Adjustments for deaf employees – a practical guide

Adjustments for deaf and hard of hearing employees are easier than you think. Here are some great tips to help create a positive work environment for you and deaf or hard of hearing employees at meetings or training.

General Deaf Awareness tips:

1. Attention – make sure you have the person’s attention before communicating
2. Make sure you are in a well-lit area and your face is not in shadow
3. Be patient – lip reading is difficult. Be ready to repeat or rephrase what you are saying
4. Have pen and paper ready to write/draw an explanation
5. Be ready to demonstrate where someone needs to go or what they need to do
6. If talking in a group, remember to include the deaf person and let them know the topic of conversation
7. Fire alarms – if the deaf person does not have a pager, let the deaf person know that everyone is leaving the building
8. Communication support – there are a number of ways to ensure deaf staff are included at meetings e.g. using BSL interpreters, note-takers or remote captioning. Ask the person what their communication preference is
9. Training – a deaf staff member is able to participate in training if communication support is provided
10. If a person uses BSL, learning basic sign language and fingerspelling to help facilitate communication at work. Useful signs for the office are listed at the bottom of this page.

Adjustments in an Office Environment

Before the Meeting

• Consider the layout of the room (i.e. circular seating) in order to provide good communication
• Ideally, use a room where a hearing loop has been fitted
• Hold meetings in a quiet, well-lit room
• If the deaf or hard-of-hearing employee needs an interpreter, make sure you organise this before the meeting.
• Let deaf employees determine the best seating arrangement to see the speaker and interpreter
• Assign a person to inform deaf or hard-of-hearing employees of important announcements

During the Meeting

• Point to the person who is speaking
• Watch for signals that deaf or hard-of-hearing employees wish to contribute
• Ensure that one person speaks at a time
• Do not pace while giving a presentation
• Speak clearly and slowly
• Do not talk with your back to the audience while writing on a whiteboard
• Keep jargon to a minimum

After the Meeting

• Have minutes or notes taken for future reference
• Review critical issues introduced in a meeting to ensure understanding

Adjustments for Training

• Use hands-on demonstrations to assist in training
• Allow extra time for communication when training
• Provide an outline of the training session
• Assign a mentor to work directly with deaf or hard-of-hearing employees during the training period

Equipment

• Incorporate visual aids, demonstrations, flip charts, written agendas, and handouts in presentations
• Use captioning on video clips

Adjustments In Case of Emergency

• Use a buddy system to alert deaf or hard-of-hearing employees to emergency situations
• Install flashing lights to work in conjunction with auditory alarms
• Review safety procedures, including exits and alarms. Deaf employees need a Personal Emergency Exit Plan (P.E.E.P)
• Use texting to contact deaf or hard-of-hearing employees in the event of an emergency
• Notify security if deaf or hard-of-hearing employees are alone in work areas

Work-related BSL Signs

A glossary of useful work-related signs are listed below:

Good morning, good afternoon

Last week, yesterday,

today, tomorrow

Interpreter, communication support

Watch how to sign ‘when’ in British Sign Language

When,

where, what, who

Me, you/him/her,

Desk, Laptop

book, paper,

file, computer.

Scanner, copier,

, print,Email

Source: National Technical Institute for the Deaf National Center on Employment / MK Deaf Zone