Johanna Lucht
NASA Engineer
Introduction
Johanna is such was born deaf, which means she has had a hearing impairment from birth. As a child, she did not have any language access, which made her not communicate with others and read. Due to limited resources for deaf people in Germany during her childhood, Lucht struggled with communication. She developed an understanding of mathematics before acquiring language. At the age of nine, she learned her first true language, American Sign Language (ASL), followed by English.
Lucht had a passion for mathematics from a young age. Math was the first subject she truly understood in school, and it became her favorite. Her proficiency in math played a significant role in her academic and career choices. Lucht moved to Alaska, where she had access to more accessible programs for deaf individuals and exposure to the Deaf community. This environment allowed her to develop her communication skills and expand her studies in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). While studying computer science at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, Lucht received emails about a NASA internship program.
She initially hesitated but eventually applied and was accepted for the internship at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center. At NASA, Lucht worked on software management, developed instrumentation systems, and supported testing. She also occasionally gave presentations on working with Deaf people, advocating for inclusion and accessibility in the workplace. Lucht's most notable accomplishment mentioned in the text is her role as a systems engineer during a NASA research flight. She became the first deaf engineer to actively participate in a NASA control center during a crewed research flight. Her responsibilities included observing and evaluating data related to the aircraft's GPS and Navigation Systems.
Difficulty and how to overcome
Lucht faced challenges related to communication, especially in technical fields where interpreters might not be familiar with specialized terminology. She worked with interpreters who had technical skills and established effective communication methods, such as real-time visual communication during critical moments in mission control. Growing up as the only deaf person in her family was difficult. But Lucht believes it helped shape her into a resilient, patient individual. Plus, living with a hearing family meant she was exposed to a hearing culture very early on in life, so she was able to experience (and overcome) a lot of challenges, such as the emotional turmoil of being excluded from conversations.
“For some of my co-workers, it was the first time they met and worked with a Deaf person. They weren’t immediately sure how to work with me, and some were afraid to ask questions about anything deaf-related. This definitely can make teamwork challenging at first, and it took a bit to get the ball rolling. The best thing hearing allies can do is just listen. Deaf people often know their needs way better than hearing people ever can. I was fortunate to have close-hearing allies who asked questions, listened, and attempted to persuade those who didn’t listen to me. I also wish that some people who decided to ask deaf-related questions to hear people instead of me had known they could just ask me. They’re missing out on meeting an awesome, patient Deaf person.”
