Issues in the School-to-Work Transition of Hard of Hearing Adolescents

Abstract

Career theorists emphasize the importance of the development of career maturity in adolescents if they are to successfully negotiate the school-to-work transition. Transitions of young deaf and hard of hearing people the transition may be especially problematic. The authors examine the implications of current labor market trends for young people, in particular for those with hearing loss, and review data on employment outcomes for deaf and hard of hearing people. They discuss the environmental and attitudinal barriers that can influence the career outcomes and advancement of this population, consider the impact of hearing loss on adolescents' career maturity, and review the studies on this topic in the literature. The article focuses on the experiences of students with significant hearing loss who are educated in regular classes with the support of itinerant teachers, who communicate orally, and who may be defined as hard of hearing. Recommendations for research and practice are provided.

The social participation and career decision-making of hard-of-hearing adolescents in regular classes

“…One area in which we need to know more about hardof-hearing youth's difficulties and needs is career development and the school-to-work transition. Young hard-of-hearing people are in a vulnerable position in today's challenging labour market, and face environmental and attitudinal barriers in the world of work (Punch et al, 2004). This article reports one part of a study investigating the career decision-making processes of hard-of-hearing students attending high schools in the states of Queensland and New South Wales in Australia.…”

Education and training of young people who grew up with cochlear implants

“…The results of studies on deaf or a hard-of-hearing persons without implants indicate that hearing impairment has adverse effects on academic achievements, post-graduate education options and vocational opportunities [16,17]. Deaf or hard-of-hearing students are reported to be under-achievers, especially in reading, writing, and arithmetic abilities [16,17].…”

“…Deaf or hard-of-hearing students are reported to be under-achievers, especially in reading, writing, and arithmetic abilities [16,17]. As reported in Australia, Sweden, USA and Finland, despite a normal distribution of intelligence deaf or hard-of-hearing persons are disadvantaged regarding their post-secondary education and their employment status compared to the normal-hearing population [17][18][19][20]. Reported dissatisfaction with career options or opportunities is related to poor literacy skills, low educational level, social and environmental barriers (e.g.…”

The Antecedents and Outcomes of Autonomous Behaviors: Modeling the Role of Autonomy in Achieving Sustainable Employment for Deaf Young Adults

“…Parental over-protection, perhaps stemming from low expectations about the capacity of deaf individuals, restricts opportunities for independent, autonomous action and career exploration (Punch et al 2004). Parents of deaf children may believe that deaf people have limited occupational opportunities (Schroedel and Carnahan 1991) and tend to discourage specific careers that are seen to be too challenging (DeCaro et al 2001;Parasnis et al 1996).…”

“…Deaf students, in particular, may face a number of challenges surrounding communication and socialization such as inadequate accommodation in educational environments (Schick et al 2006, parental over-protection in the home (Punch et al 2004) or controlling and authoritative environments in school (Marlatt 2002) that encourage rote memorization instead of more complex problem-solving tasks (Pagliaro and Kritzer 2005). Across multiple settings, these communication barriers and lack of access to information potentially limit opportunities for deaf students to develop, and act upon, their individual agency.…”