Episode 5: The Smoke Trail - High Flying Dialogue with Shireen Hafeez, founder Def Kids Code

- Shireen Hafeez, Founder DKC

Data from the National Deaf Center is clear: the deaf/hard of hearing community is unemployed, underemployed, and underpaid at an alarming rate. These trends are exacerbated in the tech sector. Despite having no intellectual disabilities, many potential deaf/hard of hearing employees fall prey to the “school to couch” pipeline, often due to a lack of accessibility and equity in the labor market.
 
But these discrepancies do not only stem from issues within the labor market; they also arise from a gap in education opportunities. Computer science education has skyrocketed, but for deaf/hard of hearing students, technical education is harder to come by. There is a major need for intentional accessibility within the computer science education space.

At Deaf Kids Code, we envision an equitable and accessible education system that empowers all students – no matter what physical challenges they might face. We believe that an education system that truly serves all people will inevitably lead to a labor market that does the same. We see the universal language of computing as the pathway to this ultimate goal. By promoting a genuine passion for computer science in deaf/hard of hearing education, we are equipping students with the necessary technical skills to not only get by in the tech world, but thrive in it. At the end of the day, we all stand to gain from a labor market that refuses to discriminate and allows each and every mind to flourish and change the world.

In Episode 5 of The Smoke Trail, Smoke hosts Shireen Hafeez, a fierce advocate and accidental founder of Deaf Kids Code, for a soulful, hour-long conversation sparked by a chance plane-seat encounter. From Sedona, Smoke sets an intention to deepen their flight-long dialogue—born of mutual openness on a trip to Indianapolis—exploring spirituality, leadership, and transcending adversity. Shireen, echoing this, embraces the organic flow, anticipating a transparent exchange to inspire listeners.

Shireen shares her origin story: her son’s late diagnosis of severe hearing loss at age 4—unmeasurable language skills despite intellectual prowess—propelled her into the disability world. Facing a “cosmetic” label from insurance for hearing aids and dismal data on deaf outcomes (e.g., education, employment), she rejected fear-driven narratives, believing deafness wasn’t a barrier. Her son’s school years—marked by superhero-themed hearing aids and self-advocacy presentations—ignited Deaf Kids Code, a nonprofit teaching deaf students STEM, design thinking, and AI literacy to combat archaic workforce development. Now 20, her son thrives at Purdue, researching quantum computing, a testament to untapped potential she champions.

Smoke connects personally, revealing his son Cameron’s eye condition requiring surgeries and a prosthetic, mirroring Shireen’s drive for self-sufficiency. They explore how adversity—Shireen’s multilayered challenges, Smoke’s past escapes—forges resilience when met with belief, not victimhood. Shireen’s mantra, “You are what you believe,” fuels her rejection of limits, while Smoke ties this to vibration: judgment-free openness attracts profound exchanges, as with their flight chat.

Spiritually, Shireen prays hardest in gratitude, shunning divisive “us vs. them” dogmas for a unifying faith in humanity’s shared essence. Smoke agrees, citing mystics across traditions, emphasizing transcendence over ego-driven separation. Practically, Shireen’s five-digit budget yields million-dollar impact, frustrating yet galvanizing her against systemic inertia (e.g., USAID waste). She finds joy in small acts—a four-mile pharmacy walk—reflecting inner peace. Smoke pledges support, eyeing Silicon Valley allies, and Shireen offers deafkidscode.org for engagement. The episode closes with mutual appreciation, a promise of future talks, and a call to embrace life’s lessons.

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Episode 5 aligns with The Smoke Trail’s mission, weaving Smoke’s awakening narrative with Shireen’s authentic journey, reinforcing its three content buckets—learnings, universal truths, and experiential examples—across spirituality, leadership, high performance, perfect health, and bliss, consistent with Episodes 1-4.

- Learnings: Shireen’s self-advocacy model and Smoke’s vibration insight offer tools, echoing Episode 2’s grounding, Episode 3’s presence, and Episode 4’s ego-parts work, fostering high performance via belief and openness.

- Universal Truths: Unity over division, potential’s alchemy, and adversity’s gifts build on Episode 1’s nonattachment, Episode 2’s congruence, Episode 3’s impermanence, and Episode 4’s fullness, with Shireen’s “no greater disability than believing you can’t” as a core axiom.

- Experiential Examples: Shireen’s pivot from despair to impact parallels Smoke’s healing (Episode 1), Sarah’s resilience (Episode 2), Jack’s rise (Episode 3), and Michael’s coherence (Episode 4), embodying “integrous” growth.

High performance shines in Shireen’s STEM revolution, perfect health in her son’s thriving, and bliss in her simple joys, fulfilling the podcast’s ethos. Leadership emerges—Shireen’s grassroots tenacity mirrors Smoke’s YPO influence, uplifting communities. Sedona’s calm enhances the spiritual tone, while practical calls (e.g., mindset shifts, advocacy) ground it, making Episode 5 a vibrant thread in the show’s tapestry of transformation.