Photo: Leah Katz-Hernandez, President Obama’s Receptionist Who Is Deaf
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Arts & Entertainment / TV
March 29, 2015
10:12 PM MST
According to NBC News on March 29, President Obama’s newest receptionist is proving deaf people can do anything, such as working for the President of the United States. Leah Katz-Hernandez, 27, is the president’s newly-appointed receptionist, but she is not letting her disability hold her back.
Today News reported that Matt Lauer, anchor of the “Today” show called her “one of the most impressive figures in Washington.” That’s because Katz-Hernandez has the responsibility of saying who can and cannot see President Obama. The receptionist’s desk is just inches away from the Oval Office where she greets on a daily basis those including staff members and world leaders. Katz-Hernandez oversees the White House guest book, the Roosevelt Room and the West Wing meeting room. The young woman is responsible for collecting cell phones from visitors before they meet with the president.
The Connecticut native was born deaf to two deaf parents. Her mother is a Jewish, social worker. Her father is a Mexican-American who put himself through college and earned a PhD in spite of his deafness.
Fox News reports that this is not the first time Katz-Hernandez has worked for the president. She worked on Obama’s re-election campaign. When she moved to Washington, she was hired as an assistant in the first lady’s office.
While working at the White House, an interpreter is available to help Katz-Hernandez do her job, such as alerting her when the telephone rings. Those who have reported on this story say that if the president is known as POTUS, then Katz-Hernandez should be known as ROTUS.
Source: www.examiner.com/article/president-obama-s-receptionist-is-27-years-old-and-deaf
