DEAF AT THE TOP >> 12 GRADUATE RECRUITER


Why are there still so few members of the deaf community in senior positions after a decade of equality legislation? It is a question raised by Alasdair Grant, Policy Advisor, National Parks at Defra and a member of the Deaf Professionals Network (DPN), and by the wider deaf community. There is sufficient proof that deaf people have the potential to be highly effective business managers and entrepreneurs, but how can this talent be brought into the mainstream environment? Drawing upon his own experiences as a profoundly deaf graduate, Grant discusses the possible answers, and explains why he plans to set up a management training company for the deaf community.


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any members of the Deaf Professionals Network have been asking me how they are able to develop the softer skills that so many graduate employers desire whilst being deaf in a hearing environment. This leaves the question of comparing whether the different profoundly deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing lifetime experiences may be a contributing factor. I have been told that many interviewers do not appear to be aware of the differences between deaf and hearing cultures and life experiences.


Many members of the deaf community do not see themselves as having a disability, but rather seeing themselves as members of a cultural and linguistic minority. Research has emphasised the importance of access to effective communication within a supportive bilingual and bicultural environment has being essential for developing the inter-personal skills that are in such demand by employers. Deaf people have considerable challenges in developing those skills on an equal footing for our hearing pears because of the distances we have


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