How to Work With Individuals With Hearing Impairments in a Paid Internship Program (PIP)

Strategies for Working with Individuals with Hearing Impairment in a Paid Internship Program

Levels of disability and ability are unique to an individual. Hearing impairment and other disabilities can affect the ability to perform effectively on the job or work site. Most accommodations are simple, creative alternatives for traditional ways of doing things.

This section includes examples and suggestions for career development staff, interns and employers. Following these simple suggestions will help people with disabilities to participate in work-based learning experiences while gaining work readiness skills. The concepts are by no means exhaustive. You and the interns you work with will have opportunities to generate uniquely practical ideas.

According to the Do-It website, some people with hearing impairments may hear at a functional level with the assistance of amplification devices such as hearing aids. Others hear only specific frequencies, sounds within a certain volume range, or nothing at all. Individuals with hearing impairments often use some combination of

• lip-reading
• sign language
• amplification to understand spoken information

However, people who are deaf from birth generally have more difficulty speaking and understanding language structure than those who lost their hearing later in life. Further, in a job setting, everyday noises — fans and lights — that are not a bother to hearing people may have a profound effect on the ability of people with hearing impairments to hear. Career development providers and employers should make worksite adjustments to allow interns or employees to maximize their learning potential and success.

Other challenges that individuals with hearing impairments may have are

• difficulty following instructions when delivered in large and open settings
• challenges if the acoustics cause echoes
• it can create some frustration if the speaker talks quietly, rapidly, or unclearly
• the individual may have some difficulty with following or participating in group discussions, mainly when they are fast-paced and unmodulated
• it may be difficult to simultaneously watch demonstrations and follow verbal descriptions if they are watching a sign language interpreter

Sample of Additional Strategies

Further from Jan Job Accommodation Network and Do-IT, the following sample suggestions can be employed when employers and career counselors communicate with a worker or an intern with a hearing impairment.

Face the person with a hearing impairment and speak directly and normally, as well as using

• Masks – Clear
• Communicate Another Way
• Notepad or White Board
• Speech Recognition Software
• Two-Way Radio With Texting
• Voice Recorder

Interpreter/Group Settings

• If an intern who is deaf is using an interpreter, talk directly to the intern, not to the interpreter. Focus on the relationship with the intern.
• Use drawings, writing, and gestures to assist you in communicating.
• Make sure lighting levels are adequate.
• Find ways to include the person with hearing impairment in group conversations fully. For example, repeat discussion questions and statements other participants make in a meeting or presentation.

Phone Access

• Telephone Amplification
• Captioned Telephone Calls
• Headsets – Hearing Aid Compatible, Amplification

Worksite Access

• Alerting Devices
• Noise Abatement
• Noise Canceling Headsets
• Established Routes of Travel for Heavy Equipment/Vehicles

Services

• Interpreter
• Aide/Assistant/Attendant
• Scribe/Notetaker
• Disability Awareness/Etiquette Training

The above is a sample of accommodations that can support individuals with hearing impairment. However, the most important thing we can do is help individuals with feeling seen and heard by providing a safe, welcoming environment.

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Sources:

Jan (Job Accommodation Network)   https://askjan.org/disabilities/Hearing-Impairment.cfm

Do-It https://www.washington.edu/doit/strategies-working-people-who-have-disabilities