If you are struggling to complete the requirements of your job due to hearing loss, you are protected by the Equality Act 2010.

The Equality Act replaced several key pieces of legislation including the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

It requires employers to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ for deaf people and those with hearing loss, as well as those with physical or mental health condition or disability.

If an employer fails to provide these, it may be deemed to be unlawful discrimination, and they could be at risk of legal action.

For further information about Access to Work and how to check your eligibility, visit the UK Government website.

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Support available

The support provided by Access to Work depends on your individual needs. However, a grant could help provide support in the following areas:

Assistive listening devices

An Access to Work grant could provide assistive listening devices to help amplify sound to your hearing aid(s). This would support you in team meetings, one-to-one meetings and on the telephone.

Support workers

A grant may cover support workers such as British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters, electronic note-takers, and Lipspeakers. Depending on your individual needs, a communication support worker is trained to repeat a speaker’s message in a way that is accessible for the person with the hearing difficulty.

The grant may also help with the provision of a video relay service support (a telecommunication solution for BSL users) or a Speech-to-Text Reporter (Enables you to follow what is being said on a screen).

Training for colleagues

You could also apply for support toward the cost of deaf awareness training to help colleagues communicate more effectively with you.