Welcome to "Breaking the Sound Barriers – Employing People Who are Deaf, Deafened and Hard of Hearing".

This manual provides a comprehensive overview of workplace issues for people who are deaf or have hearing loss - and a unique opportunity to learn about their communication styles. We encourage you to review the entire document. However, you can go directly to the section you are interested in by simply clicking on the subject title on the left.

For easier access to information pertaining to a particular recruit or employee, we have included two separate sections – "Deaf Employees" and "Hard of Hearing and Deafened Employees". These important sections address the language, communication needs and various accommodation requirements of the 'group'.   In an effort to make the sections complete and self-contained, some common communication strategies appear in both.
The information in the second half of the manual applies to all employees – deaf, deafened or hard of hearing.

We hope you enjoy the manual and find its information useful and rewarding.