Employment Essay, Research Paper

What is the purpose of a career? A career provides a

framework for life development; a sort of independence one

can have in his or her life. Employment provides a person

with the opportunity for social interaction and a salary

with which to provide the resources needed to survive.

Finding a job in America is not an easy task to say the

least.

So what are the odds of a hearing impaired person

finding a job that is both of interest and ability level?

If one is deaf the chances of finding a job are less than

optimal. One that is deaf or hard of hearing must overcome

prejudices and gain acceptance in order to become successful

at their chosen career. Studies have shown that a majority

of deaf workers are not in their particular career field out

of choice.

So then, what types of professions are those of the

deaf community occupying? Many of the jobs that the deaf

hold are “generally unskilled, semiskilled or otherwise

manual occupations. Those that are of lost job security and

little opportunity for advancement beyond entry-level.

Those that pay low wages, primarily paying approximately 72%

as much as the average hearing worker in the labor force.”

(Boone 1988) In the past, the career that most deaf people

fall into is in some way related to printing, which

according to Crammatte is not a professional occupation

because those of the deaf community that are in professional

occupations are “a rare and anomalous group of workers.”

(Crammatte 1988) As well, the printing jobs are not by

choice per say, but rather a job they are able to do because

they are able to sustain the loud noises associated with

printing without it affecting their work performance.

(Crammatte 1988) The idea of the deaf not being able to

speak, write intelligibly, or comprehend technical materials

is also a continuing stereotype that hinders the employment

of the dear (Fritz 1995).

How does one go about finding a job? It is either by

informal or formal means. Many hear about jobs through

friends and ads, thus being informal. While others send out

mass amounts of resumes to various companies in hopes of job

openings. So if a deaf person is seeking a job and hears

about it through another deaf friend, wouldn’t it seam

likely that the job would be in some way relevantly related

to the one that that person held, thus leading to even more

deaf people in that particular field. This was found to be

the case in the study conducted by Coye (Crammatte 1987).

The study found that over half of the people employed in the

deaf community were employed by the result of personal

contacts during the job finding process. Next in line for

finding jobs was placement by employment agencies,

rehabilitation counselors and other placement agencies. As

a last resort approximately 16% of the people surveyed in

Crammatte’s study found employment through direct

application in which they would send a resume to a company

without knowing if any jobs were available beforehand.

Now that the person has heard about the job how does he

or she go about getting the job? Lets look at a few

prominent factors that are related to the job searching

process. The number one factor would seem to be

communication. How does a hearing impaired person interview

for a position to his or her fullest extent without having a

common language to use? There are many options that the

deaf person has such as bringing an interpreter, using pen

and paper, or as Warnow explains, using a voice system.

Many are familiar with sign and writing so lets examine the

voice system Warnow presented in his Deaf Employment: 2001

article. According to Warnow, “`VOICE’ equipment enables

deaf employees to communicate face-to-face in English with

their hearing co-workers — no sign language, no

interpreter-assistance.” The voice equipment seems to be a

device that both the employer and the employee will have

that will allow them to type to each other. The devices are

portable and can be provided to those requiring them without

charge by the service providers for a set amount of time.

If the deaf person becomes employed by the company the

devices can be purchased by the company. These devices seem

to be equivalent to a TDD except that they are used in

person rather than on the telephone.

Another aspect to take into consideration when looking

at the jobs those of the Deaf culture are engaged in is

whether the job lies in the deaf sector, “those that are

directly serving hearing-impaired people or which employ

deaf people because of their hearing status,” or of the

hearing sector, “those which serve the general public.” The

studies show that those that found their current job as a

result of a personal contact were more likely to have a job

in the deaf sector in response to the contact generally

being a part of the deaf community. This is not to say that

all contacts that those that are hearing-impaired have are

with those of similar status but it is commonly found.

(Crammatte 1987)

Now that the deaf person is on the job scene adjusting

will have to occur, both on the part of the new employee and

existing employees. Interaction between the two groups is

vital to a comfortable and functional working environment.

The interacting will only be as difficult as the two groups

make it. Although, the hearing-impaired person must work

harder sometimes in order to get the information needed to

successfully communicate with the group of new people.

Fritz emphasizes four way to help hearing-impaired employees

and their co-workers through the adjustment period. Such

as, “buddy or mentoring systems, periodic meetings,

counseling sessions, and inclusion in all social

gatherings.” (Fritz 1995) A combination of all of these

tactics has shown that the feeling of isolation is

minimized, communication becomes easier, anxiety is

eliminated, situations are not as intense and feedback

between the two groups is aimed more at ways to break the

barrier rather then dwell on it. (Fritz 1995)

Just because someone is deaf does not mean that they

cannot maintain and be successful at an occupation that are

usually occupied by those that are hearing. Once the person

has heard about a job it is up to them to go after it. One

must ignore the preconceived notions that they think all

employers hold regarding having deaf employees and just go

for the job if they feel they are as qualified as anyone

else. It should also be up to them to provide a way to

communicate with the employer. It is not up to the employer

to provide means of communication at the interview. All in

all, communication is the key to a successful career and if

one feel that they can overcome any barriers that may be

present within a work place then they need to take the

initiative to be successful in that chosen profession.