There are many challenges in the workplace for Deaf individuals. These challenges include: Job interviews, training and meeting, oral/written communication, emergency preparedness, and stereotypes. These are the everyday challenges a Deaf individual faces; the common factor in all of these challenges is communication.
Communication is a very big very real everyday challenge for Deaf people. The struggle begins even before they have the job. The job interview presents the challenge of finding an interpreter. Sometimes there is not enough time or not enough interpreters available and the Deaf individual has no choice but to do the interview alone. This presents the challenge of Oral/written communication, Oral communication does not work the majority of the time considering the employee or applicant is Deaf. If Oral communication is not possible the option of written communication seems most logical. "However, this is far from ideal for many deaf
employees. For those deaf from a young age, English acquisition and,
subsequently, reading and writing proficiency are often affected." (Alan Parnes & Diane Currie Richardson). Another form of communication Deaf people use to communicate is body language this can only help so much. Most jobs require you to attend meetings as well as complete training. Without the proper accommodations this simple task can become very complicated. For example, the company may not always have an interpreter for meetings or training, this means the Deaf individual may miss valuable information on how to do their job properly. Putting them at a disadvantage compared to their hearing counterparts. This may also reflect in a company's emergency preparedness plan, if a Deaf individual does not know the proper procedure it could result in injuries or even death. "This training needs to be more hands-on with deaf employees, physically showing them escape routes" (Justin Johnson & Demand Media). Normally companies rely heavily on auditory alarms, and announcement systems during an emergency. However Deaf people cannot, there needs to be more visual alarms in place to ensure safety for all employees.
Helen Keller described the challenges best when she stated: “I am just as deaf as I am blind. The problems of deafness are deeper and more complex, if not more important than those of blindness. Deafness is a much worse misfortune because of the loss of the most vital stimulus --- the sound of the voice that brings language, sets thoughts astir, and keeps us in the intellectual company of man.”
Helen Keller described the challenges best when she stated: “I am just as deaf as I am blind. The problems of deafness are deeper and more complex, if not more important than those of blindness. Deafness is a much worse misfortune because of the loss of the most vital stimulus --- the sound of the voice that brings language, sets thoughts astir, and keeps us in the intellectual company of man.”