MNCDHH received similar questions about employment options for people who are deaf, deafblind & hard of hearing and what they can do if they believe they are experiencing employment discrimination. To address a topic that many people have questions about, we decided to create a three-part series on employment. 

Part 2: I am deaf, deafblind & hard of hearing OR I am starting to lose my hearing. I am experiencing communication barriers in my workplace. What are my options?

Private sector: 

If you feel that there are communication barriers at your workplace and you would like someone to come in and coach your employer about how to better work with you, you can contact the Minnesota Employment Center (MEC). They provide ongoing employment support services such as accommodations consultations and awareness training for both employees and employers at no cost via grant funds. MNCDHH and advocates successfully lobbied for this program and funding. 

You do not need to have currently used or formerly used Vocational Rehabilitation Services to receive ongoing employment support from MEC. 

Public sector: 

You can also contact MEC for ongoing employment support services. 

Federal employee:

Federal agencies normally welcome accommodations assistance from other entities such as state agencies and MEC. Sometimes state vocational rehabilitation staff can come to a federal work-site to help identify necessary accommodations for their clients who are employed in the Federal sector. Nevertheless, it is possible that some federal agencies may have varying policies on accepting assistance from outside or non-federal entities.  It is recommended that both the federal employee requesting reasonable accommodations and the State Agency willing to assist with the implementation of these accommodations coordinate services with HR and/or the Office of Equal Opportunity and Inclusion in the federal agency where the requesting employee works. 

Contact Minnesota Employment Center (MEC)

Coming next

Next week, we will share information for individuals who are deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing and believe that they are experiencing discrimination in the workplace.

Additional information

• Special thanks to Mohamed Mourssi-Alfash (MNCDHH board member), Elise Knopf (DEED), and Sheila Ritter (Minnesota Employment Center) for their contributions to this newsletter series.
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