The Canadian Hearing Society Position Paper on Discrimination and Audism
The Issue
Culturally Deaf, oral deaf, deafened, and hard of hearing Canadians continue to
experience discrimination in the workplace and when accessing vital services that most
Canadians take for granted such as education, employment, health care, and housing.
Discrimination is a sad reality for all people with disabilities, and in the case of people
who are culturally Deaf, oral deaf, deafened, or hard of hearing, such discrimination
may also be rooted in audism, a key term that we describe in more detail below.
The Canadian Hearing Society (CHS) Position on the Issue
Discrimination in any form closes the door to equal opportunity, a fundamental right of
Canadian citizenship and democracy itself. Culturally Deaf, oral deaf, deafened, and
hard of hearing Canadians have the right to fair and equitable treatment, to participate
equally in the workplace, and to communicate fully and freely with businesses, nonprofit
organizations and government. It is the position of CHS that both the public,
private, voluntary and not for profit sectors be responsible for ensuring discriminationfree
environments.
The Prevalence of Hearing Loss
Almost 25% of adult Canadians report having some hearing loss (CHS Awareness
Survey 2002), although closer to 10% of people actually identify themselves as
culturally Deaf, oral deaf, deafened, or hard of hearing.
The average age in Canada is 39 years; by 2030 it will be 45 years. In 2030,
Canadians 65 years and older will represent 25% of the total population, nearly double
their current 13% (Statistics Canada).
Hearing loss is the third most prevalent chronic condition in older adults and the most
widespread disability (Fook 2000; Yueh 2003). Its prevalence rises with age. Reports
indicate that more than 80% of patients over 85 have a hearing loss (Yueh 2003).
Further, 46% of people aged 45-87 have hearing loss (Dalton 2003).
Couple these statistics with the fact that aging is the #1 cause of hearing loss, and the
conclusion is clear that the incidence of hearing loss is poised to climb dramatically.
Terms Key to Understanding the Issue
Audism (Ô diz m) n. 1. The notion that one is superior based on one’s ability to hear or
behave in the manner of one who hears. 2. A system of advantage based on hearing
ability 3. A metaphysical orientation that links human identity with speech.
The first is the initial seed planted by Tom Humphries (1975). The second is adapted
from Wellman’s (1992) discussion of institutionalized audism. The third definition was
presented at the Deaf Studies VI conference by Bahan and Bauman (2000).
Audism is a form of discrimination based on a person’s ability to hear or behave in the
manner of one who hears, including the conveyance of beliefs that a hearing person or
a deaf person who behaves in a manner more similar to a hearing person, in
appearance, communication and language use, and/or function, is more intelligent,
qualified, well-developed, and successful than another individual who may be more
culturally deaf and/or have a preference for the use of a sign language or a
communication mode dissimilar to that used by hearing people.
Like all forms of discrimination, audism is grounded in misconception and
misunderstanding: “…often disguised in sentiments of concern for safety, unawareness
of accommodations or perceived undue financial hardship in providing
accommodations.” (Malkowski, 2003) “…the belief that life without hearing is futile and
miserable…and that … deaf people should struggle to be as much like hearing people
as possible.” (Pelja, 1997).
Of course, discriminatory beliefs are one thing - discriminatory practices are quite
another, and in more extreme forms, “like racism or sexism, audism judges, labels, and
limits individuals on the basis of whether a person hears and speaks.” (Humphries and
Alcorn 1995:85). When discriminatory beliefs give rise to discriminatory actions, unfair
limits and barriers are imposed.
Examples of this can be found in such statements such as: “You can’t possibly get a
university degree because you are deaf.” “I can’t hire you because you are hard of
hearing.” “It is not a safe environment for someone with a hearing loss.” “I can’t
promote you to supervisor because of your hearing loss.” Or “I can’t rent this apartment
to you, because you’re deaf.” It is also exemplified in a situation where one deaf or hard
of hearing individual is offered a position or promotion, over an otherwise more
qualified deaf or hard of hearing individual, on the basis how “hearing-like” the individual
looks, acts and/or functions. Selecting a hearing person over an otherwise more
qualified deaf or hard of hearing person, or denying a deaf person their rights solely
because of a hearing loss are more explicit and discernible examples of discrimination.
However, audism, as in the example of two deaf or hard of hearing people competing
for the same job, often appears in more subtle forms, though the results are equally
devastating for the individual and society as a whole.
The Rationale for CHS’s Position
In addition to clear moral and ethical grounds, existing legislation, significant legal
decisions and independent research reports support our position. In brief, they are as
follows:
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms [1982]: The Charter is a bill of rights
entrenched in the Constitution of Canada. The Charter protects the political and civil
rights of all Canadians, and supercedes all provincial human rights codes.
Canadian Human Rights Act [1985]: This Act extends the laws of Canada to uphold the
principle that “all individuals should have an opportunity equal with other individuals to make
for themselves the lives that they are able and wish to have and to have their needs
accommodated...without being hindered in or prevented from doing so by discriminatory
practices based on...disability."
Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Disability & The Duty To Accommodate: Your
Rights & Responsibilities 2007
“Persons with disabilities face many kinds of barriers on a daily basis. These can be
physical, attitudinal or systemic. It is more effective to identify and remove barriers
voluntarily rather than waiting to respond to individual accommodation requests or
complaints.”
“Keep in mind that barriers are not just physical. Taking steps to prevent “ableism”-
attitudes in society that devalue and limit the potential of persons with disabilities-will
help promote respect, dignity and the full participation of persons with disabilities in
the life of the community.”
“The ‘duty to accommodate’ is the legal obligation that employers, unions, landlords
and service providers have under the Code to meet the needs of persons with
disabilities.”
Some of examples of accommodation include providing TTY, visual alarms and
emergency notifications systems, and sign language interpreters or real-time captioning
for persons who are deaf, deafened, and hard of hearing so they can participate fully.
Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Policy and Guidelines on Racism and Racial
Discrimination [2005] p. 13, which states: At the institutional or systemic level, racism is
evident in organizational and government policies, practices and procedures and the ‘normal
way of doing things’ which may directly or indirectly consciously or unwittingly, promote,
sustain, or entrench differential advantage for some people and disadvantage for others.”
Ontario Human Rights Commission's Policy and Guidelines on Disability and the Duty to
Accommodate [2000] The Ontario Human Rights Code explicitly states that everyone has the
right to be free from discrimination. The Policy and Guidelines outline the details and give
practical measures for workplaces, public transit, health services, restaurants, shops and
housing to provide Ontarians with disabilites equal treatment and barrier free access.
Ontario Human Rights Code [1990] The Code protects Ontarians from discrimination based
on disability or other characteristics (e.g. race, ancestry, family status, sexual orientation,
etc.) and calls for a "climate of understanding and mutual respect for the dignity and worth of
each person so that each person feels a part of the community and able to contribute fully to
the development and well-being of the community and the Province."
Note that other provinces and territories have legislation, policy and/or guidelines on the duty
to accommodate persons with disabilities that embody the principles of the Ontario
Human Rights Code. For links to these sites please visit us at www.chs.ca.
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act [2005]: Passed unanimously in the Ontario
Legislature, this Act commits the government of Ontario to create, implement and enforce
standards of accessibility with respect to goods, services, facilities, accommodation,
employment, buildings, structures and premises for the 16 per cent of Ontarians with
disabilities, including people who are culturally Deaf, oral deaf, deafened, and hard of
hearing.
Frequently Asked Questions
• I’ve seen terms like ableism and attitudinal barrier in the press; what do these
terms mean?
As we noted earlier, discrimination is a reality for all people with disabilities; ableism
refers to discrimination (in belief or practice) based on a person’s abilities, whether
developmental, learning, physical, psychiatric or sensory.
When discriminatory beliefs lead to discriminatory actions then it can be said that an
attitudinal barrier has been imposed which, by definition, unfairly limits the
opportunities and options available to those being discriminated against. For
example, research shows that serious attitudinal barriers exist in the expectations
and behaviours of educators and employers regarding the capabilities and
employability of culturally Deaf, oral deaf, deafened, and hard of hearing people that
have resulted in the widespread under-education, under-employment and
unemployment of thousands of Canadians with hearing loss.
• I am an employer. Where can I find information about accessibility technology to
ensure the safety of employees with hearing loss?
We encourage employers to explore and identify technology for employees and
applicants who are Deaf or have hearing loss that would satisfy safety
requirements/measures/regulations set by government, health and safety
organizations, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, and insurance companies.
There are useful and practical online resources for employers at
http://www.chs.ca/info/es/index.html and for medical professionals at
http://www.amphl.org
• I’m a manager and I’d like to help the people in my organization understand
hearing loss better, and I’m also not sure what I can or should do to
accommodate our employees or customers with hearing loss. Where do I turn?
We’re here to help! The Canadian Hearing Society has a long history of working
with both private and public organizations to build positive awareness around
hearing loss in the workplace and design and implement customized
accommodation strategies. We invite readers to download any of our many
publications available free online at www.chs.ca (click on “Information” and follow
the links), or to contact us to find out more about our awareness training as well as
accommodation consultation services.
For more information please contact The Canadian Hearing Society to obtain a copy of
this position paper, the CHS Diversity Policy -- which includes Access and
Accommodation, ASL Proficiency, Anti-Audism, Anti-Racism -- or any of our other
policies. Phone: 1-877-347-3427, TTY 1-877-347-3429 and e-mail
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
or visit
us on the web at www.chs.ca.
CHS Position On Discrimination And Audism
