Factory Work
During the two world wars, deaf people found jobs in industries throughout the country. In Arkon, Ohio, the Goodyear and Firestone tire and rubber companies recruited hundreds of deaf workers. By 1920 nearly 1,000 deaf employees were in the Goodyear and Firestone plants. But like women and minority workers, most deaf people lost their jobs at war's end as servicemen returned home and factories converted to peacetime production.