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.