Deaf and capable - employing deaf individuals - includes related article

HR Magazine, August, 1994 by Barry Culhane, Jack Clarcq

Good communication is as essential with deaf people as it is with all employees. To this end, there needs to be an awareness of the language skills of deaf employees and the language levels of printed materials. Obviously, there are critical forms of communication: job instructions, performance feedback, company announcements, safety information and so forth.

The only way to check on the effectiveness of the information being transmitted is to ask deaf individuals to provide feedback. Like hearing people, deaf people vary widely in terms of knowledge, skills, attitudes and preferences. Supervisors and other employees will need to assess these qualities as they would with any employee. Work with the deaf person to see what communication approach he or she finds most comfortable. This can run the gamut from using a completely oral approach, to learning to use American Sign Language, to writing.

As with all employees, it is important to mutually establish job expectations. How interpersonal interaction plays out in the workplace is crucial to successful integration of deaf employees. The adjustments suggested can occur with a minimal investment, but they are essential components of a comprehensive plan. Talk is cheap, but real communication leads to real, productive performance.

Editor's note: The use of the word deaf in this article refers to the full range of heating impairment.

About National Technical Institute for the Deaf

As the world's largest technical college for the deaf on a campus of primarily hearing students, NTID serves about 1,100 deaf students from across the United States and foreign countries. These students are enrolled in certificate, diploma, associate, baccalaureate, and master's degree programs in a variety of career fields including business, science and engineering, visual communication, and imaging arts and sciences. NTID is one of the eight colleges of Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). Historically, about 94 percent of deaf RIT graduates have found jobs upon graduation. They are employed across the United States in business, industry, government and education.

A Checklist of Workplace Considerations

Things to think about with regard to hiring deaf individuals.

Before hiring.

* Ensure that upper-level management will support the presence and contributions of deaf employees.

* Select competent, technically qualified applicants.

* Expect the same quality of work as from all employees.

Before and during the interview.

* Provide a written itinerary if applicants will be interviewed by more than one person.

* Inform your receptionist or secretary beforehand that you are expecting a deaf applicant.

* Ask deaf applicants if they would like an interpreter and provide one if necessary.

Before the first day on the job.

* Prepare co-workers.

* Hold a meeting for managers and supervisors to discuss the best ways to facilitate integration.

* Determine deaf employees' communication preferences and arrange to retain an interpreter, if appropriate.

During the first day.