Hearing loss is the third most common chronic health condition in the US. While prevalent, it is often underestimated as less serious than it is. While hearing loss is an issue that begins in the ears it quickly affects how you communicate and relate to the world. It’s a sensory deprivation that starts slowly and can subtly establish itself as a limiting function in every aspect of your life including your relationships, your mental stability, your cognitive functioning, and your ability to be mobile. Now a recent study shows how hearing loss can also have disastrous effects on your earnings and success in the workplace.
The Economic Impact of Hearing Loss in The Workforce
If you are concerned about the cost of treating hearing loss it is important to compare this to the cost of avoiding treatment. The Hearing Health Foundation reports that people with severe hearing loss have an unemployment rate (15.6%) – twice of those with normal hearing (7.8%). However, those who address their hearing loss with hearing aids were nearly 50% less likely to struggle with unemployment (8.3%).
Further, then a diminished chance for job opportunities also affects earning potential for those in the workplace. A 2012 report published in the journal Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology, examined the link between untreated hearing loss and lower salaries. The finding showed that people with hearing loss receive much lower incomes than those with normal hearing. The Better Hearing Institute reports that the loss can equal as much as $30,000 annually. Those with hearing loss are more likely to miss important information during meetings, seem confused, unalert and are even believed to be less reliable and more accident-prone in industrial settings.
Reducing the Rate of Unemployment for the Hearing Impaired
For those who already have a job and are concerned about missing new professional opportunities, being passed over for promotions, and being skipped over for raises it is important to be proactive. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects workers from disability-based discrimination. This means that if you are living with hearing loss you are entitled to request accommodations at no cost to you. These could include asking for a quieter work location to reduce background noise or ASL interpreters.
It’s a great time to take advantage of technology to assist the hearing impaired such as talk to text applications on smartphones and telecoils in loud work environments. These accommodations can help you succeed in the workplace, but the first step is to be forthcoming with your disability. Hearing loss is an invisible disability which means that often you must come out about it to your employers and co-workers. While stigmas of old age keep people often from being open, the benefits available in workplaces outweigh struggling through a disability in silence.
Job Hunting
If you are looking for a new job and you suspect that hearing impairment has kept you from employment in the past, it’s important to do your research ahead of time. Understand the job and if you can successfully achieve the job with your disability. Whether than acting as if your hearing loss is an inconvenience, talk about how you’ve navigated situations in the past effectively despite your hearing impairment.
Addressing Hearing Loss
Hearing loss in most cases is a permanent condition in which the tiny cells of the inner ear which transmit sound to the brain become damaged due to various causes such as exposure to noise, particular medications, head trauma, and chronic ear infections. However, while it is permanent it is not untreatable. The most common and effective method of treatment is hearing aids. While these electronic devices cannot restore your original hearing, they can be programmed based on a hearing exam to amplify the specific tones and pitches which individual struggles to receive. This can allow enhanced communication, improved relationships, a greater sense of space, and making mobility a safer and more likely option. However, of those who could benefit from hearing aids only 20% of people have ever tried them. Don’t be part of this statistic: If you’ve put off addressing hearing loss because of the cost of hearing aids, remember that the loss in earnings statistically outweighs the investment in hearing aids. To find out more, schedule a hearing exam today.