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Policy Statement on
Vocational Rehabilitation
of Persons Who Are Hard of Hearing
The United States government operates an extensive vocational
rehabilitation (VR) program that provides a wide range of
services and job training to people with disabilities who
want to work. To be eligible for VR services, a person must
have a physical or mental impairment that is a substantial
impediment to employment; be able to benefit from VR services
in terms of employment; and require VR services to prepare
for, enter, engage in, or retain employment . Priority is
given to people with the most severe disabilities.
A 1992 report on underserved
populations found that hard of hearing people, who represent
one of the highest incidence of disability groups, are significantly
unserved and underserved by the current VR system. This finding
is buttressed by extensive anecdotal experience among people
with hearing loss.
The Hearing Loss Association
of America believes this inadequate record of service to hard
of hearing people is due primarily to two factors. First,
few VR counselors have been appropriately trained in the unique
needs of hard of hearing people. Often, they fail to make
the crucial distinction between being hard of hearing and
being deaf, and thus inadequately consider the unique needs
of each group. In fact, the typical VR office has no one on
staff who is adequately trained regarding the most important
issues affecting people with hearing loss. Most notably, too
many VR counselors lack:
Awareness of, and sensitivity to, the communicative, psychosocial
and adjustment consequences of partial hearing loss.
A general knowledge of hearing
health and relevant professional services.
Knowledge of the ever-increasing
selection of assistive technology and related services that
can reduce communication barriers in employment situations.
HLAA Recommendations:
To improve the quality and quantity
of vocational rehabilitation services to hard of hearing people,
HLAA recommends that the Rehabilitation Services Administration
(RSA) dramatically increase the amount of training provided
to VR counselors about the differences and unique needs of
people exhibiting a range of hearing loss.
HLAA also recommends that the
criteria used to determine severity of disability include
standardized self-assessment scales as well as degree of hearing
loss. Both of these types of measures are necessary in order
to determine the extent to which the hearing loss constitutes
a barrier to full employment for a particular individual.
Further, HLAA suggests that
the government sponsor or conduct research projects to evaluate
the nature of current barriers to full employment faced by
hard of hearing people, and the kind of "reasonable accomodations"
that can be made to eliminate or minimize these barriers.
Approved November 2nd, l996
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