Linda (pictured in the middle with WorkBC Assistive Technology Services staff members Joanna and Andleeb) works part-time as a visitation assistant at a funeral home.

“[I have] mild to severe bilateral sensorineural hearing loss,” she shares. “[It] significantly impacts my ability to perform my job duties, communication, active listening, and safety as my main role is directly meeting with families in highly sensitive situations.”

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David has worked as a certified educational assistant for a school district for 20 years. His job has him in constant communication with both students and staff, and working out of an office space that’s often busy with students, it can be particularly difficult for him to hear.

“[I have] nerve damage in both ears. My struggle for the past couple of years has been able to hear clearly when someone is trying to speak to me, either in-person or over the phone. I have been constantly asking for them to repeat what they are saying,” he shares. “The other thing was I was not picking up on certain tones and having to have them repeat or even write down what it is. It has been very frustrating.”

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Theresa works as a caregiver for a young adult with a disability, helping with personal care and daily tasks. She has hearing loss, which can make her job difficult.

She learned about WorkBC Assistive Technology Services from a friend and decided to apply for funding for the hearing aids she needs for work. “I received hearing aids that I never would have been able to afford,” she says.

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Jane works as a customer service associate for a home improvement retail store, assisting customers in-person, online, and over the phone. She has mild to moderate hearing loss, with lower hearing in higher tones, and with specific letter sounds.

“My work environment has a great deal of noise — machinery operating, multiple conversations in a close proximity to me, speaking on the phone, noisy product carts moving through and around my workstation,” she shares. “My hearing loss often required me to ask people to repeat what they said for clarity, or to speak louder or come closer to me.”

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Mahmoud works as a logistics coordinator for a distribution company, and his duties include organizing orders, coordinating shipments, and ensuring deliveries are accurate and on time.

“I have plantar fasciitis, which sometimes causes significant foot pain and may occasionally affect my performance,” he shares.

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At Margaret’s work, she runs a filling machine which fills small vials and requires a lot of focus. She has hearing loss — particularly making it hard to distinguish ‘f’ and ‘th’ sounds — which led to her sometimes misunderstanding directions at work, and also made it difficult to hear when the machine was not operating properly.

“I was having a hard time understanding people clearly, which caused a few misinterpreted conversations,” she shares. “This became very frustrating for me and hard for me to do my job.”

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Paula’s job includes taking care of admin duties like accounts payable and accounts receivable, payroll, as well as other general office duties. However, some tasks, like taking meeting minutes, were quite difficult for Paula.

“[I have] 100% hearing loss in [my] left ear,” she shares. “It limited the jobs I could apply [for], and limited the duties at my job I was able to do, like attending meetings, never mind taking minutes.”

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Sara works as a printing and production clerk in the Lower Mainland. She was born deaf, and has worn hearing aids since she was a child. Through WorkBC Assistive Technology Services, she received funding for a new set of hearing aids that she needs on the job.

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Jody is looking for work. She has hearing loss. “Poor hearing makes me feel less confident. Having to ask people to repeat themselves is not a good feeling and does not give a potential employer confidence either,” she shares.

Through WorkBC Assistive Technology Services, Jody received funding for the hearing aids she needs for employment.

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Laura (name changed to protect privacy) has her own house cleaning business. She has hearing loss and tinnitus, and this can make communicating with her clients difficult, particularly when they are soft-spoken. “I have troubles hearing precisely what they are talking about,” she shares.

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