Employment: Career Opportunities and Choices

In general, research studies in Canada, the United States, Great Britain, and almost every country on every continent have consistently shown that deaf youth and adults experience high unemployment/underemployment rates, low rates of full-time employment among those unemployed, low rates of full-time employment among those employed, and low rates of participation in postsecondary education, and large numbers of deaf youth and adults are receiving social assistance benefits.

Several studies have shown that a large percentage of deaf individuals are unemployed as compared to their hearing counterparts. These studies conducted on the high rate of unemployment of deaf individuals suggest many reasons for such dismaying statistics. Factors such as lack of deaf-friendly environment, lack of accessibility, language and communication barriers, attitudinal barriers and stereotypes, literacy, and education ...