Deafness and the Job Interview
Should you OR shouldn’t you disclose that your deafness during a job interview? Being yourself, while conveying intelligence and your “team player” attitude, you might be wondering when exactly is the right time to tell potential employers that you’re deaf or hard of hearing.
Getting hired is generally more difficult when you’re deaf or hard of hearing because of the misconceptions many employers have concerning our abilities. Compared to our hearing peers, hiring us will result in “more work” for the employer and add “additional expenses”.
You and I both know that’s just a load of rubbish. However, it’s the world we live in, which is why you need to carefully consider when to disclose that you are deaf.
When to reveal that you are hard of hearing
I can’t tell you when the right time would be to disclose your deafness because your needs, qualifications and circumstances are unique and your timing should be too. Nevertheless, I can unveil the 5 most popular responses other deaf and hard of hearing people have shared regarding when they believe is the ideal time to reveal your deafness when looking for employment.
By law, you are not required to disclose this information. Employers are prohibited from hiring or firing people solely based on disability. Keep in mind though, that it’s important you make a clear distinction between your deafness and your limitations. For example, it’s unlikely that you would be the best candidate for a call centre position.
Once you disclose your hearing loss, by law the employer is required to put reasonable adjustments in place.
The top 5 most appropriate times to disclose your deafness
1. Mentioning it on your CV or application
Deaf people will usually only mention they’re hard of hearing on their CVs if it’s relevant to the job. Ask yourself if you are capable, competent and confident to do the job. If the answer is yes, then you may not want to disclose your deaf status at first contact.
Some hard of hearing people can’t necessarily send their CV without disclosing their deafness due to them having graduated from a deaf school. It’s important that you never lie on your application or CV.
2. Be upfront and disclose during your first interview
If you require reasonable accommodation to perform a specific work task, it’s best to explain right from the start that you’re hard of hearing and how their accommodation will enable you to perform at the best of your abilities.
If your deafness does not impact your job performance, I would suggest not bringing it up at the application stage or during your first interview. Although, many feel that by not disclosing your deafness, you might be viewed as dishonest or deceitful or untrustworthy (depending on the culture of the company and the nature of the job).
3. During your second or third interview
They’ve met you, they like you, and you are able and willing to do the job. Many employers will invite you for a second or third round of interviews when it’s a high-level position or to ensure you’ll integrate well with the company culture and team environment.
At this point, it might be a good idea to divulge your deafness as it’s likely you’ll have to interact with groups of people and might have difficulty keeping up with conversations.
4. After you’ve been offered the job and signed the contract
Well, they can’t change their mind because it would be an obvious violation of the law and a blatant act of discrimination.
Many hard of hearing people have been overlooked for positions in the past purely because of their deafness. Because of all the previous discouragements and rejections, you might be sceptical and rightly so.
If you need a job, know you can perform all the tasks well, but you’re worried they won’t accept you because of your disability, then you may prefer to wait before telling them you have a hearing loss.
5. Never, they’ll figure it out eventually
As with most situations in life, some people have been wronged more times than others. Perhaps they’ve become a bit hardened by their experiences and are no longer disillusioned by the idea of equality.
How to bring it up?
Now that you’ve decided when you’re going to tell them, the next step is having a plan of action on how you’re going to do it.
- Request a written interview or ask for real-time captioning if they suggest a phone interview.
- Do your research. Determine how much phone work is required in the position if there are lots of virtual meetings and how many people are on the team you’ll be working with.
- Be prepared. Take the time to sit down and think about what you’ll bring to the company – what value you’ll add. The more specific, the better.
- Start by presenting your qualifications, experience and expertise. This will also boost your confidence and help the interviewer stay focused on your strengths.
- Offer a brief explanation of your deafness and how it will or will not impact your work.
- Emphasise the positives of being deaf, not the limitations. For example, you will not get distracted by idle gossip or office noise; this allows you to complete tasks quickly and efficiently.
- Explain and discuss the reasonable accommodations you require and how it will improve your work. If you’re in the UK, explain that Access to Work can cover the costs.
- Position yourself in such a way that you can look at the person asking the questions.
- Be yourself and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Asking questions about a position is usually an indication that a candidate is serious about the opportunity and enthusiastic about the possibility.
If you’re an employer and would like to know how best to prepare for a deaf or hard of hearing job applicant, you might find our deaf interview training article useful.
One benefit of informing interviewers that you’re hard of hearing is that it shows your resilience in overcoming challenges, and you’ll also have the opportunity of listing the positives and negatives (before they can) and make suggestions on how you can work together and create a win-win situation.
Our experienced and certified career consultants are here to help you prepare for your interview and improve your networking skills. Contact us to find out more.
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I always include in both my resume and cover letter. Never had an issue getting interviews or jobs.
It’s not one of those things I can hide. I tend to apply in person, not by paper. I’ve got many jobs this way.
A lot of deaf folks tend to hide their deafness as long as possible. I don’t. It’s as much a part of me as my right arm. That’s usually the first thing I talk about when the “So tell us about yourself” question comes up.
There is no reason to hide it. If the company can’t handle your deafness, there is no reason for you to push to get the job.
Thanks Brant- you know, until you mentioned it, I didn’t think I hid my deafness. I simply didn’t share it with everyone as I thought it was my personal business but now I’m not so sure. Thanks for giving me something to think about.
Brant, your perspective just changed mine entirely. I really needed to read that. I’ve been stuck in a rut for years and have lost a ton of confidence in myself. Too deep to explain it all but just wanted to say Thank you. You’ve helped me much more than you’ll ever know.
Hi,
Brat,
thanks for these positive line ..such an affirmation!!! need e it the most ..thanks a lot!
Being upfront is the way to go. Always works for me as my loss is profound on both sides. I had to chuckle on the lipread story. Been there and walked away knowing it was a disaster. Eventually got the job. Miracles happen I guess.
The problem with deafness is what this article illustrates: term confusion.
The word deaf refers, in Webster, to someone who is “lacking wholly or partially in sound”. It has never been an absolute.
Hearing loss or hearing impairments are simple English language constructs that refer to deafness. A hard of hearing person, on the other hand is a social construct that basically says “I am not deaf”. (“I am not deaf, I am hard of hearing”). This is the problem.
If you are deaf, by any measure, let it up in your first in-person interview. Before then it makes no difference, and could potentially take away from the skills you offer in the eyes of those who do not know.
My suggestion is that we do not want to feed the mythology of deafness, deaf people are hearing people who cannot hear, by any measure. There is no difference to be had from one’s level of deafness relative to one’s capabilities.
Alec C. McFarlane
President
National Literary Society of the Deaf, Inc.
Alec.McFarlane@gmail.com
I have auditory processing disorder. I have trouble getting a job in bookkeeping for a long time because of lack of experience. So this time I did not disclose, and I got the job at a grocery store to be a cash office associate, but before I am trained to do that role, I have to be trained to do self-checkout, cashering and service counter. They all require answering phones. Receiving phone calls from customers are very hard for me because I can’t tell them to slow down their speech. For some customers, it doesn’t matter to slow down their speech because they have an accent or deep tones. So I have been practicing what I should tell my supervisor tomorrow. I am praying for a good outcome.
This is very helpful. I come from an era where there were very few ADA and anti discrimination laws to protect the Deaf employee population. I still remember potential employers saying the job was filled within minutes of my informing then I was Deaf, when it was later proven they had lied about the job being filled.
I lipread and use captioning and my ASL is very limited. I’m familiar with accessible technology and ADA laws. I am concerned that some online applications ask outright if the applicant is disabled, with no mention of ADA laws or offering to arrange accommodations. Here in the States, ADA laws are very clear that potential employer may NOT ask outright or ask about a disability EXCEPT interviews where there can be a discussion about accommodations to help perform job duties. If any of you encounter such applications, please help stop the discrimination by reporting those illegal questions to your local Disability Law Center, state agency against discrimination or your state attorney general. I would advise answering “No” to the question, to avoid being screen out due to discrimination.