Objective: Employment is a major area of life for adults, including people with disabilities. The aim of our study is to understand the conditions and support opportunities that determine the career paths of people with hearing impairment in the labour market. The search was conducted in March 2024, and the articles covered 7 different countries.
Methods: We conducted a systematic review by searching the Web of Science, Elsevier, and EBSCO databases for relevant citations from 2006. We chose this date because of the advent of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD), which has contributed to a major paradigm shift in the social inclusion and integration of persons with disabilities, including those with hearing impairments.
The focus of the search was on career orientation, career guidance, lifelong guidance and vocational rehabilitation of people with hearing impairment. The authors summarise the results of 14 studies that met the objectives of the study.
Results: We have chosen seven different focal points for the content analyses of the articles. The legal framework for employment is adequate in the surveyed countries. The successful retention of people with hearing impairment in the workplace, whether congenital or acquired, requires not only a change in the environmental conditions, but also a supportive attitude on the part of the employee, the colleagues and the bosses.
Discussion: Our systematic review has identified the most important aspects influencing the subjective situation and objective circumstances of hearing-impaired individuals, as well as the services available to support their integration into the labour market. Overall, the medical, social and human rights models of disability can be seen in the way individual aspects and services operate.
Hungarian Journal of Disability Studies & Special Education – HU ISSN 3004-0108 (Online)
