How to calm A Nervous Employer

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How To Calm A Nervous Employer

March 1, 2006

One of the trickiest parts of the deaf employment puzzle is dealing with the concerns and apprehensions of hearing employers. Because deafness is so rare in the general population, meeting, interviewing and hiring a deaf employee is a new experience for most hearing managers. They're often nervous and unsure - they've read or heard scary stories about interpreting and accommodation costs, lawsuits, communication problems. Even after being convinced you qualify for a position, there may be some hesitation.
Every job applicant expects questions about their experience, ability and knowledge. Deaf and hard of hearing applicants may get additional questions related to communication. There are managers who genuinely want to hire deaf and hard of hearing employees, but they need help to understand how to make it work out for everyone involved.
The better prepared you are to answer their questions, the better your chances of getting the job.
So how do you prepare? First you need to decide what you want to say, and then think about how you want to say it.
Fortunately, many others have been down this path before, and you can learn from them. Once again, the Internet is your friend.
For example, copywriter Pat Pawling has a page on his website that explains what VRS is, how it works, and how it benefits both employers and deaf and hard of hearing workers. It's colorful, well designed, and easy to read and understand. Points are made clear with photos and illustrations. It's exactly what a prospective employer needs - clarity and reassurance that there are effective communication tools for the workplace. You'll need the free Adobe Reader program to view and print it.
Hearing people everywhere are often fascinated by ASL and they're eager to learn when the opportunity arises. You can make that interest and enthusiasm work for you. Point your new boss and co-workers to the free, online ASL University to help them get a sense of what ASL is all about. The site won't teach them how to sign, but it can help keep their interest alive while you teach them a little bit each day. Typically, some of your co-workers will lose interest after a while, and some will really get into it and learn a lot. The key thing is to keep encouraging them.
It's always helpful to have a signing, hearing contact in a hearing workplace, especially if they can keep you informed about office politics.
One of the best overall guides I've seen for employers is on a deaf services agency website in Manitoba, Canada. Called Including Deaf People in the Workplace, It includes a section on speechreading, which is great for when you get that inevitable question - "Can you lipread?". It's always an awkward question to answer, because you know it usually means the person asking would really prefer to continue talking rather than adjust to a new method of communicating. This section does a good job of explaining the limitations of lipreading/speechreading, and how to use it effectively with hard of hearing workers who can make the most of it.
Another excellent guide, titled The Supervisor's Guide to Effective Communication with a Deaf Employee is from the Deaf Community Advocacy Network - DeafCan - in Michigan. An excerpt:
BEING LEFT OUTThere is nothing more frustrating to Deaf employees than to see a conversation, laughing, an announcement and when they ask what it is all about, they are told, "It wasn't important." Let that valuable decision be placed in the hands of the Deaf employee. Deaf employees need access to what is happening in the world just like hearing employees do. And, while the supervisor may think nothing of hearing employees "chatting" as they work, or listening to the radio, Deaf employees are often reprimanded for "chatting" with fellow Deaf employees.
SOLUTION: Take time to "fill in" the Deaf employee. A lot of office "talk" is important.
Another approach - Thomas David Yim, a deaf job seeker in California, created his own Frequently Asked Questions page for potential employers. One example:
How can you get my attention when you see me?
Yelling is not necessary; instead, you can tap my shoulder, ask someone to tap my shoulder, pound on a floor or knock on a table to make vibrations for me to feel, or flicker a light.
Finally, it may be helpful to quote Canadian Supreme Court Justice Rosalie Abella, who said:
Sometimes equality means treating people the same despite their differences, and sometimes it means treating them as equals by accommodating their differences.
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http://www.pawling.net/Call.pdf