Deaf woman ‘snubbed by 1,000 bosses’
A DEAF woman says she is being snubbed by would-be employers after applying for 1,000 jobs in 18 months – and not landing one.
Ex-admin worker Kellie Wilson, 32, is now so desperate, she is considering having cochlear implants, even though they may not work.
She has applied to big retail firms and tried for pub, housekeeping and even pot washing jobs. But she said: “I have lost out due to my deafness.”
Kellie, who lives with her parents in Middleton Tyas, North Yorkshire, has GCSEs, a NVQ Level 2 in business administration and worked for 10 years in the courts, prison and probation services.
The stumbling block comes, she says, when would-be employers ask for a phone interview.
“I explain why I cannot and offer email or Skype or text relay,” she said. “Either I don’t get any response or I am told that they do not have the facilities to chat.
“The only thing I cannot do is hear. I am being assessed for a cochlear implant – I feel as though I have to change who I am in the face of ignorance.”
James Taylor, of disability charity Scope, said Kellie’s story was “extremely disheartening”.
Aine Jackson, of the British Deaf Association, said: “Many deaf people face similar experiences when seeking work. The Equality Act 2010 places a duty on employers to provide fair treatment, even during the hiring process.”