Sound Advice for Handling Hearing Loss at Workplace

NEW YORK —  The numbers are growing louder, even as the sound fades for more noise-battered Americans, most of them of working age.

An estimated 22 million Americans have hearing losses, according to the Better Hearing Institute.

During the next 25 years, 28% of all working age people in the country will have lost part of their hearing, if estimates by the National Institute on Aging are on target.

“The instance of hearing loss in the workplace is increasing for a number of reasons. Our environment is noisy. People are living longer and they’re retiring later,” says Nancy B. Nadler, director of job placement services at the New York League for the Hard of Hearing.

Moreover, the noise contributing to the problem is pervasive in the workplace, says Dr. Jane Madell, director of audiology at the League. “There are air conditioners, telephones ringing, people talking, typewriters and Xerox machines. These are not at levels above the limit, but they are factors above communication level.”

Federal law sets an 85-decibel limit for the workplace. The League and similar organizations around the country work with hearing impaired employees and their employers to help them cope with this increasingly common disability.

Ignorance about how to go about it is shared by employer and employee alike, Nadler says. The individual must learn to be more assertive about his needs, while managers need to know more about how to meet them.

There are few things that hard-of-hearing people can’t do in the workplace, she says.

If a person has difficulties, employers in most cases can easily accommodate them. Providing amplified phones and locating desks away from noisy areas are examples. Slightly restructuring the job so that someone else answers the phone is another.

But these sometimes have to be pointed out to the employer.

“Don’t assume that your supervisors are not providing support for you because they don’t want to. It may be that they don’t know what is needed,” she says.

She advises the employee to speak up for changes in office arrangements. If the employee needs a piece of equipment, such as a volume gain handset for the phone, find out model numbers and costs and pass that information to the supervisor for approval and action. If there is excessive noise in the work area, the employee should say so and ask to be moved away from it.

The job search for the hearing-impaired person is much the same as for others, except that every step of the way may be affected by the impairment.

Self-doubt is an early stumbling block Nadler sees often. Beginners may think they will be excluded from many occupations and don’t even know what to aim for. Another obstacle may be using the phone to make an interview appointment. Then there is the question of how early in the job search to reveal the impairment.

“Just think how nervous any person is when he goes for an interview. Imagine how it is for the hearing-impaired person with these other fears.”

An established employee has another set of fears--losing one’s job, being demoted, or not being promoted. The person may try to hide the impairment, withdrawing from interaction in meetings and with other employees, and risking being marked as unmotivated and passive.

Both on the job and in a job search, the best approach is to be open, Nadler says. While she advises against putting this information on a resume or cover letter--since it’s personal--she says the hearing-impaired person should bring it up during the interview. She points out that the employer legally can’t ask about it, but the candidate who initiates the subject and outlines accommodations needed will put the employer at ease and clear the air at the outset.

New and established employees can help educate their managers about the impairment’s impact with the help of organizations like the League or Self Help for the Hard of Hearing (SHHH), a national group with local chapters across the country. The League runs ongoing workshops for hearing-impaired employees and counsels employers as well.