Competencies of Social Workers in Communication with Hearing-Impaired People

Abstract

Hearing-impaired individuals can experience considerable difficulties when communicating with their hearing environments. Those difficulties occur when the social environment does not use communication modes preferred by the hearing-impaired to communicate with them. The communication with deaf people using communication modes preferred by them is an expression of preventing discrimination and it helps eliminate problems making everyday life complicated. The objective of the research undertaken was an attempt to answer what communication skills social workers possess in order to communicate with hearing-impaired people and what communication modes they use. The research performed proves that social workers encounter deaf individuals at their work and overcome communication barriers through alternative communication modes. The most commonly used method is writing. Not many people know a sign language (SL). Many social workers do not practically use the sign language although they are trained (in courses) to use SL. The vast majority of social workers see the need for additional training courses in order to widen their knowledge of the problems of hearing-impaired people, their command of SL; what is most important, they declare they want to participate in such courses