Find a Job You Really Want In
Summary. The best paying jobs for deaf people include audiologist, animator, and electrician. Entry level jobs include data entry clerk, stocker, and housekeeping cleaner. To help you find a job, check with the National Association of the Deaf for any career opportunities and be open about your abilities and laminations with any potential employer.
If you’re a hard-of-hearing individual, completely deaf, or coping with some hearing loss, you know that finding an accommodating job can be difficult. Whether you’ve dealt with this your entire life, or it’s a new hurdle you’re learning to overcome, getting a job when you have hearing loss can be difficult.
At Zippia, we understand that just finding a job is difficult, and finding one when you have hearing-loss issues can be incredibly frustrating. That’s why we’ve put together a list of 20 great jobs for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Maybe you’ll find your next career after reading this article, or perhaps it will inspire you to try something totally different.
Key Takeaways:
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Being deaf or hard-of-hearing does not prevent you from a wide variety of jobs.
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When choosing a job as a deaf or hard-or-hearing person, it is just as important to think about your skills and interests when searching for jobs.
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Deaf and hard-of-hearing people can apply for workplace accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
5 Best-Paying Jobs for Deaf People
Hearing or not hearing shouldn’t affect your pay level. Pay is all about the type of job you have, your skill or education level, and the on-the-job experience you have earned. But some careers where deaf people can shine and make a lot of money include:
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Audiologist
Average Annual Salary: $76,000An Audiologist is a doctor who diagnoses and treats hearing problems. Interestingly, many people who are deaf prefer to have a doctor who has hearing limitations because they feel more understood. This profession requires a lot of training, but it is financially rewarding as well.
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Animator
Average Annual Salary: $65,000One fantastic job for anyone who is creative and loves working with computers is that of an Animator. If the arts call to you and you love computers, this might be the big-money, creative job you crave.
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Electrician
Average Annual Salary: $49,000Good with your hands and don’t want to spend years in college? Then becoming an electrician might be a good career choice for you. Typically, this job starts out at an entry-level with an apprenticeship, and through the years, you can work up into a sweet position with high pay.
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Sonographer
Average Annual Salary: $69,000Love the medical field but don’t want to be a doctor? Then working as a sonographer might be your ticket to money and a career you love. Sonographers take diagnostic images using a sonogram and then interpret those images. Hint – it’s not just about pregnancies.
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Software developer
Average Annual Salary: $80,000There are so many excellent jobs for deaf people in technology. Being a software developer is just one of the many options available to you. The key takeaway from this job is that it pays a lot, so if you’re in it for the money, this might be your target job.
10 Entry-Level Jobs for Deaf People
Making a lot of money is one thing but doing it when you get your first job is another. Entry-level jobs are often lower on the pay scale because you don’t have any work experience yet.
And that’s fine — as long as you get a great entry-level job that leads to more experience, more money, and the job you really desire. Some of these starter jobs are great for the hearing-impaired.
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Data entry clerk
Average Annual Salarylt;: $28,000It doesn’t take a lot of training and education, so you can slip right into a data entry job. Sometimes this can even be a work-from-home position.
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Stocker
Average Annual Salary: $28,000Working in retail is an entry-level position where all sorts of people begin their professional careers. It’s great for younger people who just want a part-time job and a little experience on their resumes.
It’s also perfect for people in the deaf community because there’s a lot of reading involved but not a lot of hearing or speaking.
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Housekeeping Cleaner
Average Annual Salary: $19,000Start as an entrepreneur and create your own cleaning business or work for someone else.
Housekeepers are needed in all sorts of businesses, from hotels to hospitals, and they’re also needed in individual homes. It’s a wonderful entry-level job without a lot of experience necessary.
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Warehouse Receiving
Average Annual Salary: $29,000Working in a warehouse loading box for shipping or unloading received boxes is often a good job for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Many employers are willing to accommodate your needs, and having hearing-loss doesn’t affect your job performance.
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Online chat support
Average Annual Salary: N/AIf you love communicating with people, then being an online customer service person can be the perfect job. Chat support automatically uses a captioning function of sorts, so you don’t have to worry about spoken language. Your communication will all be written.
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School aide
Average Annual Salary: $28,000Some schools and daycares will be thrilled to have a person on staff who knows American Sign Language (ASL). If there is a school for deaf students near you, check to see if they have any entry-level positions.
But even if the school doesn’t focus on children with hearing problems, many places love having an aide who can communicate in ASL.
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House painter
Average Annual Salary: $33,404A little bit creative, a lot physical, this job might be perfect for you. Interior and exterior house painters don’t need to hear or even to speak to do a great job. This is not only a good entry-level position; it can turn into a rewarding profession.
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Artist
Average Annual Salary: $72,000If you have artistic abilities in any field, you might be able to slide right into this world and begin creating your reputation. Whether you find a company that needs you, you decide to do the art fair circuit, or you open an Etsy shop, being an artist is a great lifetime profession and entry-level job.
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Pet sitter
Average Annual Salary: $10,000You can take care of pets in homes, walk them, and visit when the owners are away. You might even be able to turn your pet sitting job into a full-time business. Communicating through signs, reading lips, or writing things down is good enough, and the pets don’t care if you can hear.
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Laboratory technician
Average Annual Salary: $41,000Working in a lab is typically not an entry-level job for a high schooler, but college students and graduates need those first-time jobs, too. If you have some education in the sciences, a bit of training, and a desire to go into a lab profession, starting as a lab tech is a good idea.
5 Work-From-Home Jobs for Deaf People
The great news when it comes to working from home is that Covid-19 opened so many people’s eyes to the potential of WFH jobs. This isn’t just for deaf people but for everyone. If you love the idea of working from home and not worrying about accessibility in an office, then these jobs might be right for you.
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Social media specialist
Average Annual Salary: $46,000The rise of social media also created an entire profession filled with different jobs. If you love social media and you know how to work it, then this job might be right up your alley.
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Bookkeeper
Average Annual Salary: $38,000Interestingly, there are more start-up businesses out there that need bookkeepers. This means a person with the right background and education could easily start a bookkeeping business and pick up a few customers.
If you’d rather work for a company, that option has now become possible for people who enjoy working from home.
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Medical coder
Average Annual Salary: $41,000Medical coding has been a great clerical and computer-based job for people who are deaf and hard of hearing for a long time.
Now, more medical offices are seeing that this work doesn’t need to be done in the office. If they can create a secure computer connection and process, then the worker can be anywhere.
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Graphic designer
Average Annual Salary: $45,000Whether you want to be a freelancer or work for an agency, graphic designers are more than able to work from home. In fact, many graphic designers prefer to work in their own creative environment than a creativity-stifling office.
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Writer
Average Annual Salary: $57,000The computer age has meant a boom in the written word. People are looking up everything, companies need to have optimized content, and more e-commerce is happening. There are so many different professions for writers, and most of them can be done from home.
What Kinds of Jobs Are Best for Deaf People?
Obviously, jobs where hearing is not an integral part of your tasks will be the best for you. And you’ll want to consider your strengths and your interests, and of course, your education and training level. Other than that, you can do just about any job you want.
That said, the following tips can help you find jobs that are perfect for people with a hearing impairment.
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Check with the National Association of the Deaf for career opportunities. They work specifically with companies to create jobs for deaf people that take their needs into consideration. It’s a great resource.
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Be open about your abilities. Let any potential employer know about your hearing abilities and limitations. It might not be an issue at all, but it’s best that they know just so there are no issues that don’t need to exist.
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Ask for help when you need it. There’s no reason to fake it or struggle when you can simply ask for the help you need. Having a hearing disability sometimes means you need a little help in areas people don’t even think about. You might also need to ask for certain equipment to help you do your job.
Jobs for Deaf People FAQ
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Does being deaf disqualify me from getting a job?
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Is deafness covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)?
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Is it OK to ask for help at work due to my deafness?
No, being deaf does not disqualify you from most jobs. Granted there are certain jobs where hearing is crucial to the profession, such as being an air traffic controller, however there are plenty of jobs that deaf and hard of hearing people perform just as well as people with hearing.
Yes, deafness is covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act. The ADA considers anyone with a physical impairment that significantly limits their hearing abilities as covered by disability accommodation. This grants deaf and hard-of-hearing people access to resources to help them at their jobs, such as sign language interpreters during interviews and TTY devices.
Yes, never be afraid to ask for help at work just because you are deaf. Non-deaf people ask for help all the time with things that they lack. Being deaf does not make you any less of a person and should not be considered an embarrassment in the workplace.
Final Thoughts
Don’t let the fact that you are deaf, hard of hearing, use hearing aids, or have a cochlear implant hold you back. Deafness is no longer the barrier to gainful employment that it has been in the past.
Whether you’re starting out in the real world and looking for your first job or you’re a seasoned worker and want a higher-level job, those jobs are out there. In fact, you’ll find that many companies are more than happy to accommodate your needs and help you create a functional work situation.
You might even find that there are more work-from-home opportunities than you imagined. This opens a lot of doors to new careers or more comfortable working environments.
If you’re having a hard time figuring out what work you want to do, speaking to a career counselor can help you find a field that lights your fire. If you’re trying to find work, searching job sites like Zippia can help you land the job of your dreams.
References
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U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics – Electricians Occupational Outlook
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U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics – Graphic Designers Occupational Outlook
Author
Kristin Kizer is an award-winning writer, television and documentary producer, and content specialist who has worked on a wide variety of written, broadcast, and electronic publications. A former writer/producer for The Discovery Channel, she is now a freelance writer and delighted to be sharing her talents and time with the wonderful Zippia audience.
