Nine years ago, Larry Burns woke up in the middle of the night and heard–nothing. He was understandably alarmed. Two years earlier he had had similar symptoms but was successfully treated by an otolaryngologist. This time it was more serious. After undergoing a series of tests the next day, it was determined that his hearing loss was due to an autoimmune phenomenon that attacked cells in his inner ears.
Burns remembers being “scared to death.” Not just about having to adapt to hearing loss, but also about his career at General Motors Corp, where he was a promising executive. But the 51-year-old has been promoted twice and is now vice president of research, development and planning.
Part of the reason was the determination of his former boss, Don Hackworth, now retired. Burns’ wife called Hackworth immediately to alert him to the problem.
“Don contacted organizations to find out what to do, brought in a stenographer to record conversations that could be read, obtained a telecommunications device to use with my phone, got a whiteboard and markers to write down key words,” Burns said.
According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communications Disorders, one-third of Americans will have a significant impairment by age 65. Also, the frequency of hearing loss has increased 26 percent among Baby Boomers in the last 15 years, according to the National Committee on an Aging Society in Washington. Experts cite two prime reasons: people living longer and an increase in environmental noise.
In addition to the emotional effects and practical daily issues, deafness (defined as extreme hearing loss) or hearing impairment (some degree of loss) can make work life much more challenging.
Although the hearing-impaired are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act, no act or person can legislate that a colleague talk clearly, face a deaf or hearing-impaired person to make communication easier or repeat something not totally heard or understood.
Karen Rivera, 33, a reservations agent with United Airlines, says she sometimes has trouble with less understanding co-workers. “I have had many hearing co-workers snap at me when I ask them to look at me so I can lip-read or when I ask them to speak slowly,” said Rivera, who lost her hearing when she contracted German measles at age 2. She is totally deaf in her right ear and has partial hearing in her left ear.
Rivera uses a special telephone headset with amplifiers to hear conversations better, but customers are often confused by her “deaf” accent. Rivera says she prefers not to explain her condition to callers. “If I tell them I am hard of hearing, they ask for someone else, which makes me feel dumb,” she said.
Even worse was a recent misunderstanding that almost cost Rivera her job. “The company was constantly changing policies and we all had to sign a contract to support it,” she said. “I didn’t hear the rumors that I didn’t have to sign it. One rule in the policy was that we could not make special waivers for co-workers when making reservations.”
A situation developed where Rivera did just that, which she said it was an honest mistake due to her hearing impairment. She was fired, but appealed her case and regained her position.
“I don’t believe the company tried to fire me because of my hearing loss. But, I felt that if I could hear, I would know better what’s going on, be able to protect myself. It’s a hard environment for a hard-of-hearing person,” she said.
Dr. David A. Ebert, an internist at Mt. Sinai Hospital Medical Center in Chicago, whose practice involves mostly deaf patients, agrees. He is also hearing-impaired. “They didn’t teach about how to communicate and be inclusive in medical school.”
He subsequently learned sign language, which enhances the care he provides and helps him work better with hearing-impaired colleagues. “People–those with hearing–don’t do what they do out of malice, but they sometimes don’t know how to include the hearing impaired in conversations, which leads to more discomfort.”
Rivera says those who hear should “recognize that deafness or hearing loss are not physical disabilities as much as communication disabilities.
“Again and again we hear [co-workers say] `Never mind. It’s not important. I’ll tell you later,'” she said. “We do not mind the first but let us decide if something is important. Finally, `later’ never comes. All we ask for is a fair shake.”
While employers and co-workers can help even the playing field at work, it’s also up to the hearing impaired to seek help sooner rather than later.
People with hearing problems often wait seven to 10 years before getting help, says Ronna Fisher, founder of the Hearing Health Centers in Chicago and Naperville: “Many resist but come when they’ve made too many mistakes or been fired.”
The good news is that many aids now are less visible and can be programmed like computers to adjust to noise in the environment.
The downside is cost. Really good hearing aids often cost several thousand dollars and typically are not reimbursed by insurance. Some organizations help pay for aids such as the Hear Now Program in Eden Prairie, Minn., the U.S. component of the Hearing Foundation, a non-profit foundation that helps low-income people hear better.
“Whether people are eligible depends on household size and income,” said coordinator Joanita Stelter. “The only costs are a $39 processing fee and an evaluation from an audiologist.” Those in need get a traditional analog aid, not the most expensive up-to-date digital model.
Surgical implants and other devices are also available, based on condition and budget. Burns, the GM executive, underwent a cochlear implant.
Mindy Lummus, 30, and deaf for 20 years, got a SoundTec Direct System implant. She finds work easier for Express Sports, which owns the Oklahoma City Blazers minor-league hockey team. “I don’t miss what’s said, don’t have to have things repeated and can participate in conversations.”
Once hearing-impaired people take such steps, the result is often a more content and productive worker, and sometimes even a happier boss.
Marsha Sullivan, an administrative assistant at the Chicago law firm Harris, Kessler & Goldstein, began hearing a constant ringing in her head. She said it sounded like a teakettle whistling. Because she could not hear herself, she didn’t know to modulate her voice when speaking. Many colleagues complained that she frequently spoke too loudly. Sullivan discovered she had tinnitus, a constant ringing or buzzing in an ear. Once she purchased a hearing aid, she heard well and knew what a normal tone was. Unfortunately, the ringing persists.
Jane Negronida, Sullivan’s boss, said, “If people don’t know [about her hearing loss], they might not pick up on it.”
Negronida says Sullivan is also able to joke about it now. She remembers being in her office one day with some girlfriends when Sullivan walked in looking for files.
“She said . . . ‘Don’t worry. I’m deaf and can hardly hear anything.’ “
