Download On the Job with Hearing Loss

On The Job With Hearing Loss
The Invisible Disability
Becky Morris, President, Beyond Hearing Aids, Inc.
Definitions of the Population
• Hearing Loss identifies someone with any type of hearing
impairment. A general term to encompass anyone with a
hearing loss, regardless of the severity of the loss.
• Hard of Hearing – individuals who have varying degrees
of hearing loss who are using their residual hearing to
communicate. Hearing aids and assistive technology are
helpful.
Definitions of the Population
• Late-Deafened – individuals who are unable to use
residual hearing to understand speech. Hearing aids and
assistive devices do not provide benefit. Most often do not
know sign language and use visual cues to communicate.
• Deaf – individuals who have profound hearing loss who
are prelingually/culturally deaf and use American Sign
Language (ASL) to communicate.
Who Are We Talking About ?
28 Million People with Hearing Loss
Late
Deafened
3.8%
Deaf
1.4%
Hard of
Hearing
94.8%
Fact or Myth ?
• Hearing loss is an invisible disability.
• People who are Deaf or severely hard of
hearing are less intelligent.
• Hearing aids correct hearing like glasses
correct vision.
• Hearing loss mainly affects older people.
• You can hide your hearing loss.
Fact or Myth ?
• The accommodation for hearing loss is an
interpreter.
• The person with the hearing loss will know
what accommodations they will need.
• I will know what an employee needs to help
them on the job.
• A hearing aid fixes all communication needs.
Statistics From SHHH
• ___________________Americans have hearing loss.
Statistics From SHHH
• One in every ten (28 million) people have hearing
loss.
• As baby boomers reach retirement age starting in
2010, this number is expected to nearly double by
2030.
• While hearing loss increases with age (1 in 3 over
age 65) most hearing losses develop over a period
of __________.
Statistics From SHHH
• One in every ten (28 million) people have hearing
loss.
• Nearly 38 million Baby Boomers between 40-59
will begin to face the challenges of hearing loss.
• While hearing loss increases with age (1 in 3 over
age 65) most hearing losses develop over a period
of 25-30 years.
Statistics From SHHH
• Only 5% of hearing loss in adults can be improved
through medical or surgical treatment.
(12,500 people have Cochlear Implants)
• While 95% of people with hearing loss could be
successfully treated with hearing aids, only 22%
(6.35 million individuals) currently use them.
Why People Don’t Wear
Hearing Aids
• The average time it takes a person to accept
and deal with a hearing loss is
.
Why People Don’t Wear
Hearing Aids
• The average time it takes a person to accept
and deal with a hearing loss is 7 years.
• The average cost of two hearing aids is
about $
.
Why People Don’t Wear
Hearing Aids
• The average time it takes a person to accept
and deal with a hearing loss is 7 years.
• The average cost of two hearing aids is
about $3000. Hearing aids are not covered
by most insurance companies.
How Hearing Loss Can Affect
Job Performance
•
•
•
•
Difficult to use the telephone
Difficult to understanding work orders
Unable to respond to emergency sounds
Very difficult to hear when background
noise is present
The Invisible Disability
How Hearing Loss Can Affect
Job Performance
•
•
•
•
Social implications that affect morale
Reluctance to participate in meetings
May appear ‘aloof’ or ‘stand-offish’
Perceptions affect performance as self
confidence erodes
The Invisible Disability
Lost Potential
People with hearing loss may not advance as quickly
as others because of performance and perceptions.
Many people who start experiencing difficulties
related to their hearing loss on the job will not
seek advancement (because they can’t participate
in training) or retire early.
There are better ways to accommodate than this !
Successful Accommodation
Steps
ATTITUDE
A less than supportive work environment impedes the accommodation
process and can actually become one of the identified challenges to
overcome!
Identify the communication issues in each of the job functions.
List where breakdowns occur.
Gather the technical information.
Seek help in accommodations.
Knowing when the phone rings
AM100
AMPX or AMPXB
Knowing when someone is at
the door
Silent Call Good Vibrations
receiver and Door/Window
Access
Hearing on the phone
M12
amplifier
HATIS Headsets
Hearing on the phone
PA25
HA40
XL30, XL40,
XL50
ClearSounds
Hearing on the phone
Uniphone 1140
CapTel
Hearing on the phone
Fax machine
Email
Alerting to the Fire Alarm
Silent Call Good Vibrations
and Fire Alarm Transmitter
Knowing when someone has
entered the office/store
Silent Call
Door/Window Access
and Transmatter Mat
Hearing Protection Headsets
Bilsom Headset
Hearing on a Cell phone
HATIS
T-Mobile Sidekick
Alternative to the Overhead Page
Private Page System
Stethoscopes
Cardionics Escopes
Common Sense Options
• Always use an agenda for meetings
• Use meeting rules such as one person
speaks at a time (use a moderator)
• Get person’s attention and move to a quieter
area
• Have at least one accessible telephone
Communication Options
• Sign language interpreter
• CART – Computer Assisted Real Time
Captioning
• Assistive Listening Systems for many levels
of hearing loss
CART
Projected for
Larger Meetings
One-on-One for
Small Meeting
Using an Interpreter in a Meeting
How ALDs Work
SPEECH
SPEECH
SPEECH
SPEECH
SPEECH
SPEECH
Microphone
Transmitter
Receiver
Courtesy of Samuel R. Atcherson, Ph.D.
FM System
Transmitter/mic
Receiver w/option
Photos courtesy of Listen
FM Listening Options
No Hearing Aids or In-the-Ear Hearing Aids
In-the-Ear Aid
Headphones
Dual
Earbud
Earphone
Photos courtesy of Listen, Phonic Ear
FM Listening Options
Hearing Aids/CI Speech Processors
w/telecoils
Behind-the-Ear Aid
w/telecoil
Neckloop
Silhouette
Ear Level Speech
Processor w/telecoil
Photos courtesy of Beltone, Cochlear Corp, Listen, HATIS
FM Microphone Options
• Transmitters
– Lapel microphone
– Conference microphone
• Receivers
– Environmental microphone/’Smart
mic’
– Conference microphone on receiver
Photos courtesy of Comtek, CentrumSound
www.BeyondHearingAids.com
Becky Morris, President
Beyond Hearing Aids, Inc.
463 Erlanger Rd. Suite 1
Erlanger, KY 41018
800-838-1649 v/tty
[email protected]