Workplace

 

ASL

Canadian Hearing Services (CHS) Employment Services consultants can provide you with a variety of strategies to help you and your staff effectively communicate with employees who are Deaf or hard of hearing. 

We provide:

Assessment of workplace accommodation needs for Deaf and hard of hearing employees (fee for service)

  • Workplace accessibility strategies to remove communication barriers
  • Employer/employee communication strategies
  • Information on reasonable accommodation guidelines for Deaf and hard of hearing candidates and employees
  • Awareness training for employees and management (fee for service)
  • Information on other CHS services (e.g. Interpreting, Communication Devices) to help you remove communication barriers

To speak to a CHS Employment Services consultant, contact:
Phone: 1-866-518-0000
TTY: 1-877-215-9530
Email: employmentservices@chs.ca

Online Form

Communication Tips ASL

There are a wide variety of approaches, techniques and technology to choose from that can help you and your employees communicate with people who are Deaf or hard of hearing. 
Here are some helpful tips for communicating with people with hearing loss.

  • Always face the person you’re talking to. Be aware that when you’re looking away from a person or covering your mouth, your lips can’t be seen.
  • Speak normally, don't yell or scream. Yelling causes you to speak abnormally, making it difficult for people to understand you.
  • Don't speak too quickly. What you're saying needs to be processed and figured out.
  • Make sure you’re well-lit (avoid backlighting). Dim areas make it difficult to speech read or pick up on non-verbal or physical communication. If there’s a light source behind you, such as a window, this often makes it difficult to see your lips and facial expression.
  • Reduce ambient noise. When speaking to someone who is hard of hearing, try to minimize surrounding noise.
  • Explore alternative ways of communicating, such as writing on a whiteboard, using pen and paper, using text or email on a smartphone, or showing examples of what needs to be done.
  • Confirm with clarification. If there's a chance you were misunderstood, a great way to clarify is to have someone repeat what you've said. This works for hearing people as well.