You have the same rights as other people at work. The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) is there to protect the rights of people with disability. If you need help at work you can contact the Deaf Society and talk to someone about it.

The Australian government administers JobAccess which is a service to help you at work. For Deaf employees there are various programs which are helpful:

• Employment Assistance Fund (EAF), which provides financial assistance to purchase a range of work related modifications and services to assist people with disability in the workplace, including:
  • Auslan interpreting in the workplace
  • workplace modifications
  • Deafness awareness training
• Wage Subsidy Scheme
• Supported Wage System (SWS)

Deaf Society Employment Service
The Deaf Society Employment Service provides advice and support to employers so they can:

• establish a more deaf-friendly workplace
• become aware of legislation relevant to employing people who are deaf or hard of hearing
• comply with Equal Employment Opportunity requirements
• better communicate with a person who is deaf
• obtain general awareness about Deafness

Click to find out more about how the Deaf Society Employment Service can help:

• Deaf employees
• Deaf people looking for work
• Employers

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)
An employer is responsible to make sure that there:

• is no unlawful discrimination or harassment in the workplace
• are rules, policies, practices and behaviours in the workplace to make sure people are not disadvantaged because they have a disability or belong to a particular group

To find out more about the EEO requirements set by the NSW Government, click here.

Advocacy
If you are experiencing difficulties with access or feel that you are being discriminated against, the Deaf Society can help you. 

For information about the rights and responsibilities of people who are Deaf, click here.

Employers are also required to adhere to legislation. For more information, click here.

To get help from the Deaf Society Advocacy Service, click here. The form would include the best ways to contact them.