The Royal Association for Deaf People (RAD) has highlighted the challenges faced by deaf people when securing and progressing in work.
The organisation has published the results of a survey, which polled the experiences of deaf people in relation to employment and career progression and was carried out at the end of 2020.
Amongst the issues raised by respondents were a lack of deaf awareness amongst employers, communication issues and barriers to voluntary work.
The RAD revealed that only a quarter of respondents said they had received careers advice in sign language. Of those who received careers advice at school less than half (41 per cent) said their advisor thought they could pursue the job they wanted.
The research found that 60 per cent of respondents said they had not been given progression opportunities during their career, with several citing a lack of deaf role models within work as a key barrier.
Significant issues were also raised in relation to workplace accessibility and inclusion.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents said they had not been given equal opportunities in the workplace and just over half did not feel supported at work. Responses from 83 per cent of participants said they had been excluded from conversations with colleagues, two-thirds reported feeling lonely at work and over half had been left out of social events.
Bullying or acts of unkindness at work were reported by 34 per cent but 48 per cent said their colleagues had wanted to sign or to learn to sign with them. However, only 21 per cent said their employer had arranged deaf awareness training for all staff.
Martin McLean, Careers Policy Advisor at the National Deaf Children’s Society, said: “Deaf young people are already less likely to be employed than their hearing peers and this concerning report shows some of the reasons why.
“If they’re deprived of good quality, accessible careers advice at this pivotal stage of their life, it puts them at a serious disadvantage before they’ve even moved into the world of work.
“Those that do find a job are arriving with incredible skills to offer, but all too often they’re unfairly held back by a real lack of support, inclusion and deaf awareness. Deaf young people are capable of anything, but unless they get the support they need, a generation of potential risks going to waste.”
