Why hidden disabilities should be on your HR agenda!

Here are a few facts:

In the general population

.There are an estimated 1,012,000 people in Scotland with some degree of hearing loss 

. In Scotland there are an estimated 701,000 people with mild to moderate deafness

. In Scotland there are an estimated 57,000 people with severe to profound deafness

. There are almost 9 million people with some degree of hearing loss in the UK.

At work

. 70% of deaf people believe they have failed to get a job because of their deafness

. 64% have experienced communication difficulties at work and over 50% are unable to communicate with their hearing colleagues

. 60% were looking for another job because of their treatment at work

. 19% of deaf people are unemployed compared to 5% of non-disabled people

. 52% of deaf people felt they had been prevented from pursuing further training or education because of their deafness or lack of communication services

. 74% of deaf people said they were prevented from progressing at work because of their deafness

. In 1999 8% of deaf full-time employees surveyed by the then RNID earned less than the minimum wage compared to 1.1% of full-time workers in the general population

Research shows that the biggest barrier at work for deaf people is lack of understanding by employers of their communication needs.

If you are a Scottish based employer looking for advice then get in touch with:

Gordon Teasdale

HR Dept. Glasgow