Employment

Why is Employment Important?

Employment is an important aspect of anyone’s life. It is what helps us to meet new people, practice new skills, give us a sense of worth, and most importantly, make money to support ourselves. For deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) students specifically, they are at a slight disadvantage compared to their hearing peers when it comes to obtaining a place of employment. Yet, employment is an important part of the transition. So, how can we help our students when it comes to this momentous stepping stone of life?
                                                  

What Resources Do We Have Available?

There are multiple resources (all of which will have links posted below), and informal assessments to help our students with this crucial transition. One good resource here in Jacksonville would be the ILRC or Independent Living Resource Center. As they have a division specifically for D/HH students, it is a great resource with ample information for our students and their parents. Not only is it great for D/HH, but they also are able to help kids with other disabilities. Many students who are DHH also have another disability of some sort (ADHD or other learning impairments). The ILRC can help these students apply for jobs, find places to live, utilize communication technology, and even request interpreters. It is important to have these other benefits when applying for jobs so that they can compete with their peers who do not have any disabilities. You must put a permanent address and be able to communicate with your interviewer/future employer.

What Else Can We Do?

Another important tool we can give our students is a career aptitude test. All students, whether they are D/HH or in exceptional/general education can benefit from an aptitude test. This helps them to figure out what career choices are best suited to their interests and goals. This also helps the teacher to fully equip their students with proper resources. A career aptitude test has students answer questions that will help narrow down the many jobs out there and help single out a choice few that would be best for them. Once the test is complete, the teacher/parent and student can research more on the careers recommended to help narrow the list down even further. This is good for both short-term places of employment or long-term, depending on what path they choose.

What Other Resources Are Available?

Continuing with important resources, students will want to know about Vocational Rehabilitation (VR). Florida has its own division that works with people who have physical or intellectual disabilities. Those of which can cause them to struggle with finding a place of employment. They will provide interpreters for interviews; they have counselors to help people cope with their hearing loss; they can even provide workplaces with training on how to communicate with their D/HH employee. This is helpful to D/HH students, as many D/HH individuals are discriminated against in the hiring process due to a lack of exposure to the Deaf community. VR strives to eliminate some of the communication barriers for the deaf individual and their employers. 

                                                 

The Greatest Resource Of All!

While having all these resources is great, the biggest tool we can give our students, however, is the tool for them to advocate for themselves. These resources help them advocate for themselves and increase their success in becoming employed. Everyone has the right to work, make a living, and live their best life. As teachers, it is our duty to make sure our students have the proper resources in their arsenal to accomplish this.

Links:

Independent Living Resource Center-- https://www.theilrc.org/

Career Aptitude Test-- https://www.careerfitter.com/free_test/careerbuilder

Vocational Rehabilitation-- http://www.rehabworks.org/