What is it about?
Although many studies have examined deaf people’s lived experiences of audism in various contexts, relatively little research has examined such experiences in the area of employment, particularly in Ireland. There is, therefore, a dearth of research focusing on the underlying causes of the employment discrimination which deaf people continue to experience. The term “audism” has been widely used in deaf studies literature to describe a set of assumptions that promote the unequal treatment of individuals on the basis of hearing (dis)ability. In this study, I use qualitative analysis of interviews with eight deaf adults to examine the impact of audism on the lived experience of employment discrimination. My main objective was to examine the effects and causes of discrimination which prevent access to employment opportunities. The findings indicate that the three levels of audism— individual, institutional and internalized—had the effect of creating blocks and barriers to employment opportunities for deaf people. The results also point to stigma, stereotyping and prejudice as underlying causes of discrimination. The study concludes by discussing the implications of the results for conceptualizations of discriminatory behaviors on the part of employers.
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Why is it important?
Very little empirical data exist on the actual employment situation of Irish deaf people despite the fact that systems of inequality continue to affect deaf people. Employment gatekeepers often engage in stereotyping during the hiring process and in the workplace. Many deaf people developed literacy problems, which placed them at a serious disadvantage when competing with hearing people in the job market. Deaf people face a multitude of barriers that impact on their employment opportunities. The most critical barrier is employers' negative attitude about deaf people. The results of the study speaks directly to disability policy in Ireland. The article recommends that finding ways to change negative attitudes towards deaf people should be a major goal of the Irish government.
Perspectives
The inspiration for this study stems from my participation at an open meeting of “Concerned Members of the Irish Deaf Community” which took place at a “deaf domain,” the geographical space where a number of deaf service provider organizations are located. The meeting was held in February 2014 during which I witnessed deaf people share their experience of employment discrimination. As a deaf social justice researcher, I had a personal interest in their stories because they reflected some disturbing aspects of my life experience which I was motivated to write about. Deaf people shared examples of how they were treated less favorably by hearing employers because of a perceived “disability.” One individual was particularly seething at the way jobs were being routinely extended to hearing people while the more qualified deaf people were excluded. I wondered if this was a prevalent problem for deaf people. If so, what was at the heart of the problem? Why do some hearing employers act in a discriminatory manner towards deaf people? What motivated them to behave in such a way? To answer these questions, I began to search for the underlying cause, something that, until now, has been neglected in sociological research.
Dr Noel Patrick O'Connell
University of Dublin Trinity College
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: “Opportunity Blocked”: Deaf People, Employment and the Sociology of Audism, Humanity & Society, April 2021, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/0160597621995505.
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