The Transition Processes for Young Deaf People
Presented on Wednesday 11 November 2009
Julie-Anne Leggate, Employment Adviser
RNID Employment Training and Skills Service Julie-Anne Leggate Employment Adviser
Who are we and what we do?
- RNID ETSS provide support for deaf and hard of hearing people who are looking for work.
- e work with employers and service providers to help them give the best possible service to deaf and hard of hearing people.
- We provide support for deaf and hard of hearing people to enter further education.
What we can do for our clients?
- Job Applications
- CV's
- Interview Skills
- Arrange work placements
- Work with employers (recruitment, develop staff, deaf awareness training and retaining staff)
- Retention issues
- Access to Work
What do our clients expect from us?
- Your own action plan.
- Individual meetings in a professional environment.
- Information which is accurate, up-to-date and easy to understand.
- Confidentiality at all times.
Who we work with?
- Jobcentres
- Deaf organisations
- Schools
- Employers
- Employability agencies - Remploy, Glasgow Works
Why are we here?
We work the same methods as other employment advisers, but we provide extra support to the deaf and hard of hearing people:
- Communication in the preferred communication mode of our clients such as BSL, SSE, Speed Text, or Lip-reading
- Offers encouragement for employers in order for them to adopt positive attitudes and accessible working practices for deaf and hard of hearing people.
- Aims to be as customer focused as possible in meeting the needs and ambitions of our client group.
Our Clients (16 – 25 years old)
From April 2006 – March 2009 we had 124 clients registered.
Case Study
I had a letter from the Jobcentre Plus (JCP) regarding a review interview. The Jobcentre Plus has refused interpreter. I felt depressed due to this
I had to look for a job myself, prepare for interviews etc without any assistant or advice
I was given a training course and I requested for a note taker. This was refused as they did not want anyone to sit next to me and there was no funding available
RNID has sorted out the problem for me within one day. I was very surprised to see that things can be sorted, especially in one day, whereas nothing was done for me in two years
Advantages of recruiting a deaf or hard of hearing person
- Sends out a positive message about the company, its values and its ethics to its customers, investors and the staff who work there.
- Deaf and hard of hearing people are used to problem solving and developing strategies to manage a variety of different situations.
- Many employers worry about health and safety. Deaf people are used to being careful and checking, as they know they cannot always rely on their hearing to alert them to danger.
- Deaf and hard of hearing people belong to a close community and they will take their custom to organisations that understand their needs or employ people from their community. Having a deaf or hard of hearing employee can also help employers understand the needs of their deaf and hard of hearing customers and give staff the confidence to deal with them in an appropriate way.
- Helps employers to demonstrate that they are positive about people with disabilities.
Disadvantages
THERE ARE NONE
Reason: Under the DDA, the employer has a duty to make 'reasonable adjustments' to the workplace and to employment arrangements - including recruitment.
Barriers in the Workplace
- Communication barriers
- Isolation
- Accessing information
- Lack of awareness and understanding
- Discrimination and harassment
- Health and safety
Access to Work
Available to help overcome the problems resulting from disability.
- Up to 100% of approved costs.
- 80% of approved costs over first £300.
- Contact your local DEA through your nearest Jobcentre Plus.
Deaf Awareness Training
We recommend our deaf awareness training for all your staff, whether they come directly into contact with customers or not.
If all of your staff are trained this way, they will be able to respond positively whenever they come into contact with a deaf or hard of hearing customers or colleagues.
Start to Sign
Our training is fun and informative and will help your staff to understand how to communicate with sign language user.
Learning sign language is a great way to motivate, enthuse and stimulate your staff.
Employment Training and Skills Service - Glasgow
RNID
Empire House
131 West Nile Street
Glasgow G1 2RX
Textphone 0141 341 5348
Fax 0141 354 0176