BUSINESS
Posted
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, members and supporters of the deaf and hard of hearing community are making sure their voices are heard when it comes to employment opportunities.
The Arizona Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing rolled out “The Let’s Get to Work Arizona” campaign in late August to promote better hiring practices for deaf and hard of hearing residents. View the broadcast in full at https://www.youtube.com/ACDHH.
“Having public education and awareness campaigns such as Let’s Get to Work is important as it raises awareness to an unseen need in our community/state,” stated Sherri Collins, executive director of the ACDHH. “Raising awareness can only serve for the greater good. In our campaign we are looking at educating and breaking down barriers and stereotypes, and provide accurate information in providing communication accessibility and accommodations.”
Statistically, the community suffers disproportionately from employment opportunities and promotions compared to people who are not disabled, according to the ACDHH. Arizona has an estimated 1.1 million individuals who are considered deaf or hard of hearing. However, these groups are traditionally unemployed or underemployed, with national estimates pointing to over 50% unemployment for deaf Americans.
“There are a couple of factors: education and opportunity,” Ms. Collins said about the stats. “Educational attainment is distinctly related to a person’s ability to get employment, no matter if there is a communication disability or not. The key difference is deaf and hard of hearing children often do not have access to their primary language, American Sign Language and written and spoken English. When a child’s education fails to provide language, it has long term effects on a person’s ability to have a successful career. Secondly, deaf and hard of hearing individuals simply are not provided the opportunity. Whether that is not being actively recruited, or having accommodations such as a captioned telephone to be successful in their career all has an impact on the ability to maintain employment.”
The ACDHH pointed to a study published in the New York Times, which found employers are 34% less likely to hire an experienced job candidate with a disability. For this, among other reasons, 47% of deaf people are not in the labor force, compared to 23% of hearing people.
Ms. Collins says one of the biggest myths with employing the deaf and hard of hearing is that providing communication accommodations is costly. Too often, she says, companies believe they have to have an interpreter or captioning services for a 40-hour work week.
“Oftentimes that is not the case, as it really depends on the individual employee and their respective communication needs to succeed,” Ms. Collins stated. “ACDHH encourages businesses to gain more knowledge on the vastness of accommodations and the experiences of deaf and hard of hearing and deafblind individuals. The campaign is about educating businesses that communication accessibility is individualized. It’s not a one size fits all. But more importantly, providing someone the opportunity for work has a greater impact on our community, as it affords the deaf, hard of hearing and deafblind community the equal opportunity for success.”
The statewide campaign focuses on a variety of efforts to reach the business community including advertising, outdoor billboards, digital advertising and direct outreach to employers. All models used in the campaign are deaf, hard of hearing or deafblind and represent the diversity of the community both culturally and career-wise.
A key component will be providing education to the business community, particularly in the needs and costs of providing accessibility to workers. The ACDHH says it has developed a full employment guide to help employers understand the key needs of the community.
“We know there are companies in Arizona that go above the EEOC statements in their job description and are pioneers, who reach out to ACDHH, ask for training, ask us to post job listings on our website,” Ms. Collins stated. “As part of this campaign ACDHH wants more pioneers, wants more companies taking the lead to hiring deaf, hard of hearing and deafblind individuals. ACDHH is here to assist companies who want to hire a more diverse workforce.”
Ms. Collins laid out some of the frustrations members of the deaf and hard of hearing community express when it comes to seeking employment. They include asking for an interpreter for an interview and never getting called back for the interview. Or, they get the interview, but the interviewer’s demeanor changes when they see a hearing aid.
“It’s frustrating for the community, because they know they can do the job, if just given the opportunity,” Ms. Collins stated. “But we can say this: deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind individuals are resilient and ready to work!”
As the new program gets underway, the deaf and hard of hearing community remain committed to pushing for better opportunities.
“Over the years, it has been shown that investing in diversity has huge rewards,” Ms. Collins stated. “Rewards for the company buy enhancing the reputation of the business itself, reduces turnover, which saves the company money, and the business attracts better candidates, which in turn gives the company a competitive edge. Not only does it have a positive impact on the company, but it has a positive impact on the community and the employees themselves.”
Contact the Daily Independent at aznews@newszap.com or follow on Twitter @aznewsmedia.
The Link LonkSeptember 05, 2020 at 06:30PM
https://www.yourvalley.net/stories/program-promotes-employing-the-deaf-hard-of-hearing-in-arizona,185202
Program promotes employing the deaf, hard of hearing in Arizona - Your Valley
https://news.google.com/search?q=hard&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
No comments:
Post a Comment