Affiliations: National Centre for Audiology, School of Communication
Sciences and Disorders, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario,
Canada | Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Western
Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Mary Beth Jennings, National Centre
for Audiology, Elborn College, Room EC2262, The University of Western Ontario,
London, Ontario, Canada, N6G 1H1. E-mail: jennings@nca.uwo.ca
Abstract: The number of adults with hearing loss who continue to work later in
life is growing. Persons with hearing loss are generally unaware of the role
that audiologists, occupational therapists, and vocational rehabilitation
counsellors might play in the assessment of the workplace environment and
appropriate accommodations. Three narratives of adults with hearing loss are
used to demonstrate the gaps in accessing information, technology and services
needed to maintain optimal work performance and productivity. The lack of
recognition of the multidimensional needs of older workers with hearing loss
and the lack of timely coordination of services led to all three persons acting
alone in trying to access services and supports. In two of the three cases the
impact of the hearing loss resulted in further unexpected losses such as the
loss of employment and the loss of a worker-identity. There is an urgent need
for partnering with persons who are hard of hearing to develop new strategies
for knowledge exchange, more thorough assessment of hearing demands and
modifications in the workplace, and interdisciplinary approaches to service
specific to the needs of hard of hearing persons.
Keywords: Hearing loss, hard of hearing, adults, workplace communication
