Career and workplace experiences of Australian university graduates who are deaf or hard of hearing.
This article reports on the experiences of a group of deaf and hard-of-hearing alumni of Griffith University in south-east Queensland, Australia. Participants completed a survey answering questions about their communication patterns and preferences, working lives, career barriers or difficulties anticipated and encountered, and workplace accommodations used or sought. Results revealed a range of career barriers and workplace difficulties encountered by these participants, as well as solutions found and strategies used by them. Differences in employment sector, job-search activities, difficult workplace situations, and use of accommodations were noted between 2 groups: those who communicated primarily in Australian Sign Language and considered themselves to have a Deaf or bicultural identity and those who communicated primarily in spoken English and considered themselves to have a hearing identity. Implications for university services supporting deaf and hard-of-hearing students are outlined, and suggestions for further research are made.
Punch
Renée
R
Centre for Applied Studies in Deafness, Griffith University, Gold Coast 9726, Queensland, Australia.
Hyde
Merv
M
Power
Des
D
D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D002322:Career Mobility; D003638:Deafness; D004522:Educational Status; D004651:Employment; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D012649:Self Concept; D012813:Sign Language; D012933:Social Identification; D013060:Speech; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities; D017132:Workplace