Are you familiar with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the ADA benefits that exist for senior citizens? Here’s what you need to know.
ADA benefits and Hearing Aids
The ADA, or Americans with Disabilities Act ensures individuals with hearing loss are eligible for the benefits.
Founded in 1990, the ADA was created to prevent discrimination and encourage equal opportunity for people with disabilities. Employers use these benefits as guidelines for hiring, maintaining, and firing employees with disabilities.
Hearing, Jobs, and the ADA
An employer is not legally allowed to ask an employer about her hearing condition before making a job offer. Employers cannot ask about hearing-related surgery, hearing aid use, or medical condition that might have resulted in hearing loss.
There is a certain set of questions that employers can ask, however, as it pertains to an individual’s work performance. An employer is allowed to ask if the job applicant can function quickly and efficiently in an environment that is very loud. Employers can ask job applicants whether or not they can communicate effectively. They can also ask if the candidate’s performance meets the safety standards of the job.
It’s up to the job applicant to disclose hearing loss issues. If a job applicant discloses hearing loss during the application process, the employer is allowed to whether accommodations will be needed for the applicant to perform the job.
Once hired, an employee can request special accommodations in her working conditions. This is true even if she did not disclose hearing loss during the time of the application process.
ADA benefits and Hearing Aid Appointments
If you are taking a sick leave from work to get your hearing aids adjusted, you are also protected with ADA benefits from having to disclose certain degrees of information about your visit.
For example, your employer does have a right to request a valid doctor’s note. The employer does not have a right to know the extent of your hearing loss, the type of hearing aid that you use, or the results of the visit.
If you suspect that your rights are being violated on account of a disability, feel free to contact the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission at 1-800-669-4000.
If you would like the conversation to be typed (TTY), call 1-800-669-6820 or call 1-844-234-5122 if you would like to communicate through ASL Video Phone.
Sources: ada.gov, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
By: Aaron Rodriques