September is Deaf Awareness Month. Is Your Organization Ready?
[Image description: Happy professional business woman using ASL during virtual work meeting.]
Deaf Awareness Month is a designated time to promote understanding and inclusion for the Deaf and hard of hearing community. It is celebrated in September in the United States and Canada, and in October in other countries around the world. The purpose of Deaf Awareness Month is to raise awareness of deafness and its impact on people's lives. It also aims to promote understanding of deaf culture and language, and to encourage the inclusion of deaf and hard of hearing people in all aspects of society. By creating a workplace that is accessible and inclusive of deaf employees, businesses can attract and retain top talent, improve employee satisfaction, and boost innovation.
Sure, here is a brief outline of the key topics that will be covered in this blog:
Understanding Deafness and Deaf Culture: This section will provide an overview of deafness, including the different types of deafness, the impact of deafness on communication, and the history and culture of the Deaf community.
The Relevance of Deaf Awareness Month in the Workplace: This section will discuss the importance of raising awareness of deafness and deaf culture in the workplace, and how businesses can create a more inclusive and accessible environment for deaf employees.
Breaking Down Communication Barriers: This section will explore the different ways to break down communication barriers for deaf employees, such as providing ASL interpreters, captioning videos, and using CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation).
Implementing Inclusive Practices: This section will discuss the specific steps that businesses can take to implement inclusive practices for deaf employees, such as providing training on deaf culture, creating accessible workspaces, and offering flexible work arrangements.
Promoting Equal Opportunities for Awareness for Deaf Culture: This section will discuss the importance of promoting equal opportunities for deaf employees to learn about and participate in deaf culture.
Collaborative Strategies: This section will explore the benefits of working collaboratively with deaf employees and organizations to create a more inclusive workplace.
Employer Responsibilities: This section will outline the specific responsibilities of employers to create a more inclusive workplace for deaf employees.
Employee Engagement and Participation: This section will discuss the importance of engaging and involving deaf employees in the workplace.
Celebrating Deaf Awareness Month: This section will provide ideas for how businesses can celebrate Deaf Awareness Month and promote understanding of deaf culture.
Sustaining Inclusivity Beyond September: This section will discuss the importance of sustaining inclusivity beyond Deaf Awareness Month and creating a year-round commitment to inclusion for deaf employees.
Understanding Deafness and Deaf Culture
Deafness is the inability to hear, which can range from mild hearing loss to complete deafness. It can affect various aspects of communication, including spoken language and auditory cues. People who are deaf may use a variety of communication methods, such as American Sign Language (ASL), lip reading, and written communication.
Deaf culture is a vibrant and distinct community with its own language, norms, and history. ASL is the primary language of the Deaf community in the United States, and it is used for both everyday communication and for cultural expression. Deaf culture also has its own norms and values, which are often different from those of the hearing world. For example, Deaf people often value direct communication and a sense of community.
The significance of recognizing cultural diversity, and specifically, disability diversity, in the workplace for the Deaf community is that it can help to create a more inclusive and welcoming environment for deaf employees. When deaf employees feel like they are accepted and valued, they are more likely to be productive and engaged in their work. This goes beyond learning about Deaf culture, but also ensuring these is a clear and simple accommodations process, that support structures are in place (not just for Deaf employees, but all employees), and there is clear messaging before, during, and after the interview process around the Deaf and disability culture within an organization.
The Relevance of Deaf Awareness Month in the Workplace
Deaf Awareness Month is an annual event celebrated in September to raise awareness of deafness and the deaf community. The goals of Deaf Awareness Month include, but are not limited to:
Raising awareness of deafness and its impact on people's lives
Promoting inclusion of deaf people in all aspects of society, including the workplace
Challenging stigmas and misconceptions about deafness
The workplace is one of the most important places where deaf people can be included. By embracing Deaf Awareness Month, businesses can show their commitment to creating an inclusive workplace for all employees.
Celebrating Deaf Awareness Month
There are many ways to celebrate, enjoy, learn, and encourage active participation in Deaf Awareness Month activities in the workplace. Some activities have a cost associated with them, but many are low cost or free. It is important to work with internal communities such as Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), Affinity Groups, and consult with any Deaf employees when planning for Deaf Awareness Month events. Do not put the onus of planning and organizing on Deaf employees, but be sure they are brought into the planning process as much or as little as they desire. Ensure that all events are accessible by all employees, disabled, able-bodied, Deaf, or otherwise.
Host workshops and seminars that educate employees about Deaf culture and communication tips
Invite guest speakers who are Deaf to share their stories and experiences.
Launch awareness campaigns that promote inclusivity and understanding.
Showcase the impact of awareness initiatives in the workplace - this can be done by highlighting instances where awareness initiatives have led to improved communication, collaboration, and workplace satisfaction.
Deaf culture presentations to teach employees about the history and values of Deaf culture
And reviewing and revamping existing policies to be more inclusive and accepting of Deaf employees
Breaking Down Communication Barriers
Deaf employees often face communication challenges during the interview process and in the workplace. Some of the most common challenges include:
Lack of awareness: Many interviewers, employees, and managers are not aware of the communication needs of deaf people. This can lead to misunderstandings and frustration.
Inaccessible interview settings: Many interview settings are not accessible to deaf people. This can make it difficult for them to hear, communicate, and participate in the interview.
Inaccessible communication tools: Many communication tools, such as telephones and computers, are not accessible to deaf people. This can make it difficult for them to communicate with their colleagues and supervisors.
Limited understanding of Deaf culture: Many people do not understand the culture of the Deaf community. This can lead to misunderstandings and unintentional offense.
Prejudice and discrimination: Some interviewers may have prejudice or discrimination against deaf people. This can make it difficult for deaf people to get a fair chance in the interview process.
General Best Practices that Support Deaf Workplace Inclusion
Be aware of the communication needs of deaf people. If you are not sure how to communicate with a deaf person, ask them how they prefer to communicate. If you are not fluent in sign language, you can still conduct a successful interview with a deaf person. There are many resources available to help you learn basic sign language, such as online tutorials and apps.
Provide an accessible interview setting. This could include providing a quiet room with good lighting, or offering the option to conduct the interview over video or phone. If you are conducting the interview over the phone, you can use a relay service to connect with a sign language interpreter.
Be patient and understanding. It may take longer for deaf people to communicate, so be patient and understanding. If you are conducting the interview in person, you can ask the deaf person if they would like to bring a sign language interpreter with them.
Be respectful of Deaf culture. Learn about the Deaf community and its culture, and avoid making any offensive or insensitive remarks. Be prepared to answer any questions the deaf person may have about the job, the Disability culture, and workplace accommodations.
ASL is a Valuable Communication Tool
Sign language is a valuable tool for communication for many deaf people. It is a visual language that uses hand gestures and facial expressions to convey meaning. Sign language is just as expressive and nuanced as spoken language, and it can be used to communicate a wide range of ideas and emotions.
Implementing Inclusive Practices
An inclusive workplace environment is one where all employees feel welcome, respected, and valued, regardless of their abilities. There are many tools that are useful for Deaf interviewees and employees, but also to other employees. By providing communication accommodations, employers can help to ensure that deaf employees are able to participate fully in the workplace. This can lead to improved communication, productivity, and morale.
Sign language interpreters: Sign language interpreters can facilitate communication between deaf and hearing people. They can be used in meetings, training sessions, and other workplace activities.
Captioning: Captioning is the process of providing text transcripts of spoken language. This can be done for videos, audio recordings, and live events.
Visual aids: Visual aids can be used to supplement spoken language. This can include things like PowerPoint presentations, diagrams, and graphs.
Deaf Culture Education and Training
Deaf culture is the shared experiences, values, and beliefs of the Deaf community. It is important for all employees to be educated about Deaf culture so that they can communicate respectfully with deaf colleagues. Some ways to educate and train employees about Deaf culture include:
Providing training on Deaf culture and history, especially during Deaf Awareness Month but during other times of the year as well that help to promote understanding of deaf culture
Providing training on deaf culture and communication methods for all employees
Encouraging employees to learn basic sign language and offer classes; always offer ASL interpreters for meetings and events
Offering lunchtime workshops or online courses.
Pairing deaf employees with hearing employees who are interested in learning sign language.
Making sign language interpreters available at meetings and events.
Making sure that all communication materials are accessible to deaf employees; this means captions on all video calls and recorded materials. Many platforms have captioning built in with real time transcription, or the ability to show an ASL interpreter on the screen in a smaller window next to the speaker
Being flexible with work arrangements, such as allowing deaf employees to work from home or to have a sign language interpreter present in the workplace
Promoting Equal Opportunities for Awareness for Deaf Employees
Deaf people often face stereotypes and biases in the workplace. These stereotypes can lead to discrimination and unfair treatment. It is important for businesses to address these stereotypes and biases and to foster a bias-free work environment. Similar to how one might call out microaggressions around race or gender, be aware of how they impact the Deaf Community. In the workplace, some biases Deaf employees face are:
Deafness leads to codependent living. This is a harmful stereotype that ignores the many deaf people who are successful in their personal and professional lives.
Deaf people are not intelligent. This is another harmful stereotype that is not supported by evidence. Deaf people are doctors, lawyers, teachers, artists - they are not and should not be limited because of their disability.
Deaf people are incapable of communicating effectively. This is simply not true. There are many different ways for deaf people to communicate, including, but not limited to, sign language, lip reading, and written communication.
Deafness should be "fixed" or "cured." This is a harmful stereotype that ignores the fact that deafness is not a disease.
By challenging biases against deaf people, we can create a more inclusive society for everyone.
Showcase Deaf Employee Success Stories
One way to break down stereotypes about Deaf people is to showcase their success stories. Organizations can do this by sharing the stories of Deaf employees who have excelled in their careers - this doesn’t always mean showcasing an employee from a specific organization, but sharing employment and career wins from across the Deaf community. This can help to show that Deaf people are just as capable as hearing people and that they can make valuable contributions to the workplace.
Additionally, Deaf employees bring a unique perspective to the workplace that can be valuable assets to any organization. Deaf people often have to develop their visual and non-verbal communication skills in order to succeed in a hearing world. This can give them a different way of thinking about problems and solutions. There is also a different focus on communication, methods, and understanding. Deaf people are often very conscious of the importance of communication. This can make them excellent communicators, both verbally and non-verbally.
Employer Responsibilities
Being aware of the legal implications around disability and Deaf employees is vital for all workplaces. In July of 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law - this impacts employers in many ways:
The ADA is a federal law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in all areas of public life, including employment.
The ADA requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities, unless doing so would cause an undue hardship.
Reasonable accommodations can include things like providing interpreters, CART services, or making changes to the physical environment.
Employers are also required to provide equal opportunities for employment to people with disabilities. This means that employers cannot refuse to hire someone or fire someone because of their disability.
This means going beyond implementing inclusion practices for the sake of DEI, but because there are legal implications as well. Reasonable accommodations allow ALL potential employees to do their best work, even if work is completed differently. Using software like Disclo to support the accommodations process can be helpful to significantly reduce bias and the potential for legal issues. Recent statistics show that the median cost to defend against a disability lawsuit is about $200k to the employers even though 56% of accommodations are free for employers to implement.
Establishing a supportive HR policy for disability inclusion
Human Resources (HR) plays a critical role in promoting disability and Deaf inclusion in the workplace. Beyond training and learning initiatives that share the Deaf employee experience and best practices for all employees, HR is mandated to create policies and practices that effectively and efficiently support a diverse (and Deaf) workforce. This means developing practices that are compliant with the ADA and other legal regulations, building out an employee accommodations process (or using software like Disclo to support), and providing resources not just to Deaf employees, but also to their managers, teams, and peers to proactively support and address potential barriers to a productive and inclusive workplace.
Sustaining Inclusivity Beyond September
Deaf Awareness Month is a time to celebrate the contributions of Deaf people and to raise awareness about Deaf culture. However, it is important to remember that inclusivity should not be limited to one month. Organizations should make continuous efforts to maintain an inclusive workplace environment year-round. This can be done by integrating Deaf-friendly practices into the company culture, providing resources and ongoing training for employees, and encouraging employees to take active steps in fostering inclusivity and raising awareness.
Integrate Deaf-friendly practices into the company culture. This could include providing interpreters for meetings and events, making written materials accessible to Deaf people, and creating a culture of respect and understanding.
Provide resources and ongoing training for employees. This could include online courses, workshops, and mentorship programs that teach employees about Deaf culture and communication tips.
Encourage employees to take active steps in fostering inclusivity. This could include providing opportunities for employees to volunteer with Deaf organizations or to learn sign language.
By taking these steps, organizations can create a more inclusive workplace where everyone feels welcome and respected.
Sustaining Inclusivity Beyond September
Deaf Awareness Month is a time to celebrate the contributions of Deaf people and to raise awareness about Deaf culture. However, it is important to remember that inclusivity should not be limited to one month. Organizations should make continuous efforts to maintain an inclusive workplace environment year-round. This can be done by integrating Deaf-friendly practices into the company culture, providing resources and ongoing training for employees, and encouraging employees to take active steps in fostering inclusivity and raising awareness.
Integrate Deaf-friendly practices into the company culture. This could include providing interpreters for meetings and events, making written materials accessible to Deaf people, and creating a culture of respect and understanding.
Provide resources and ongoing training for employees. This could include online courses, workshops, and mentorship programs that teach employees about Deaf culture and communication tips.
Encourage employees to take active steps in fostering inclusivity. This could include providing opportunities for employees to volunteer with Deaf organizations or to learn sign language.
By taking these steps, organizations can create a more inclusive workplace where everyone feels welcome and respected.
Promote Deaf Awareness with The Rise Journey
At the Rise Journey, we provide organizations, like yours, with valuable assistance to boost your DEIBA organizational efforts. Through our coaching programs, DEI-focused lunch and learns, and other resources, we offer opportunities for organizations to deepen their understanding of Deaf community, challenge biases, and foster a culture of inclusivity.
Connect with our team to see how we can help your organization reach success!