Affiliations: School of Communication Sciences and Disorders and
National Centre for Audiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Western University,
London, ON, Canada | Institut Raymond-Dewar, Centre de Recherche
Interdisciplinaire en Réadaptation, Montréal, QC, Canada | School of Social Work, McGill University, Montreal,
QC, Canada | École d'orthophonie et d'audiologie,
Université de Montréal, Montréal Québec,
Canada | Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de
Gériatrie de Montréal, Université de Montréal,
Montréal, QC, Canada
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Mary Beth Jennings, School of
Communication Sciences and Disorders, National Centre for Audiology, Western
University, Elborn College, 1201 Western Road, London, ON, N6G 1H1, Canada.
E-mail: jennings@nca.uwo.ca
Abstract: OBJECTIVES: There is a paucity of knowledge about social
identity-management by persons with hearing loss. The objective of the study
was to gain an understanding from the perspective of the participants, the ways
in which workers with acquired hearing loss manage their identity in the
workplace. PARTICIPANTS: Twelve persons with acquired hearing loss, who were
gainfully employed in a variety of settings and occupations in three Canadian
cities, participated in audio-recorded semi-structured interviews. METHODS: A secondary qualitative analysis was conducted on
transcripts of interviews collected in a previous study on factors that
influence disclosure of hearing loss in the workplace. A qualitative
descriptive research paradigm was adopted and content analyses were used to
extract pertinent information from verbatim transcripts. RESULTS: Participants described a range of identity-management
strategies enacted in the workplace. Five recurrent themes emerged as important
considerations in the Art of Identity Management in the workplace: 1. Managing
the situation, 2. Having a buddy system, 3. Feeling comfortable, 4. Using
personal resources, 5. It gets easier with time. CONCLUSIONS: Social identity-management is a complex process.
Although persons with acquired hearing loss experience different challenges
from other persons with invisible stigmas, similarities in the range of social
identity-management strategies employed were evident in our findings. In
addition, the social cognitive learning model of disclosure appears to be
relevant to the experiences of our participants. The implications of the
findings emphasize the importance of all stakeholders working collaboratively
to address the issues of the growing population of workers with hearing
loss.
