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Leaving School – what next?

Published Date: 04 Nov 2021
Photo: Moving from education into work

Making decisions about what you want to do after school is extremely hard for any young adult, but it can be especially difficult for young deaf adults. I remember feeling quite nervous about leaving the “comfort bubble” of education and venturing into the world of work. Could I do all the same jobs as a hearing person? Would companies employ a deaf person?

The reality is, deaf people shouldn’t have to have these thoughts, because with the right support, deaf people can achieve just as well as their hearing peers. (Check out our Deaf Works Everywhere campaign for more inspiration!).

Access to Work

After leaving school with no idea what to do next, I worked in the hospitality industry for a number of years. I only wish I had known about the Access to Work scheme when I was working behind the bar in the hospitality industry, and my manager wanted all the lights turned down… I couldn’t lipread in the darkness!

It is important to remember that technology such as hearing aids do not ‘cure’ deafness. There will always environments where deaf people will miss information, and additional consideration and adjustments will always be required. The Access to Work scheme means you can talk to your employer about changes they must make in your workplace in order for you to do your job.

I eventually went back to education after years of bar work, and studied Law at University. At the end of my studies I applied for a diversity internship programme, where I worked in the UK Civil Service as a Policy Advisor in a lead Government Department – and secured a permanent role at the end of my placement. I now work at the National Deaf Children's Society as a Policy Analyst. The Access to Work scheme provides me with a palantypist, so I have live verbatim subtitles in meetings and calls. I am fully included in all meetings and I am fully able to participate; I am able to do my job to the best of my ability.

There are simple adjustments you can ask for which will make your life easier, no matter what industry you work in. Remain determined, work hard, and always be clear about what support you need. If you don’t know what support you may need, you can always contact our helpline who will be able to help you.

So, in short. YES, you can do the same jobs as hearing people. YES, companies will employ you. Aim for the stars, and break down any barriers you may come across. We’re behind you, all the way.

HOWEVER… there’s more work to be done!

Whilst the Access to Work scheme is helpful, there is still a lot of room for improvement… More young deaf people need to be made aware of the scheme whilst still at school and college, so they can start to plan their careers early.

We've responded to a recent Government Consultation entitled “Shaping future support: the health and disability green paper”, recommending that Access to Work is reformed to ensure that support, training and equipment which the scheme funds are all put in place from day one of a young person’s employment.

We also made lots of other recommendations, including:

  1. Making it mandatory for schools and colleges to provide disabled young people with tailored careers advice.
  2. Improving the Disability Confident Scheme by putting in place quality assurance of employers signed up to the programme.
  3. Extending the “Kickstart” scheme for disabled young people beyond March 2022, so that more disabled young people can participate.

The Green paper response also covers benefits such as Personal Independence Payments and Disability Living Allowance, so we have made recommendations such as;

  1. Improving the Personal Independence Payment decision making framework, ensuring it is informed by a real world understanding of deafness; and
  2. Ensuring smooth transition from Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payments for young people.

Read our response and recommendations to the consultation.

Simon Want

Policy Analyst
The National Deaf Children's Society