Assisting Hard of Hearing and Deaf People in Career Development

Learn about how hearing loss or being Deaf affects job search and job retention, from the physiology of hearing loss to Deaf culture /ASL (American Sign Language) usage. 

Participants will gain information about the common challenges hard of hearing and Deaf people face in accessing services and finding/sustaining work, and will gain practical strategies to both serve Clients, help them find suitable work, and assist them to develop natural supports on the job, if needed. 

Who Should Attend

• Facilitators and Case Managers
• Vocational Rehabilitation Specialists
• Job Developers
• Job Coaches
• Vocational Assessors
• Team Leaders
• Case Managers
• Job Search  & Employment Advisors
• Customized Employment Advisors
• Intake Workers
• Wage Subsidy Advisors
• Client Services Managers
• Employability Skills Facilitators

About the Presenters

Kim Dillon is a Certified Career Development Practitioner with over 20 years, focusing on serving persons with disabilities or diverse backgrounds. She is IDHHC’s Employment Case Manager in Victoria, subcontracted to provide WorkBC Employment Services to WorkBC Victoria/Saanich. She enjoys assisting Clients to recognize their existing skills and wisdom and helping connect them to employers who can benefit from their skills.

Janet McDonald is IDHHC’s Employment Case Manager in Nanaimo, subcontracted to provide WorkBC Employment Services to  WorkBC Nanaimo. She has enjoyed putting her Psychology degree, H.R. Diploma, Life Coaching, and Career Development training to work in her 10+ year career in Employment Services and 12 years as a non-profit Executive Director. Janet values kindness and service to others, and therefore finds great satisfaction in helping people in her role at IDHHC. When she is not working at IDHHC as an Employment Counsellor, Janet keeps busy as a self-employed visual artist who enjoys bringing beauty into people’s lives in the form of paintings and fine art home décor.

Leslee Scott has a BA, BSW and MEd in Deaf Education with a specialization in Vocational Assessment and has a Registered Rehabilitation Practitioner (RRP) designation with Vocational Rehabilitation Association (VRA).  She has worked with different agencies working with Deaf & Hard of Hearing in London ON, Vancouver, Kelowna and now in Victoria and has also had a private practice in Kelowna BC.  Within those agencies, Leslee has been involved with employment/vocational rehabilitation with Deaf and Hard of Hearing persons for most of her career  providing vocational counseling, assessments, presentations, and taught classes as some of her work. She is an active member of the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association and is one of their instructors teaching speechreading classes and trains trainers.  Currently as Manager of Family & Community Services, she provides support to clients while collaborating with other departments at IDHHC.