A letter from Kathleen Foster in The Guardian dated 4 January 2023 highlighted the employment rate of only 50% for adults with disabilities and the reluctance of employers to make "reasonable accommodation", we are continually assured. To come
He points out that as people with disabilities we do not hesitate to work, but because the workplace is not accessible, it is often impossible for us to do so.
My own experience as a deaf person with hearing aids, finding a job after taking time off to babysit was not very positive.
Realizing that I needed to update my previous work experience in various administrative roles in local government and charities, I took up volunteering, further study and a number of odd jobs. .
In short, I kept myself busy and hopefully made my CV interesting in a saturated market where people are looking for jobs. I was always open about my deafness in the application form and not only filled out the equal opportunity chart, I mentioned in my summary paragraph that I am deaf and emphasized that it does not stop me from achieving my goals (or words). for this effect).
I feel like I set the stage for employers to decide if they want to interview me, and again make sure I only apply for jobs where I definitely meet the no man's land specifications and criteria.
I've had plenty of job interviews, and while I'm not denying that being 49 and a single mom brings more challenges (but why does it matter? I'm not alone in this regard), I get turned down all the time.
The interviews themselves are positive: I'm friendly, enthusiastic, and even if I don't have the right answers to all your questions, I hope you see enough potential to take me seriously as an "employee." Some of the jobs I've interviewed for involve the use of the phone, to varying degrees.
Of course employers can't ask me directly if I can handle the phone, but if they can, I have to say it depends on how clearly the caller speaks, how much background noise there is etc.
When the issue of using the phone arises, I stress that I prefer to use email whenever possible (it creates a paper liability trail that phone calls don't, which always makes employers say, oh yeah, good point). .
I minimize any inconvenience and never say that using the phone can be a problem, but I can see the fear in their eyes when they bring it up, like when they ask me how I do customer service when someone calls or in public. How do I describe my approach when I speak?
However, my speech sounds 'normal', to use that dreaded word, and most people have no idea I'm deaf because my hair covers my hearing aids and they tell me I speak fine.
We move on to other questions, we do the interview, and I'm always polite and courteous. Then, a day or two later, I get the inevitable email that says, "Thanks for the interview, it was nice meeting you. Sorry to say that..." and the usual unhelpful, unhelpful 'The other candidate was a better fit'. the bases comfortably.
Or, I guess, they're afraid to hire a deaf guy, even if his resume is decent, because… well, what? That deaf people can sometimes ruin a phone call by not hearing well and picking up the wrong information? Fair enough, you could say. Could this deaf person appear to be “calling deaf” or worse, “stupid” and giving the company a bad image? Who knows what the reason is. But whatever his reason, we'll never know, of course.
This does not make the deaf candidate any smarter or even closer to the place. Can "reasonable accommodations" be made to ensure that a deaf employee only needs to answer the phone in absolute emergencies, and at that point email, text, or video call will be the preferred form of communication for that particular person? Organization? ? I'd like to think so, but I've yet to meet any employers willing to make this adjustment.
Sometimes the discrimination shows even when I don't get hit. I applied for a freelance job at a garden center planting shrubs. I attached my CV, expressed my interest and filled out some fields. A few days later the garden center messaged me to thank me for applying to be a gardener and given my resume they thought I would be a better fit for their customer service department and should I give them a call? Book more?
I wrote back and explained that I was deaf but would definitely call her and talk to her. The next morning I left a message thanking them again and looking forward to hearing from them about the customer service role. After this complete silence.
A week later I received an email thanking me for applying to the garden center to be a gardener but they stopped accepting it. There is no mention of customer service work. They obviously didn't expect a candidate to announce that they were deaf, especially for a customer service position, and I guess they decided they couldn't answer. It makes me feel frustrated and angry.
They liked the look of my resume so much that they sent me a separate message and called me to discuss another position; But when they found out he was deaf, they got scared.
This is what we deaf people experience: fear, ignorance, and a complete unwillingness to consider the large number of highly capable and willing people who, given the right opportunity, would do more than any job available. So either they react with general dismay at the idea of having another candidate who better suits their needs, or they don't say anything for fear of backlash.
Which is the answer? I really do not know. In my two odd jobs, working at a school and in the hospitality industry (which is especially hard as a deaf person, but I do get confused), most of the time my coworkers know I'm deaf when I tell them (or more recognizable of them ). grasp). And they all make sense and fit together.
Sometimes it doesn't take much to repeat things and to remember to look at myself when someone talks to me. Instead, I will always help others and go the extra mile to prove myself. It is time employers shed their biases and stop accepting that deaf people cannot work simply because they are deaf. We're only as good as the next person, and that's saying something.
Olivia said: “I am a mother of two, deaf from birth, but I didn't wear hearing aids until I started teaching around the age of five, and when someone realized I couldn't hear properly! I grew up in a hearing family and went to a normal school. I haven't signed up yet, but I hope to learn at some point.
"I think a cup of tea is the solution to almost every problem, but if I could solve one of my favorite chronic problems, it would be making sure every movie and TV show is absolutely safe." And in the sink, please. . «
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