New EEOC Fact Sheet

New EEOC Fact Sheet
 re: Employment Rights of People with Hearing Loss

        New EEOC Publication Addresses Employment Rights
                  of People with Hearing Loss

              Latest Q&A Fact Sheet Coincides with
            Anniversary of Landmark Disabilities Act

WASHINGTON, DC  Cari M. Dominguez, Chair of the U.S. Equal 
Employment opportunity Commission (EEOC), today announced the 
issuance of a new question-and-answer (Q&A) fact sheet on the 
application of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to job 
applicants and employees who are deaf or who have hearing 
impairments. The new publication, the sixth in a series of Q&A 
documents about specific disabilities in the workplace, is 
available online at
http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/deafness.html. 

"One goal of this fact sheet is to counter the myth that 
individuals with some level of hearing loss are generally less 
competent, less productive, or would require more attention and 
supervision than their peers who do not have hearing loss," 
said Chair Dominguez, who announced the issuance of the new 
document at a town hall meeting sponsored by the National 
Council on Disability in observance of the 16th anniversary of 
the ADA. 

She added: "As our nation observes the anniversary of the 
landmark Americans with Disabilities Act, we should be mindful 
that disability does not mean inability, and that every 
individual deserves the freedom to compete on a fair and level 
playing field. People with disabilities represent a vast pool 
of untapped talent for employers." 

The new Q&A publication includes many real-life examples that 
illustrate the kinds of jobs that people with hearing loss 
successfully perform and the wide range of accommodations 
available. Topics addressed in the document include: 

* When a hearing loss is a disability under the ADA; 

* When an employer may ask an applicant or employee about
  a hearing impairment and what it should do if an applicant
  voluntarily discloses the impairment; 

* What type of reasonable accommodation an applicant or
  employee with a hearing disability may need; and 

* What an employer should do if it has safety concerns about
  an applicant or employee with a hearing impairment.
 
According to published reports, between 2000 and 2004, 
estimates of the number of people in the United States with a 
self-described "hearing difficulty" ranged from 28.6 million to 
31.5 million. A "hearing difficulty" can refer to the effects 
of many different hearing impairments of varying degrees. The 
number of individuals with hearing difficulty is expected to 
rise rapidly by the year 2010 when the baby-boomer generation 
reaches age 65. As compared to other age groups, the percentage 
of individuals with hearing difficulty is greatest among those 
individuals age 65 and above. 

EEOC's latest ADA publication helps to advance the goals of the 
New Freedom Initiative, President George W. Bush's 
comprehensive strategy for the full integration of people with 
disabilities into all aspects of American life. The New Freedom 
Initiative seeks to promote greater access to technology, 
education, employment opportunities, and community life for 
people with disabilities. An important part of the New Freedom 
Initiative strategy for increasing employment opportunities 
involves providing employers with technical assistance on the 
ADA. 

EEOC enforces Title I of the ADA, which prohibits employment 
discrimination against people with disabilities in the private 
sector and state and local governments, and the Rehabilitation 
Act's prohibitions against disability discrimination in the 
federal government. In addition, the EEOC enforces other 
federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination based on 
race, color, religion, national origin, sex, and age. Further 
information about the EEOC is available on its website at 
http://www.eeoc.gov.

______________________________________________________________

For more Employment news issues, see:
http://www.aapd.com/News/empissues/indexempissues.php

# # #

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