Accommodating Hearing-impaired Job Applicants and Employees

About 15% of adults in the U.S. have some hearing impairment—deafness, hard of hearing, ringing in the ears, noise sensitivity. Yet these individuals can perform successfully in the workplace with reasonable accommodations. The EEOC has QandAs on what employers can or must do so they don’t violate the Americans with Disabilities Act. For example, an employer may not ask job applicants whether they have a hearing condition prior to making a job offer and applicants don’t need to disclose their condition unless they need a reasonable accommodation during the application process (e.g., a sign language interpreter for an interview). #IdeaoftheDay