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.”