Michael turned back to me. “It’s not often we have staff who can communicate so effectively, especially in sign language. I hope you don’t mind, but I’d like to talk more with you about your experiences here and how we can make our company more inclusive.”

His words left me stunned. Not only was I not getting fired, but the CEO wanted to speak with me about inclusivity. It was more than I had ever hoped for.

“Of course,” I said, finding my voice. “I’d be happy to share any insights I might have.”