Workplace accommodations and unmet needs specific to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify the workplace accommodations used by individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, to report the perceived impact of the accommodations and to identify unmet needs with respect to workplace accommodations. Method: Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing participated in an online survey. Respondents identified with one of four levels of functional hearing ability and selected from descriptions of workplace accommodations. Each selection was ranked according to perceived importance, satisfaction and frequency of use. Respondents also commented on unmet needs. Results: The most common accommodations were telephone aids (55%), co-worker helps (34%) and electronic communication (31%). Importance and frequency of use ranked high among most respondents (76% and 87%, respectively). However, perceived satisfaction ranked high among only 50% of respondents. The most common unmet needs were effective communication in groups and lack of co-worker support. Conclusions: Workplace accommodations are viewed as important and frequently used by individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. However, satisfaction with the accommodations is marginal at best. Unmet needs remain in the areas of communication in meetings, support of co-workers and the development of a more universally accessible workplace environment.

Implications for Rehabilitation

• Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing consider their workplace accommodations to be important and frequently used.

• Satisfaction with workplace accommodations among individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing is relatively low, indicating room for improvement in the design and application of such accommodations.

• Unmet needs for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing remain in the area of effective communication in meetings with multiple participants.

• Universal (or Inclusive) Design principles should be used to help reduce barriers in workplace environments and with respect to common-use tools in the workplace.

Keywords::

• Assistive technology
• universal design
• perceived impact of accommodation

Declaration of Interest: This research was funded by the RERC on Workplace Accommodations, which is supported by Grant H133E070026 of the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research of the US Department of Education. The opinions contained in this publication are those of the grantee and do not necessarily reflect those of the US Department of Education.

Notes

¹The unemployment rate indicates the number of people in a given population’s labor force who are not working.

²The ‘labor force’ reflects the number of people in a given population who are working or who are unemployed but looking for work.