How to Support Deaf and Hard of Hearing Employees

According to the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID), around 18 million people in the UK are deaf or hard of hearing – which is around 1 in 5 adults.

In a workplace setting, employers are legally obliged to provide reasonable adjustments and workplace support to those with hearing difficulties. Neglect this and you could face all kinds of consequences. Like, discrimination claims, compensation penalties, reputational damage, and losing valuable staff. For more information, speak to one of our expert Health & Safety advisors for free today.

In this guide, we’ll look at what deafness or hard of hearing is, what the law covers, and how to provide the best support to employees with hearing conditions.

What is deafness or hard of hearing?

Deafness is when one or more parts of a person’s ear doesn’t work properly. This can impact the main functions of their ear which are:

• Receiving and converting sound into signals for the brain to comprehend.
• Supporting physical balance.

Are there different terms for deafness?

Yes, there are different terms used to describe a person’s deafness. These include:

Deaf (using uppercase D): This term is used to describe people who are born Deaf. They were most likely Deaf before they began to talk. It’s highly likely that their first language was sign language.

deaf (using lowercase d): This term is used to describe people whose deafness is based on a physical condition. They may or may not predominantly use sign language.

Hard of hearing: This term is used to describe people who have mild-moderate hearing loss. They’re unlikely to use sign language as their preferred form of communication.

D/deaf: This term is used to describe everyone in the D/deaf community. Here, people will use all kinds of communication methods. For example, British sign language, written word, lip-reading, hearing aids, hearing loops, etc.

What challenges do deaf or hard of hearing employees face?

Depending on the level of their impairment, deaf and hard of hearing employees can face all kinds of issues in the workplace. Some of the most common challenges include:

Discrimination: Being treated unfairly due to their hearing condition. For example, not being selected for an interview because the employer doesn’t want to hire people with hearing difficulties.

Staff development: Not being considered for career progression opportunities due to their hearing condition. For example, not choosing them for training as the presentations doesn’t have subtitles available.

Employee relations: Facing communication barriers whilst working with colleagues face-to-face. For example, struggling to understand colleagues who are wearing masks.

Risk assessment: Finding work-related risks that affect their work duties, environments, and practices. For example, working in a noisy environment that plays loud music throughout the workplace.

Business changes: Struggling to deal with workplace changes and not being able to adapt effectively compared to others. For example, having to hot-desk every day and not being informed properly.

What legal rights do deaf or hard of hearing employees have?

Deafness and hearing loss classify as disabilities; meaning, these employees are protected from unlawful discrimination. That’s because disability counts as a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010. Under the Act, employers must make reasonable adjustments when:

• They know (or could reasonably be expected to know) someone is disabled.
• A disabled staff member or job applicant asks for adjustments.
• A disabled staff member is having difficulty with any part of their job.
• Someone’s absence records, sickness records, or delayed return to work is connected to their disability.

Any evidence of legal breach or negligence could be raised to an employment tribunal – resulting in employers facing compensation fines and business penalties if found guilty.

How to support deaf or hard of hearing employees at work

Employers have a legal duty to provide sufficient support to employees with hearing impairments and deafness. No matter what extent their hearing loss is, you must provide adjustments during their time with your business. Let’s look at ways employers can support deaf or hard of hearing employees at work:

Ensure recruitment processes are accessible

Start by ensuring your recruitment methods are accessible to all people – including those with hearing difficulties. This is a great opportunity to express how your business aims to support candidates with disabilities, like hearing loss. Employers can also:

• Highlight support within job adverts and interview processes.
• Offer reasonable adjustments during daily work practices.
• Offer communication support, like BSL interpreters.
• Promote suitable workplace environments, with good lighting and acoustics.
• Provide subtitles for online interviews, video conferences, and presentations.
• Arrange to have an in-house BSL or lip-speaker available during your employee’s work hours.

Provide deaf awareness training

People with deafness or hard of hearing issues will usually have learnt to adapt to the world. Despite that, it’s important to ensure all line-managers and senior management are able to support them during work.

Employers can provide deaf awareness training to help support deaf or hard of hearing employees. Direct managers will be able to provide effective, supportive communication methods for all areas of the business.

You can even assign a mentor or coach to support select employees. They can offer direct, real-time support, as well as provide the confidence to overcome issues at work.

Conduct risk assessments

Employers have a legal duty to offer reasonable adjustments for employees with disability conditions – including deafness. This starts from hiring stages right through to their last days of work.

Employers can conduct a risk assessment to identify all work areas that could impact employees with hearing difficulties. From your findings, you’ll be able to introduce reasonable adjustments suitable to their needs. For example:

• Modify work conditions to support the employee’s needs.
• Ensure proper communication support is available during meetings.
• Ensure all health & safety systems are applicable to those with deafness.
• Provide portable hearing loops or other listening devices during working hours.
• Make changes to work environments to minimise noise and disruptions.
• Provide support through BSL interpreters or lip-readers.
• Allow flexible working for cochlear implant or audiology appointments.

Use assistive products and technology

From Roger Pens to amplified telephones… We live in a day and age where technological advancements offer all kinds of solutions for people with deafness or hearing difficulties.  Some of the most popular assistive products and technologies out there include:

Radio aids: These have a transmitter and receive, which directly sends audio to a person’s hearing aid.

Streamers: These are used for accessing multimedia devices, like TVs and tablets.

Soundfields: These distribute sound evenly and consistently throughout a room, like a presenter’s voice.

Safety alarms: These produce loud sounds, strong vibrations, and/or bright lights to help deaf people stay alert during emergency situations.

Text relay and captioning: These include text relay, video relay, or captioning to help with communication through phone or video-calls.

Employers can also invest in hiring additional support staff to help those with hearing loss. Some of the most common roles include; sign language interpreters, lip-speakers, electronic notetakers, and speech-to-text reporters.

Support their career progression

When it comes to promotions and salary raises, employers must make decisions through justified, objective reasons. It’s ideal to support career progression for employees with disabilities – promoting fairness and accessibility.

Instead of defining them by their condition, highlight their achievements and records. They may have outperformed their peers – making them the ideal candidate for a promotion. Employers should ensure these employees have access to career development and work experiences.

You can always ask deaf or hard of hearing employees directly about what type of support they’d benefit from. Try reaching out to deaf staff networks who can provide executive sponsorship and support in the workplace.

Get expert advice on supporting deaf or hard of hearing employees with Peninsula

When people suffer from hearing issues, their conditions can vary – from having tinnitus to total deafness. Employers must ensure every employee who has hearing difficulties is supported through lawful, reasonable, and ethical manners.

Peninsula offers expert advice on supporting deaf or hard of hearing employees. We offer 24-hour H&S advice – helping you establish a positive, safe, and inclusive workplace environment for employees with hearing issues.

Want to find out more? Contact us on 0800 028 2420 and book a free consultation with one of our Health and Safety consultants today.

Sources

Prevalence of deafness and hearing loss | Royal Institute of Deaf People