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
d
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.