Talking Hearing Loss

A friend of a family member, let’s call him Jack, was fired from a globally recognised company, not for poor performance, but for using the technology he needed to hear. Jack has had hearing loss since childhood and has relied on bilateral hearing aids for most of his life. Yet, despite his long-standing needs, his employer treated a simple accommodation as misconduct.

Here’s what happened: Jack needed to take an important call from his doctor and asked his boss if it was okay. His request was approved. When the call came in, he streamed it directly to his hearing aids, speaking into his phone’s microphone as he always does. But on the office’s video cameras, it looked like he was on a video call. Before Jack could explain, he was summoned to a disciplinary meeting, and by the end he had been terminated. Because of his experiences living with hearing loss, Jack is naturally timid discussing it and struggled to articulate the situation.

Think about that for a moment. Jack was fired for a misunderstanding caused entirely by the accommodations he needed to do his job and take care of his health. The mere act of using technology that allowed him to hear, technology he depends on every day, was misinterpreted as misconduct.

It’s easy for someone without hearing loss to say, “He should have explained himself.” But living with hearing loss brings anxiety, low self-esteem, and fear of judgment, making even simple situations intimidating. I remember myself, fifteen years ago, before my cochlear implant. I likely would have reacted the same way as Jack.

This isn’t just an unfortunate story; it’s a stark reminder of how ill-equipped many workplaces are when it comes to disability awareness. Employers need clear policies, proactive communication, and disability awareness training to ensure situations like Jack’s never happen. People like Jack shouldn’t feel their rights, or their humanity, are less than those without a disability.

Workplaces pride themselves on policies, procedures, and compliance, but where is the humanity? Where is the understanding that some accommodations aren’t privileges, but necessities? How many talented, dedicated employees have been judged and dismissed simply because their needs were misunderstood or ignored?

Stories like this make me angry because they are preventable. Hearing loss is not a flaw, it’s a part of life. And no one should be penalized for navigating it with dignity.

Hearing about Jack’s experience has reminded me how important it is to speak up, advocate for accessibility, and never take inclusive workplaces for granted. It’s time for companies, especially large global corporations, to do better. To look beyond the surface, to listen, really listen, to employees with disabilities, and to recognize that fairness isn’t just about following procedures. It’s about understanding people.

Because at the end of the day, every employee deserves that.