives to improve". She says, "I continue to be amazed at his energy and good humor, to say nothing of his intelligence and good writing skills." Another professor says, Gregg taught his classmates how to cooperate with a person with a disability. However, he would never allow his hearing loss to affect his work. Gregg's group and individual projects were the best out of two classes.
Even though school and volunteer work take a lot of time, Gregg says family time is important to him. They try to find time each day to catch up with what is happening in each others' lives. He and his wife find time to themselves by going grocery shopping together. Once a month, they try to spend quality time by going out to dinner alone.
The STC scholarship will be a big help to Gregg freeing up some money for books and transportation.