“The problem is not that the (deaf) students do not hear. The problem is that the hearing world does not listen. “- Rev Jesse L. Jackson ( American Civil Rights Activist, Minister).
Report in UK = BBC news in Down’s Syndrome people finding hard to get job
Pondering on the problems for people with disabilities finding jobs, working lower class in the workforce or unable to get a job.
Everyday we read many articles, stories and reports about workforce in the medias. Many people left the job due to financial problems, tired of working in the same job for many years or moving to a new location with the same company.
What about people with disabilities?? Does anyone know about it? How many people with disabilities are out of work or finding difficult to get a job in New Zealand?
Powerful message to urge many people with disabilities to have job equal right as everyone else
This photo show us really an excellent example that many Deaf workers who are working in a cafe – The Tradeblock Cafe in Melbourne,Australia in 2013. Deaf cafe in Melbourne, Australia
There are more Deaf cafes around the world. It is starting to open up and reaching out to all customers to learn to communicate and enjoys their meals/drinks. Yes, we do have one in Wellington Deaf cafe in Wellington We used to have one cafe in Auckland but they close down a long time ago while I was in overseas.
The main problems were the detail of the job roles such as call centre, answering the phones, face to face receptions and it was no match for some people with disabilities for example a deaf person who can not speak on the phone. In the Job advertising, they put down “looking for an experience”, “must have phone manners and excellent communicate, “good pay and hours”,”…. could be an entry level opportunity …… aspirations for a career in sales. Ideally the successful applicant will have a strong background in sales and customer service and have previously worked in a retail sales role.” and so on….
There are plenty of job advertising in the media like Facebook, Seeks, Indeed or Trademe. Not everyone has got a computer or laptop to access this kind of job seeking/advertising from home, in the library, in the government buildings such as WINZ.
Many people with disabilities put thousands of job applicants through Job Advertising and here are a couple articles for you to read it and think about it. I am sure there are many people with disabilities went through many years and no luck of getting a job. I was one of them for about 2-3 years and still looking for a different direction of work at the moment due to my health. Yes I am working under two different part time jobs but not enough…
Finally got the job after 950 applicants for 5 years
One successful Down’s Syndrome man got the job
WINZ (NZ Work and Income) – it is really a horror experience for many people including people with disabilities. But sometime it can be okay if there is little help on benefit or finding an odd job. I went through benefit for many years since I left Banking job (1981-1999) until I managed to find part time jobs which helped me a little bit more to pay the mortgage and bills. I chose to take redundancy than shifting to a new location and remaining as a Data Entry/Bank Officer role. I asked them if they were willing to promote in the next level as a bank manager/team leader even I was involved with banking for nearly 20 years. They refused to give me promoted and they said I can’t hear the phone and a bit worry of language barrier. Shame on them – many of customers who came and spoke to me first than other staff because of my experience, accurate to solved the problem in banking and prompt to answer their demands within 2-3 days for their enquires. Of course they knew that I am deaf and it does not bother them. I was careful to balance the income between paid salary from work and benefit income according to WINZ guideline rules. However I decided to quit on receiving benefit because of too much paperwork every years and WINZ staff poking in my life and background. For me, living on benefit was not helping because of my ‘disability’ – deaf and the disability allowance does not cover inflation financial cost of living and special equipment. Because WINZ have a limit of support payments under disability allowance and they don’t keep up with increasing inflation/financial cost of living and equipment such as hearing aids costs $4,100.00 a pair for many years….I live with 2 hearing aids, special equipment such as flashing lights for door bell, text mobile, transport to/from work/meetings and health issues. I use interpreter during the workshop or meeting and I don’t pay for the interpreter because there are some funding by Isigns or the manager of the work paid for the interpreter. People with disabilities rely on funding and income for ‘accessible’ equipment around the home and workplace, interpreters in the meeting, workshop, to become independent at work and home.
Many of the businesses in NZ (New Zealand) are not so friendly accessible to people with disabilities. The worst of all are the people’s attitudes and the lack of understanding in disabilities or know a very little understanding if they have got a family or friend who is disabled. Also most of the business fear of scaring away their customer, paying an extra cost to make the building more friendly accessible for everyone to come and go by losing their financial profits if they employed a disabled staff in the work. That is so stupid… especially if the building is not friendly and accessible then we won’t go there.
In the fact of financial loss by many businesses were the result of the lack of profits in cash-flow, overspent products and unable to sell off, high cost of selling marketing, high cost of rent for the building, not enough advertising for people to buy products and so on. Online marketing becoming more popular for everyone by internet or phone marketing..
Disable people finding job really difficult in US
Here is an interesting article by a person who researched and published by WHO (World Health Organisation).
clear facts on Deaf people in the employment/unemployment by WHO
Economic impact
In developing countries, children with hearing loss and deafness rarely receive any schooling. Adults with hearing loss also have a much higher unemployment rate. Among those who are employed, a higher percentage of people with hearing loss are in the lower grades of employment compared with the general workforce. Improving access to education and vocational rehabilitation services, and raising awareness especially among employers about the needs of people with hearing loss, would decrease unemployment rates among this group.
In addition to the economic impact of hearing loss at an individual level, hearing loss substantially affects social and economic development in communities and countries.
Can we teach people in work to learn about? It is really important for them to take a good look at themselves and where they have done wrong, perhaps change the attitude….
excellent example based on one of the largest business in US that hired disabled people
looking at the rate of percent in Deaf people in US
One of the writer who wrote Deaf blog and it is worth reading it….
Here is another quote from 2006 – a deaf person posted the blog Unemployment in the Deaf Community…….
According to this link in ASL: NetSignNews.com – Unemployment Rates In The Deaf Community The unemployment in general public (USA) is 4 to 6 percent. Among the Deaf Community in USA, it is 60 percent. Among the Deaf Community in Australia, it is 67 percent. In the developing countries, 90 percent of the deaf people aren’t working. Why am I not surprised?
Life in Eureka 
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