The Ida Institute is pleased to announce the launch of our new Managing Hearing Loss at Work resource. This new resource is designed to provide information for people with hearing loss to support their communication needs at work.
Hearing loss in the workforce is quite common: There are 37.5 million people with hearing loss in the US workforce alone. As people get older, the likelihood of developing a hearing loss increases. This is especially relevant as more people delay retirement; almost 25% of people in their 60s who are still working have some degree of hearing loss.
Despite its prevalence, many people with hearing loss are uncomfortable raising the subject with their employers or colleagues. According to a survey among 1,000 people conducted by Action on Hearing Loss, more than 50% of people surveyed have delayed telling coworkers about their hearing loss. This could be because they are concerned about stigma, or because they fear for their job security. But being open about hearing loss improves communication and is a benefit to everyone in the workplace. If the dialogue about the needs of the person with hearing loss fails, many countries have laws in place to protect the person with hearing loss.
Managing Hearing Loss at Work includes a list of organizations and the different protections and accommodations available around the world. Ida has identified local organizations in more than 30 countries that offer information and support.
Ida has also assembled a number of supporting materials – including videos, articles, and a poster – with tips and experiences from people with hearing loss on how to make conversations easier in a busy workplace.
Managing Hearing Loss at Work is an outcome of our “Partners in Hearing: Learning Together” workshop. This resource supports the workshop’s aims to produce educational and awareness-raising materials around hearing loss.
Ida will continue to expand the resource by adding useful links and first-person stories from people with hearing loss about their experiences at work and how they manage in different environments. You can help us add to our list of resources by submitting information about organizations in your country. For more information, visit the Managing Hearing Loss at Work page.