Vocational rehabilitation program for persons with occupational deafness

Introduction: A pilot return-to-work program based on the concept of work readiness and three-month job placement with support was developed to enable people with occupational deafness to return to the workforce. Methods: A convenient sample of six male persons with occupational deafness completed the program. A Pretest-Posttest Single Group Design was utilized to measure the program outcome. Two instruments: the Chinese version of SF-36 Health Assessment Questionnaire and the Chinese version of Lam's Assessment of Stage of employment readiness were used to measure the participants' health status and their work readiness respectively. Results: The preliminary findings indicated that the six participants showed improvement in their general health and work readiness. The employment outcome indicated that three of the participants had secured a job and another two participants had attained job offers. Conclusion: This pilot study suggested that a systematic vocational rehabilitation program can facilitate persons with occupational deafness to return to the workforce. Further research using a controlled investigation with larger sample size is recommended for evidence-based practice even though the results of this return-to-work program appear promising.