workplace
Tips for Working with a
Hearing Loss
Conceal or Reveal Your Hearing Loss at Work? By Katherine Bouton
The workplace poses a variety of issues for people with hearing loss at different stages of their lives and according to the severity of the loss.
One of the biggest challenges is applying for a job. If you have a hearing aid and/or a cochlear implant—or, for that matter, if you have any kind of hidden disability—and if you need accommodations, at what point do you bring that subject up? Writing Your Résumé
Almost all experts recommend that you not disclose your hearing loss on a résumé, just as you would not include your birthdate, religion, or marital status. People have preconceptions and prejudices about hearing loss, as they do about most disabilities. There’s a good chance you wouldn’t get past the résumé stage. That’s the only hard and fast rule. If you have mild to moderate hearing loss, your hearing aids are probably virtually invisible. If your hearing is good with the devices, there is no reason whatsoever to disclose the hearing loss. Unless it affects job performance, it’s nobody’s business. If your hearing loss is more severe, you’re faced with the difficult decision about when to disclose, how much to say about it, and at what point to ask for accommodations. For an in-person job interview, you may find yourself seated near a door to a noisy hall or next to a noisy air conditioner. Ask to move your chair, referring to the noise, or if the interviewer is framed by bright light, say you’d like to move so it’s not in your eyes. What if you find yourself in an interview with one of those impossible to understand people (mustache, mumbles, thin lips)? While most experts advise not disclosing a hearing loss during the interview, my view is that at this point, it’s probably better to acknowledge a degree of hearing loss so you can pull out your assistive listening device, whether it’s an FM system, a remote mic, or a Phonak Roger transmitter. Simply put it on the desk and explain what it is—and continue the interview.
Telephone Tips
Almost all experts recommend that you not disclose your hearing loss on a résumé, just as you would not include your birthdate, religion, or marital status.
The telephone is often difficult for people with hearing loss. Does your hearing aid have a telecoil (T-coil)? Is your office telephone T-coil–compatible? It has to be, per the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). You may need to flip the switch on your hearing aid to the telecoil program, but some hearing aids switch automatically to telecoil mode when they are in proximity to the receiver. Several companies make good landline– based captioned phones, and with proof of hearing loss, the Federal Communications Commission provides for a captioned phone for free (see fcc.gov/accessibility). Phone headsets can also be T-coil–compatible. I found, as someone who had minimally disclosed her hearing loss, that the headset was much more effective than the handheld phone. It was also much easier on my neck—no cricks from balancing a phone receiver on my shoulder all day. Cell phones pose different issues. Pay attention when you buy a cell phone to be sure its Hearing Aid Compatible (HAC) rating is high. The smartphone may be one of the best things that’s ever happened for people with hearing loss. Reading texts and email is easier than navigating voice calls. a publication of hearing health foundation
winter 2020
19
