Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

Thinking Outside The Box To Get More Deaf New Zealanders Into Work

A willingness to think differently, finding new ways to upskill Deaf people, and supporting businesses is a key priority for the employment team at Deaf Aotearoa.

For many businesses, hiring a Deaf employee often presents their very first interaction with a Deaf person and it can bring a lot of uncertainty around how to effectively manage communication and safety.

For many Deaf people, entering the workforce provides an additional set of challenges without some innovative support measures.

Supporting over 100 people nationwide, Deaf Aotearoa’s specialised employment team of dedicated facilitators are tasked with making their service accessible, not only for Deaf people to engage with, but also to support employers and their businesses when bringing a Deaf person into their workforce.

Underpinning it all is a strong desire from Deaf Aotearoa to deliver a fantastic, accessible and wide-ranging service to that goes beyond traditional employment support with a strong emphasis on ‘thinking outside the barriers’ at every step of the process.

Funded through Ministry of Social Development (MSD), it is New Zealand’s only Deaf-specific employment service and is a regular referral for traditional disability employment providers.

Identifying the Deaf individuals’ situation is a core part of the early stages. For some Deaf people, upskilling to be ‘work ready’ is required while others will already have jobs but are seeking additional support to be effective in their place of work, or to take their career to another level.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

Working with both potential and current employers of a Deaf person is another core part Deaf Aotearoa’s strategy in a bid to mitigate fears over health and safety at work.

Kat, a facilitator with the employment team at Deaf Aotearoa, says the biggest challenge is often working with employers to get them to understand the support that is available when having a Deaf person as part of the workforce.

“A lot of employers tend to see the barriers when considering employing a Deaf person so when that happens we try to reassure them by explaining about different funding options that are available for in-work supports such as interpreters and equipment to keep the Deaf person safe while at work”, Kat said.

Deaf Awareness workshops are available to all employers and business wanting to get a more in depth understanding of how to support Deaf employees, understand Deaf culture and learn NZSL.

Feedback from Deaf employees has been positive. Jess, another facilitator, received positive feedback from a Deaf employee who expressed thanks to Deaf Aotearoa for supporting her and her employers during a recent restructuring process.

“Deaf Aotearoa were fantastic in supporting me with understanding restructuring process and translating all that information in NZSL, it feels less stressful now”.

 

 

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.