His work revolves around contexts related to deaf and hard of hearing persons and their mental well-being from childhood to end of life.

[4] At the New Mexico School for the Deaf, Hamerdinger worked as a child therapist beginning in 1989, establishing a then novel in-school mental health program.

[6] In 2021, Hamerdinger was presented with the Boyce R. Williams Award in recognition of a lifetime of exemplary contributions that lead to the improvement in the lives of deaf people in the rehabilitation and behavioral health arenas.

[7] He is the recipient of the 2015 Frederick C. Schreiber Award that recognizes individuals for exemplary work in government service for specialized programs for deaf and hard of hearing populations.

"[9] He was presented with the Knights of Flying Fingers award by the National Association of the Deaf and Mental Health Subcommittee in 2016 and elected to the board of directors of NAD in 2018.