In the last article we explored some challenges and specificities of the educational system for people with hearing loss in Germany. How do deaf and hard of hearing Germans get a job after completing education? According to the strategy of social inclusion, employers should provide access to workplaces without discriminating against people with disabilities (who should be seen as a potentially strong workforce, with a few special conditions for work performance). However, this strategy does not reflect the full complexity of employment for deaf and hard of hearing people and is not sufficient enough to be the sole solution to the employment problem. The inclusion of deaf and hard of hearing workers in the job market is hampered because of communication problems, lack of education and lengthy bureaucracy procedures. Finally, lack of information on existing employment opportunities and incentives for both employer and employee, discrimination and trepidation from employers add to the overall challenge.
"Hearing loss is often seen a reason to retire and is associated with old people. This is sometimes one of the reasons why many people and employers are so prejudiced towards this form of disability". (Jens Grehl, 27)
"Oh, companies mostly accept hard of hearing people for internships, but not more...and it is difficult being there, attitudes of colleagues are pretty hard". (Dmitrij Raijhlin, 29)
"If hard of hearing people are well educated (and younger than forty) they have a good chance to get a job, if they are older than 40 - that's difficult." (Jurgen Schaeding, 54)
At a workplace, the state body responsible for integration (Integrationsamt) goes through a long bureaucratic procedure of decision-making on what kind of support is needed by a person with a hearing loss. For two years now Deaf or hard of hearing people are entitled to have a personal assistant at work who helps answering and making answering phone calls, making notes, and so on.
"My friend at work has this personal assistant who takes his phone calls. It looks very funny for people who come into the office: Mark looks at the assistant who is speaking on the phone, and reads his lips. And the assistant sits across from Mark with a phone receiver in his hand, articulating clearly so Mark can understand what the conversation is about. Sometimes his assistant repeats missed comments, just with lip movements or sounds, and then the person on the other end of the phone has to wait..." (Ulrike Haase, 29).
As I already reported in my previous articles, personal assistants are costly to the budget and the integration agencies seek different ways to reduce the use of welfare or to assist only with the technical equipment and assistive listening devices. In some instances, Integrationsamt cut the use of personal assistants since this service requires a hefty amount of funding-- not only for the monthly payment, which can be as much as 1100 Euros-- but expensive insurance. There have been attempts to train deaf and hard of hearing people for jobs that require less communication-- for instance, to train them to become fitness trainers. The reasoning behind this was that no special assistance is needed by such trainers. Self-determination, which is the key principle of German disability policy, is ignored by these measures:
"We do not like the idea of such projects, because as a result, hard of hearing people are told to not be independent." (Stephan Wilke, 32)
Getting a job nearly always poses a plaguing dilemma for the deaf and hard of hearing: whether they should disclose their disability or not when sending their CV or resume to a potential employer. The controversy centers about the fact that the employer cannot reject an applicant on the basis of disability, but practice shows that applicants who have identified themselves as hard of hearing or deaf persons often are rejected. It remains unclear whether there was a biased attitude towards the hearing disability on behalf of the employer, or lack of the requisite skills.
"I would advise definitely to inform the employer that you are hard of hearing, to secure yourself. If a fire strokes at a workplace or an emergency breaks out and you do not hear, who is responsible for your safety - you? Your employer? When you tell them in advance about your hearing loss, you have a right to demand necessary technical equipment and if your request is not satisfied, you can appeal against the decision." (Dr. Kuntscher, 41)
Employers are provided funding by the state for severely disabled employees, and deaf and profoundly hard of hearing people fall under this category. There is no general practice, but employers should give preferential treatment to disabled people in case of vocational training at workplace. Despite various incentives and the regulations for public and private employers to employ disabled people to fill a 5 % quota of their positions, employers often prefer to pay a levy than to employ a hard of hearing person:
"When I was working in the office of one state supported project, the personnel manager told me directly that they took me only because 70% of my salary is a grant given by the labour office ." (Joachim Hoffmann, 52)
"If they want to employ disabled people to meet the quota requirement, they still prefer to employ people with other disabilities, but not the hard of hearing, who are too strange and unknown to them." (Anonymous)
Even though employers are obliged to employ disabled people correspondingly with their work capacity, according to the Social Code Book 9 (SGB 9, Rehabilitation & Integration of people with disabilities), the career opportunities of the deaf and hard of hearing are significantly limited because today formal qualification and marketable skills such as communication skills are given an increased attention. As a result, hard of hearing and deaf workers seldom get managerial positions or promotions. Most work in the computing sphere, or in technical editing, design, programming, carpentry, the cooking industry, machinery, waste recycling, and other spheres.
"There are too few incentives for employers. The compensation penalty introduced by SGB IX for employers who do not hire severely disabled persons, does not make sense because employers prefer to pay compensation penalty." (Jurgen Schaeding, 54)
Nevertheless, the answer from the employment expert suggests that hard of hearing and deaf people possess other important qualities that should be drawn attention to and noticed by employers:
"Hard of hearing and deaf people are patient, responsible workers, have an attention to detail, more concentrated and try to listen/follow carefully. And often they care about the results of their work much more than non-disabled colleagues, because they learnt in life that in order to succeed, they have to be better than others and to work more than others." (Dr. Kuntscher, 41)
The majority of respondents indicated that raising awareness has to be the main strategy of the organizations towards companies, employers, HoH people themselves, and labor offices on the controversies and problems of employment for hard of hearing. For this, the association landscape has to be improved as it is still divided into organizations for the "deaf" and "hard of hearing" which does not provide a good cohesive lobby, at least in Berlin.
Rehabilitation and integration - prerequisites for success
Employment and education opportunities are closely linked to the success of rehabilitation. In Germany, there are numerous rehabilitation centres offering new programmes and methods such as audio therapy, which is becoming an increasingly popular rehabilitation in Germany. In the telecommunications sector, Germany has developed a relay service (allowing deaf and hard of hearing persons to make phone calls via an assistive device or a computer) which is not very popular, as it requires the use of a stationary computer. Apart from rehabilitation centres, centres of information such as Horbiz, are open for free consultations on the choice and fitting of a hearing aid, on the use of assistive listening technologies such as FM systems and induction loop systems, and how to apply for a hearing aid. The technical means of rehabilitation are provided through health insurance, including hearing aids.
"If a hearing aid is of a low quality, a person with hearing loss has big problems in his work, stress and lack of confidence, and misunderstandings with the colleagues." (Anonymous, 31).
"The hearing aid is the basic tool for hard of hearing people, it is the precondition for our participation in society." (Jens Grehl, 27)
The most painful issue for respondents was the fixed costs of hearing aids by insurance companies and rehabilitation agencies.
"Our insurance covers only 421 Euros of a hearing aid purchase! If one receives a second hearing aid, a 20 % discount must be given for it, but in reality this does not always work!" (Stephan Wilke, 32).
"In 2005, I had to cash out 3,300 Euro for my two hearing aids! These were the only good hearing aids - digital, which distinguish sounds very well - that could help me to function and communicate in a street, office or a restaurant. Fortunately I was able to fund my hearing aids from the legacy of my parents. But what is the next new provision? This is a new form of discrimination and exclusion in Germany." (Joachim Hoffmann, 53)
"More pressure from the EU is needed on insurance companies." (Anonymous, 31)
Currently the deaf and hard of hearing organizations across Germany are lobbying for the relevant implementation of the rehabilitation laws which state that the assistance should be accessible to people with disabilities, through policy recommendations and addressing the government. From many responses, it can be concluded that the insurance-based benefits do not allow for independent living. After the age of 18, young hard of hearing people are still dependent on the family for the purchase of hearing aids. As experts and people with hearing loss themselves confirm, the hearing aid alone does not make rehabilitation happen. Social, vocational rehabilitation, early rehabilitation and intervention in terms of speech development are crucial for the deaf and hard of hearing for their future inclusion in education and in the workplace.
Germany is advanced in early intervention, speech therapy from an early age and cochlear implant surgeries. Leaving all controversy and arguments, pros and cons of cochlear implants aside, a rehabilitation and surdopedagogy expert says, "In my impression, deaf and profoundly hard of hearing who have undergone cochlear implant surgery, are transforming to "hard of hearing" or hearing people half a year or a year after the surgery, after intensive speech rehabilitation and audiological training." The technological progress has narrowed the gap between hard of hearing and deaf, and now more deaf people seem to face changes in their identity from "d/Deaf" to "hard of hearing" or even "hearing".
Respondents also noted the discrepancy between the legislation in regard to rehabilitation, employment and education - and its implementation.
"From the side of rights and law the conditions for rehabilitation are good. The setting up in the daily life is not that good as it could (or should ) be, some modifications are needed". (Anonymous, 37)
The responses showed that the disability policy benefit system is, on the level of laws, well-developed, but the benefits do not reach hard of hearing or deaf people in an adequate way or quality. The difficulties, apart from bureaucracy, lack of information and tensions between decision-makers, can be also ascribed to the legislation reforms and the relative novelty of some laws. Meanwhile, the government recognizes the acceptance of Sign Language as a state language in 2002 the greatest achievement for deaf people:
"A big step for the integration of deaf and hearing-impaired people was the recognition of sign language by the Disability Equality Act. Now people with hearing loss can use sign language at official appointments in public institutions." (excerpt from an interview with the Federal Commissioner on Disability Affairs)
The Federal Commissioner on Disability Affairs also stressed that they are working on making hearing aids more accessible to deaf and hard of hearing people. Organizations, as usual, played a crucial role in encouraging the government. Let's hope that the "good intentions" will transform into action in the near future!
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