Refugee Services

Despite obstacles Catholic Charities employee thrives

 

Catholic Charities employee Yuriy Vasilkevich is a very accomplished person. He immigrated to America from the Ukraine eight years ago and quickly found work as a custodian. He subsequently learned to speak English in addition to his Russian and Ukrainian languages, obtained a professional job, became a United States citizen, and even earned a bachelor’s degree. However, he did all this despite the fact that he is deaf and can only read lips.

 

Vasilkevich has been deaf since he was an infant. Growing up in the Ukraine, his mother refused to let him learn sign language and taught him to read lips and to speak. “My mother wanted me to be a person who could talk and communicate with anyone,” said Vasilkevich. “She taught me oral language. It was not easy for her as there were no special programs to help me in the Soviet Union at that time. I was the first deaf person in the Ukraine to speak."

 

Today Vasilkevich works as a Data Entry Specialist for the Employability Status Program of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Venice. The program helps clients who are refugees to gain employment. In 2010 he passed his United States Citizenship test and received a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of South Florida.

 

Vasilkevich wears hearing aids that help him feel vibrations in his ears when people speak. His ability to read lips is so successful that he has mastered the skills to speak three languages fluently.

 

“My mother gave me a bright future,” he said. “I owe her so much. At the time when I was little and was trying to learn to speak, I was often frustrated. I went to regular school beginning at age seven and often struggled. But I also had an understanding teacher.” Vasilkevich’s mother eventually was asked for advice from the Soviet Union on how to teach a deaf person to speak.

 

“He is a very good communicator, “ said Slav Tkach, Refugee Services Director for Catholic Charities, Diocese of Venice and coworker of Vasilkevich. “Sometimes when I think I have difficulties, I look at Yuriy and he inspires me to work hard every day and continue to improve myself and take on challenges,” he said. “Despite his difficulties, he always has such a positive attitude.”

 

“My mother taught me that my future depends on me and it is up to me to make my way through life,” Vasilkevich said. “She is very proud of me.”

 

For information about Refugee Services of Catholic Charities, please call 941-493-8231.

 

Photo: Yuriy Vasilkevich.