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