Working with hearing impairment in Australia: Policies and their impact

Abstract

Australia is a highly developed country in the Southern Hemisphere. The 6 largest country by total land mass, included amongst its areas of natural beauty are the Great Barrier Reef, alpine heaths and tropical rainforests. A multi-cultural, egalitarian society that prides itself on giving one and all ‘a fair go’, Australia ranks highly in many international comparisons of performance, including quality of life, health, education, protection of civil liberties and political rights. A federation of governments, Australia is a member of the United Nations and a signatory to the ‘United Nations Human Rights Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities’. With its National Disability Strategy, the Australian Government has articulated that it is committed to improving the lives of people with disability, their families and carers; and providing the necessary leadership for a community-wide shift in attitudes [1]. At the present time, a people’s campaign is sweeping Australia, demanding the introduction of a no fault person centred social model of disability reform. The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), if adopted, will provide a national response to disability, ensuring access to essential disability equipment without relying on the financial support of family or friends. The Disability Services Act [2] has identified that ‘people with disability’ includes those with sensory impairment. Australia supports in excess of 22 million people [3] with one is six Australians experiencing hearing loss. By 2050, the prevalence of hearing loss is expected to increase to one in four [4]. If the Australian Government is judged by the legislation that is introduced, upheld and enforced, it could be said to be mindful of its obligations to ensure people with disability are included in all facets of life. What this Sounding Board article explores is whether or not the legislation, services and supports that exist, extend to supporting people with hearing impairment in their right to equal access to employment. Further, I will argue that hearing impairment, hearing disorders and their impacts are not well understood by policy makers and as a result, their focus on the distribution of hearing aids is misdirected and often times ineffective. If people with hearing impairment are to be allowed the opportunity to fully participate in society then a holistic response to hearing impairment must be developed. Mindful of the social model of disability [5], it is acknowledged that each of us is a person first and the people being discussed happen to have a characteristic in common, hearing impairment. In this article, at this time and in this culture, terminology is used in the following way: for those who view Deafness as a culturally and linguistically diverse experience and prefer the capital ‘D’, your preferences when describing those who communicate primarily via Australian sign language (Auslan) are acknowledged. For those who have a pre-lingual hearing impairment, since nothing has been lost, the term ‘hearing loss’ is understood to