title: Workplace accommodations and unmet needs specific to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this paper is to identify the workplace accommodations used by individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, to report the perceived impact of the accommodations and to identify unmet needs with respect to workplace accommodations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing participated in an online survey. Respondents identified with one of four levels of functional hearing ability and selected from descriptions of workplace accommodations. Each selection was ranked according to perceived importance, satisfaction and frequency of use. Respondents also commented on unmet needs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most common accommodations were telephone aids (55%), co-worker helps (34%) and electronic communication (31%). Importance and frequency of use ranked high among most respondents (76% and 87%, respectively). However, perceived satisfaction ranked high among only 50% of respondents. The most common unmet needs were effective communication in groups and lack of co-worker support.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Workplace accommodations are viewed as important and frequently used by individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. However, satisfaction with the accommodations is marginal at best. Unmet needs remain in the areas of communication in meetings, support of co-workers and the development of a more universally accessible workplace environment.
authors.affiliation: Georgia Institute of Technology, Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access, Atlanta, GA 30318, USA. scott.haynes@coa.gatech.edu
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Haynes
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Linden
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006310:Hearing Aids; D006311:Hearing Disorders; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016272:Occupational Health; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D014481:United States; D017132:Workplace / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology