1. Hearing Loss in the Workplace – 2008 and beyond… Dean Olson

2. Introduction  Dean Olson

3. Workshop objectives  Learn new skills for adapting to hearing loss in your workplace  Identify accommodations needed for your hearing loss  Recognize when to “go for it” and when to practice patience

4. Traditional Workplace Challenges  Phones  Meetings  Training classes  Interpersonal relationships  Consequences of hearing loss misinterpreted as performance issues  Rapid pace of technology changes

5. 20 th Century challenges:  Phones Limited phone accommodations: Only Amplified Phones Limited T-coil compatibility: frequent issue with office phones

6. 21 st Century challenges:  Phones Cell phones Headsets Speakerphones Hearing aid compatibility (T-coil) required, but installers often unfamiliar with what this means VOIP using computer (VOIP=Voice Over Internet Protocol) uses much narrower dynamic range of sound frequencies

7. 21 st Century Technology Solutions:  Cell Phones Ensure T-coil compatible Blackberry option Loop for T-coil If hearing aid is bluetooth enabled, request phone with bluetooth Ask for a Sidekick (or iPhone) for text messaging instead Have backup phone number, or messaging system

8. 21 st Century Technology Solutions:  Headsets Amplification might be enough Can use inductive coupling device (loop, silhouettes)  Speakerphones Sound quality varies greatly  VOIP phones Can use inductive coupling device (loop, silhouettes)

9. 21 st Century Behavioral Solutions:  Phones Limit time on the phone to when your energy level is higher Schedule down time after lengthy calls Negotiate for job tasks that require less phone use; or ask for IM / email as an alternative Insist on the best equipment, e.g. amplifiers for both the phone, and the headset accommodation

10. 20 th Century challenges:  Meetings Most were face to face – even when participants flew to a central location Pace of business was slower

11. 21 st Century challenges:  Meetings Distance Meetings e.g. using internet sharing, speakerphones, or podcast technology Heavy use of projectors e.g. for powerpoint presentations Darkened rooms Conference phones (even for local participants)

12. 21st Century Technology Solutions:  Meetings CART Remote CART Depends on size of meeting Microphone FM system for speaker phone, PA system and TV/computer videos during meeting Direct Audio Input – CI patch cords or audio cords / neck loops

13. 21st Century Behavioral Solutions:  Meetings “Lights on” policy Agenda and minutes Buddy system e.g. someone to help if you miss something Request face to face meetings, (avoid publishing a call-in number for the meeting) Seating rules (head, side or foot of table best for lip reading) Coaching to allow for best participation - sitting across from the woman with the long hair in her face, reminding people not to talk with their hands in front of their mouths, etc.

14. 20 th Century challenges:  Workplace dynamics “Telling the boss” was optional, if a hearing loss could be hidden Misinterpreting behavior / communication Inappropriate behavior

15. 21 st Century challenges:  Workplace dynamics Misinterpretation of performance issues More “at will – employment” i.e. can be let go for cause with minimal recourse Cube farms and “over the wall” conversations Increase in demand for multitasking Perceived favoritism if accommodations are made Increased use of electronic alarms, voices, etc.

16. 21 st Century Technology Solutions:  Wokplace dynamics Important alarms need to be visual (e.g. fire alarms) Layout needs to maximize ability to hear (e.g. fixed layout forcing “bad” ear toward the door – use alerting device, mirror, etc.) Computer monitors: low EM emission to avoid interference with T-coil on the phone – usually a flat screens are good

17. 21 st Century Behavioral Solutions:  Workplace dynamics Education, training, coaching on needs of HoH employee must be constant, once is not enough Let folks know you can’t hear well over distances or cube walls – so they are aware to include you in important “impromptu” business conversations Put people at ease with your hearing loss using humor Develop friends/buddies, establish a network for protection

18. 20 th Century challenges:  Training Classroom setting Trainer who wandered around the room Trainer who sat down in front Trainer who mumbled, spoke softly, or whose voice did not carry Background noise in classroom Teacher faced the board Noisy overheads

19. 21 st Century challenges:  Training Computer based training Podcasts Webinars Sound quality limited by computer Dark rooms with computer projectors

20. 21 st Century Technology Solutions:  Computer based training (CBT) Can be problematic – situation-specific Most CBT development software provides for a text or ‘notes’ option which can be used to display a transcript of the CBT voice-over In-house programs can be more easily modified than purchased programs If headphones are required, use CI cords, neck loop or some form of headset

21. 21 st Century Technology Solutions:  Podcasts and/or Webinars Understand ability to hear voice-over Use headset, etc Assess computer speakers/sound, and test before for most effective quality Ask if it’s captioned and ask again  Sound quality limited by computer Plug the headphones or loop into the speakers, and not the computer headphone jack

22. 21 st Century Behavioral Solutions:  Training Advocate for equal access to training Learn the right terms (equal access) Let your boss know if you are unable to complete the training due to inaccessibility Coach those who provide the training on your needs Be prepared to ask – over and over again Be the advocate at your workplace!

23. Work relationships  Bosses / co-workers Those who “get it” Those who we still need to help  Co-workers Office politics Networking Social behaviors and coping skills, per Sam Trychin, PhD: “Coping does not mean success or mastery; it means doing the best that you can to deal with a problem.”

24. Workplace Ideas  Do you know what to ask for?  Does your employer know what to offer?  Who is responsible?

25. Unsuitable jobs for HOH  High level of multitasking  Use of multiple portable communications devices (blackberry AND a cell phone, or pager and a laptop)  The Devil Wears Prada style  Heavy telephone use  Safety: police officer, fire fighter, life guard, ….

26. Looking for a job  Phone screening  Computer/Recorded screening exams  When do you reveal your limitations?  How much do you reveal?  Focus on your abilities and not your disabilities

27. When hearing loss happens at work….  Baby Boomers most at risk  What will you do?  Will you retire earlier than planned and be a statistic?  Will you learn how to ask for what you need, and be prepared to educate your employer & coworkers etc.?

28. Final Thoughts – from 12 March 2008 NY Times re: NY Governor Patterson  Mr. Paterson, who has completed the New York City Marathon, has said that his “truest disability has been my ability to overcome my physical disability.”  “As soon as people see that I can be independent, then they hold me to the standard that everyone else is,” he said. As a result, “I don’t act the way I did when I was 17, like I can do everything myself, because I realized the minute I do that, no one helps me. So I learned to be a little more pragmatic about life.”