Managing hearing loss at work

What is the course about?

This course is for people who have a hearing loss and who work in an office environment. It covers a range of common office scenarios and issues that arise for people with hearing loss.

What will we cover?

The course identifies work place issues, proposes management strategies and offers the opportunity to practice asking assertively for the support you need.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

- describe the advantages and disadvantages of disclosing hearing loss at work.
- describe a range of communication tactics and adjustments that are helpful to people with hearing loss.
- identify the appropriate tactics/adjustments for your personal work situation.
- confidently explain to a hearing colleague what adjustments you need and why the adjustments are helpful.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

This course is intended for adults with hearing loss who would like to learn communication tactics and environmental adjustments that will help them to manage their hearing loss at work. It may also be of interest to anyone who works with or lives with a person with hearing loss. The scenarios that are discussed on the course are specifically around office work.

The course will be delivered in spoken English, not British Sign Language. It is aimed at adults who have some residual hearing and use spoken English to communicate at work. The class room has a loop system to support hearing aid users. The class room will be arranged to optimize the view of the tutor for lip-readers. If you need a specific adjustment to accommodate your hearing loss, please discuss with the tutor before the start of the course.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

There will be short presentations from the tutor supported by PowerPoint presentations. There will be group and whole class discussions, role play and action planning. The aim is for learners to look at problems and come up with solutions to try out after the class. Learners will need to be willing to take participate in discussions and exercises in order to get the most value from the course.

We aim to make all our teaching accessible for students with an acquired hearing loss, whether it is an online course or face to face.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

Please bring a notebook and pen.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

You will be given information about other courses that may be relevant e.g. Assertiveness and hearing loss, Lip-reading, Living well with hearing loss, Manage your tinnitus.