Affiliations: School of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Health
Sciences, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada | Department of Primary Medical Care, University Medical
Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany | National Centre of Audiology, Faculty of Health
Sciences, Western University, London, ON, Canada | Institut Raymond-Dewar, Centre de Recherche
Interdisciplinaire en Réadaptation, Montréal, QC, Canada
Note: [] Corresponding author: Lynn Shaw, School of Occupational Therapy,
University of Western Ontario, 1201 Western Road, Elborn College, London, ON,
(N6G 1H1), Canada. Tel.: +1 519 661 2111 ext. 88971; Fax: +1 519 661 3894;
E-mail: leshaw@uwo.ca
Abstract: OBJECTIVES: The perspectives of persons who live and work with
hearing loss were sought to examine workplace accommodation challenges and
strategies. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of seven older adults with
hearing loss participated in in-depth interviews. METHODS: A systematic grounded theory approach informed the study
design and analysis. Categories of facilitators and challenges in the data were
identified through axial coding and clustering. Core categories of social
processes emerged through constant comparison and theoretical sampling of the
data to reveal the actions and interactions used to negotiate or implement
adaptations or workplace accommodations. RESULTS: Persons with hearing loss use a realm of strategies to live
and work with a hearing loss. Social processes used to navigate the challenges
to working with hearing loss and to manage optimal work performance included:
self-accommodation, self-advocacy, self-management of hearing loss, and
lobbying. CONCLUSIONS: Success in overcoming work disparities for persons with
hearing loss requires individuals to take control of identifying their needs
within the workplace and at home, and to negotiate for specific accommodations.
These strategies and processes draw attention to the need for a repository on
contextualized workplace accommodation strategies for improving communication
and hearing in the workplace. Further to this a best practice guide for use by
workers, employers, and work rehabilitation and health care workers is
indicated.
