Workers at Monument UPS facility learn ASL to improve communication and performance with deaf co-worker

MONUMENT, Colo. (KRDO) -- UPS can be a hectic, demanding job with countless numbers of packages being processed and sorted every day.

So, imagine how much more challenging it might be for someone who's speech-impaired, hearing-impaired, or both.

But George Emfinger, who was born deaf, is making it work -- thanks to cooperation with his co-workers.

Emfinger, 51, started working at the UPS facility in Monument nine months ago; shortly after he began, a group of his fellow employees asked if he could teach them some basic sign language to help them communicate with each other.

The collaboration seems to be working well.

"I think it helps him more than it helps us," said employee Carson Poe. "But we can all understand each other a little better. And it helps us get to know him better, too. We're learning that he's a great guy with a sense of humor."

A manager at the facility said that speech-impaired and/or hearing-impaired people have occasionally applied for jobs there.

"But it can be frustrating," Julian Osisek explained. "They end up leaving because of attendance issues, or because they can't meet the requirements of the job."

George has been an exception; he made it through the application and hiring process without needing an interpreter because he was able to read paperwork or captions on videos.

"It's hard for people like me to find good jobs," Emfinger said, through an interpreter. "We can't find good jobs or we're not motivated to work because we think no one will give us a chance."

Some of his co-workers already knew varying levels of sign language, and those who didn't said that they were motivated to learn more.

"Because you never know when you might need it," said Paula Frohnapfel, a 15-year employee who learned sign language while growing up in Wyoming.