Hearing Loss in the Workplace – 2008 and beyond…
Dean Olson
Introduction
Dean Olson
Workshop objectives
Learn new skills for adapting to hearing loss in your workplace
Identify accommodations needed for your hearing loss
Recognize when to “go for it” and when to practice patience
Traditional Workplace Challenges
Phones Meetings Training classes Interpersonal relationships Consequences of hearing loss
misinterpreted as performance issues Rapid pace of technology changes
20th Century challenges:
Phones Limited phone accommodations: Only
Amplified Phones Limited T-coil compatibility: frequent issue
with office phones
21st Century challenges:
Phones Cell phones Headsets Speakerphones Hearing aid compatibility (T-coil) required,
but installers often unfamiliar with what this means
VOIP using computer (VOIP=Voice Over Internet Protocol) uses much narrower dynamic range of sound frequencies
21st Century Technology Solutions:
Cell PhonesEnsure T-coil compatibleBlackberry optionLoop for T-coilIf hearing aid is bluetooth enabled, request
phone with bluetoothAsk for a Sidekick (or iPhone) for text
messaging insteadHave backup phone number, or messaging
system
21st Century Technology Solutions:
Headsets Amplification might be enoughCan use inductive coupling device (loop,
silhouettes)
SpeakerphonesSound quality varies greatly
VOIP phonesCan use inductive coupling device (loop,
silhouettes)
21st Century Behavioral Solutions:
PhonesLimit time on the phone to when your
energy level is higherSchedule down time after lengthy callsNegotiate for job tasks that require less
phone use; or ask for IM / email as an alternative
Insist on the best equipment, e.g. amplifiers for both the phone, and the headset accommodation
20th Century challenges:
Meetings Most were face to face – even when
participants flew to a central location Pace of business was slower
21st Century challenges:
Meetings Distance Meetings e.g. using internet sharing,
speakerphones, or podcast technology
Heavy use of projectors e.g. for powerpoint presentations
Darkened rooms Conference phones (even for local
participants)
21st Century Technology Solutions:
Meetings CART Remote CART Depends on size of meeting Microphone FM system for speaker phone, PA system
and TV/computer videos during meeting Direct Audio Input – CI patch cords or
audio cords / neck loops
21st Century Behavioral Solutions:
Meetings “Lights on” policy Agenda and minutes Buddy system e.g. someone to help if you miss
something Request face to face meetings, (avoid publishing a
call-in number for the meeting) Seating rules (head, side or foot of table best for lip
reading) Coaching to allow for best participation - sitting
across from the woman with the long hair in her face, reminding people not to talk with their hands in front of their mouths, etc.
20th Century challenges:
Workplace dynamics “Telling the boss” was optional, if a
hearing loss could be hidden Misinterpreting behavior / communication Inappropriate behavior
21st Century challenges:
Workplace dynamics Misinterpretation of performance issues More “at will – employment” i.e. can be
let go for cause with minimal recourse Cube farms and “over the wall”
conversations Increase in demand for multitasking Perceived favoritism if accommodations
are made Increased use of electronic alarms, voices,
etc.
21st Century Technology Solutions:
Wokplace dynamics Important alarms need to be visual (e.g.
fire alarms) Layout needs to maximize ability to hear
(e.g. fixed layout forcing “bad” ear toward the door – use alerting device, mirror, etc.)
Computer monitors: low EM emission to avoid interference with T-coil on the phone – usually a flat screens are good
21st Century Behavioral Solutions:
Workplace dynamics Education, training, coaching on needs of HoH
employee must be constant, once is not enough
Let folks know you can’t hear well over distances or cube walls – so they are aware to include you in important “impromptu” business conversations
Put people at ease with your hearing loss using humor
Develop friends/buddies, establish a network for protection
20th Century challenges:
Training Classroom setting Trainer who wandered around the room Trainer who sat down in front Trainer who mumbled, spoke softly, or
whose voice did not carry Background noise in classroom Teacher faced the board Noisy overheads
21st Century challenges:
Training Computer based training Podcasts Webinars Sound quality limited by computer Dark rooms with computer projectors
21st Century Technology Solutions:
Computer based training (CBT) Can be problematic – situation-specific Most CBT development software provides
for a text or ‘notes’ option which can be used to display a transcript of the CBT voice-over
In-house programs can be more easily modified than purchased programs
If headphones are required, use CI cords, neck loop or some form of headset
21st Century Technology Solutions:
Podcasts and/or Webinars Understand ability to hear voice-over Use headset, etc Assess computer speakers/sound, and
test before for most effective quality Ask if it’s captioned and ask again
Sound quality limited by computer Plug the headphones or loop into the
speakers, and not the computer headphone jack
21st Century Behavioral Solutions:
Training Advocate for equal access to training Learn the right terms (equal access) Let your boss know if you are unable to
complete the training due to inaccessibility
Coach those who provide the training on your needs
Be prepared to ask – over and over again Be the advocate at your workplace!
Work relationships Bosses / co-workers
Those who “get it” Those who we still need to help
Co-workers Office politics Networking Social behaviors and coping skills, per
Sam Trychin, PhD: “Coping does not mean success or mastery; it means doing the best that you can to deal with a problem.”
Workplace Ideas
Do you know what to ask for? Does your employer know what to
offer? Who is responsible?
Unsuitable jobs for HOH
High level of multitasking Use of multiple portable
communications devices (blackberry AND a cell phone, or pager and a laptop)
The Devil Wears Prada style Heavy telephone use Safety: police officer, fire fighter, life
guard, ….
Looking for a job
Phone screening Computer/Recorded screening exams When do you reveal your limitations? How much do you reveal? Focus on your abilities and not your
disabilities
When hearing loss happens at work….
Baby Boomers most at risk What will you do? Will you retire earlier than planned
and be a statistic? Will you learn how to ask for what you
need, and be prepared to educate your employer & coworkers etc.?
Final Thoughts – from 12 March 2008 NY Times re: NY Governor Patterson
Mr. Paterson, who has completed the New York City Marathon, has said that his “truest disability has been my ability to overcome my physical disability.”
“As soon as people see that I can be independent, then they hold me to the standard that everyone else is,” he said. As a result, “I don’t act the way I did when I was 17, like I can do everything myself, because I realized the minute I do that, no one helps me. So I learned to be a little more pragmatic about life.”
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