{"id":2454326,"date":"2020-02-09T17:04:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-10T00:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/deaf-lift-operator-finds-home-at-breckenridge-ski-resort\/"},"modified":"2020-02-09T17:04:00","modified_gmt":"2020-02-10T00:04:00","slug":"deaf-lift-operator-finds-home-at-breckenridge-ski-resort","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/deaf-lift-operator-finds-home-at-breckenridge-ski-resort\/","title":{"rendered":"Deaf lift operator finds home at Breckenridge Ski Resort"},"content":{"rendered":"
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BRECKENRIDGE SKI RESORT \u2014 In 2018, Allison Cunningham decided she wanted to work at a ski resort. As a lifelong skier and snowboarder who grew up visiting the mountains from Denver, Cunningham said she applied for several on-mountain positions in 2018 at 15 resorts across Colorado.<\/p>\n

She ended up getting a job at Beaver Creek Resort as a ticket scanner, but she really wanted to work as a lift operator, something she said resort officials were resistant to because of safety concerns since Cunningham was born deaf.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was very stressful,\u201d Cunningham said about being a ticket scanner. \u201cBut it taught me to work outdoors all day, and it taught me customer service.\u201d<\/p>\n

In spring 2019, Cunningham applied for a summer job at Breckenridge Ski Resort, and in March, she started working as a mountain activities attendant.<\/p>\n

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\u201c It\u2019s a great step forward, and we\u2019ve come a long way. We have a long way to go, but I\u2019m impressed every day with how we continue to work through challenges together.\u201dDavid LittleSenior manager of lift operations at Breckenridge Ski Resort<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

\u201cThat manager was not afraid to hire me,\u201d Cunningham said. \u201cI felt good. It was positive. It was so supportive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Breckenridge spokeswoman Sara Lococo said diversity among employees, including those with physical disabilities, is welcomed at Vail Resorts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are committed to creating a work environment that provides fair and equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants,\u201d Lococo wrote in an email.<\/p>\n

Cunningham said that during the summer, she received two recognition cards: one for customer service and another for preventing an accident when a boy ran toward a moving chairlift.<\/p>\n

\u201cCustomer service and safety, that\u2019s what the lift operators want,\u201d Cunningham said. \u201cAll of my supervisors said they wanted me to be a lift operator. They asked me to stay for the winter, \u2026 so I applied for lift operations.\u201d<\/p>\n

David Little, who manages lift operations, said Cunningham went through the normal process of applying, and then he interviewed her several times with an interpreter. Little explained that he spent more time interviewing Cunningham so that he could understand how to help her be successful.<\/p>\n

Cunningham was hired as a lift operator for the 2019-20 ski season at Breckenridge.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe gave me a chance, and he allowed me to speak for myself and explain what I needed and what I could do,\u201d Cunningham said.<\/p>\n

Little said that in the process of working with Cunningham, he and the Breckenridge lift operations team have learned a lot about communication.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s been really proactive in communication with us, and we\u2019ve learned a lot on how we can improve our communication,\u201d Little said. \u201cIt\u2019s been a good learning experience for our crew. I think they\u2019ve learned a lot about the value of clear communication.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little said he\u2019s proud of Cunningham and the team for working together to better share information. At first, he said, they had to make sure the safety protocols worked for Cunningham. Now, Cunningham is diligent about making sure her fellow employees are safe.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great step forward, and we\u2019ve come a long way,\u201d Little said. \u201cWe have a long way to go, but I\u2019m impressed every day with how we continue to work through challenges together.\u201d<\/p>\n

In her first season as a lift operator, Cunningham says she feels at home.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach mountain has different personalities; each community has different personalities,\u201d Cunningham said. \u201cFinally, Breckenridge seems to really fit me well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cunningham also has worked with the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center as a student and snowboard instructor, and she is taking classes at Colorado Mountain College.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to get a bachelor\u2019s degree in leadership and management. That would allow me to be promoted and become a supervisor in lift operations at Breckenridge,\u201d Cunningham said, adding that she also would like to help expand the adaptive snowboarding program at the Outdoor Education Center.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just want to be in Breckenridge, period,\u201d she said. \u201cI love being outside. I love the people.\u201d<\/p>\n

via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BRECKENRIDGE SKI RESORT \u2014 In 2018, Allison Cunningham decided she wanted to work at a ski resort. As a lifelong skier and snowboarder who grew up visiting the mountains from Denver, Cunningham said she applied for several on-mountain positions in 2018 at 15 resorts across Colorado. She ended up getting a job at Beaver Creek […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2454326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-18 16:36:36","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley's Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2454326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2454326"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2454326\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2454326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2454326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2454326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}