| Hearing impaired people often encounter | | | | |
| difficulty at work | | | | noise from other voices etc. Eventually, he |
| | | | was moved to another |
| because their disability isn't visible. I'd | | | | |
| like to relate | | | | work group. This one had several foreign |
| | | | staff who spoke English |
| to you, briefly, the sorry saga of a young | | | | |
| man who has | | | | as a second language. It was also a work |
| | | | area where there was |
| recently been dragged through a performance | | | | |
| management | | | | background noise from air-conditioning and |
| | | | industrial machinery. |
| process, essentially brought about by | | | | |
| misunderstanding, | | | | No effort was made to advise the staff how |
| | | | much this fellow could hear, or how to deal |
| frustration on his behalf, and failure by an | | | | with him. Within weeks, there was more |
| employer to | | | | conflict and the hearing impaired man was |
| | | | suspended on pay and eventually transferred |
| make a 'reasonable adjustment' [Australian | | | | yet again.Unfortunately, the employing body |
| law includes the concept of reasonable | | | | was a government hospital, full of |
| adjustment which in effect means that | | | | professionals who are expected to be 'caring' |
| employers are required to make reasonable | | | | types, but who couldn't seem to extend their |
| adjustments necessary to enable employment | | | | caring to a fellow employee.The moral of the |
| opportunities for disabled people]in relation | | | | story is that if you would ask a one-armed |
| to this person's employment.The man involved | | | | person what they needed to be able to work |
| has been hearing impaired from birth | | | | safely, effectively and efficiently, why not |
| | | | do the same for a hearing impaired person? |
| having a severe/profound loss of a bilateral | | | | The simple answer is that people who are not |
| nature caused by rubella (German measles) | | | | hearing impaired have no idea what it is like |
| during his gestation. That is, | | | | and because it's an invisible ailment, we |
| | | | don't take it so seriously.The principle of |
| he hears high pitch sounds with one ear and | | | | reasonable adjustment requires that we make |
| low pitch with | | | | |
| | | | reasonable adjustment for people with a |
| the other. With hearing aids in a sound | | | | disability. All the |
| proof room, he has | | | | |
| | | | employer reasonably needed to do was to |
| around 20 percent hearing. But hearing aids | | | | conduct a meeting with |
| pick up all noise, | | | | |
| | | | people from the young man's work group and |
| not just speech.When in a one-to-one | | | | explain his level |
| conversation with no background interference, | | | | |
| he can conduct a normal conversation. To do | | | | of hearing impairment, what it meant and how |
| that, he has to listen intently (unlike | | | | to cope with it. |
| people with normal hearing) and read the lips | | | | |
| of people with whom he is conversing. His | | | | For example, if he had his back to you and |
| main | | | | you wanted to talk |
| | | | |
| challenge in life is that people who talk | | | | with him, touch him on the shoulder to get |
| with him one-to-one | | | | his attention; if the |
| | | | |
| think that with hearing aids he can hear | | | | area was noisy, indicate with him to move |
| like anyone else. That | | | | somewhere quiet, and |
| | | | |
| is far wide of reality.In one work unit, | | | | then talk face-to-face. They could have |
| staff with whom this man worked were told | | | | asked the man to explain to people what he |
| that he was hearing impaired ... nothing | | | | can hear, can't hear and how best he could |
| else. When people | | | | have been integrated into the workplace. It |
| | | | could have been that easy.If you are dealing |
| talked to him at a distance while he had his | | | | with hearing impaired people, be considerate |
| back towards them, | | | | |
| | | | enough to ask them how you can make the |
| he did not respond. Frequently, people | | | | environment better |
| became annoyed with him | | | | |
| | | | for them to hear. They'll tell you what they |
| because they thought they were being | | | | need and what |
| ignored. They would then | | | | |
| | | | makes it difficult for them.This sorry saga |
| shout. He'd hear the shouting and turn | | | | led to the hearing impaired worker being 'let |
| around to see a fellow | | | | go' with a cash settlement. The lesson for |
| | | | all employers of disabled people in an age of |
| worker with an angry look - it's hard to | | | | anti-discrimination legislation, is that you |
| shout without looking | | | | cannot afford not to manage these issues |
| | | | competently. If in doubt, get advice from |
| angry - try it. He'd then get angry because | | | | your Human Resources people or other |
| he would be confused | | | | professionals such as audiologists, |
| | | | psychologists, occupational therapists and so |
| about why the person shouting at him was | | | | on. It may save you a lot of trouble and cash |
| angry.Sometimes people would talk to him as | | | | in the long run.Copyright Robin Henry |
| they walked along a long | | | | 2005Robin Henry is a human resources and |
| | | | development professional and Internet |
| corridor, or when there was background | | | | marketer who operates an online business from |
| equipment working, or | | | | Central Australia. |