Amanda Zubricki, RDH, BS
Amanda Zubricki, RDH, BS, graduated from Towson University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. After graduating, she spent several years working with special needs children. Amanda later returned to school to pursue a degree in dental hygiene at Northern Virginia Community College. She became a licensed dental hygienist in 2017 and has been practicing as a clinical dental hygienist ever since. She currently holds dual licenses in Virginia and Texas. Amanda was born profoundly deaf, but has never let it get her way! Amanda is a new mom to a beautiful baby girl, so has added motherhood to her resume. Amanda started a nonprofit called That Deaf RDH with a vision to ensure every deaf or hard-of-hearing person has the financial and community support they need to achieve their goal of becoming a dental hygienist. Outside of work and “mom-ing,” she enjoys developing and sharing content for her blog, That Deaf Girl (https://thatdeafgirl.com), advocating for inclusion in the general public and workforce on social media, and inspiring individuals alike.
How the Deaf Can Pursue A Dental Hygiene Career
According to Beltone, one in six people in this country has some form of hearing loss.9 Much research is available about how to treat or accommodate deaf or hard-of-hearing patients. However, there is a lack of resources pertaining to how the deaf or hard of hearing can enter the dental profession.
Prior to writing this article, I was hoping to...
8 Tips for Communicating with Deaf and Hard-of-hearing Dental Patients
The pandemic has placed more challenges on the deaf and hard-of-hearing community by making masks standard in most public places. A trip to the dental office can be scary for most people. For the deaf and hard-of-hearing community that relies on visual cues and lipreading for communication, it can be even more difficult.
Even mask-wearing in the dental operatory during...