Advocating for Workplace Accommodations: My Experience and Lessons Learned

I look back on my return to work and wish I had asked for more accommodations. Following my profound sudden hearing loss in my left ear, I took several months to recover and adapt to my new sound levels. My hearing loss didn't come alone; it was accompanied by constant tinnitus, noise sensitivity (hyperacusis), and balance problems, including subsequent diagnoses of Meniere’s disease and vestibular migraine. These conditions left me feeling exhausted and off-balance much of the time.

Though I took time off, I was eager to return to my career as an Early Years teacher, which had spanned over a decade. I kept telling myself I would be fine—just get back into the classroom, and life would return to how it was before my hearing loss. This wasn’t the case.

Initial Challenges and Adjustments

Even in a reduced role, no longer a classroom teacher but a teaching assistant, and working fewer hours, I struggled, especially at the beginning. My tinnitus roared all day, worsened by the relentless noise of an infant school. I tired easily—trying to hear young children amidst the classroom noise was taxing. Though my pupils were accommodating—trying to speak to me from my hearing side and taking turns (quite a feat for 4-year-olds!)—I still struggled with the noise levels in an Early Years classroom and experienced constant listening fatigue.

The bright lights, colourful classroom decorations, and constant movement of children meant that by morning break, I was struggling with balance issues and needed to rest. Surprise fire drills, with their piercingly loud sound filled my head with pain and pressure, yet I had to act calmly and ensure my class evacuated sensibly. 

Low Confidence and a Lack of Self-Advocacy 

Returning to work was an important step in starting to rebuild my confidence. Being back in the classroom made me feel like I was contributing something worthwhile, but it took time for me to begin to feel secure in my abilities. 

Originally, I agreed to return to a role focused on working with small groups away from the classroom. Still, gradually, I was called upon more and more to cover absent teachers in the classroom, performing a role I had been asked to resign from (before starting my new position as a teaching assistant) and being paid half a teacher’s salary. I knew this was ethically wrong under any circumstance, yet I didn’t speak up. I should have. On reflection, I realize just how much my confidence was affected following my hearing loss, particularly in the early days. 

I was silently screaming for help. I remember filling out a professional development form, listing one of my goals as simply making it through each day. I detailed my struggles—how I spent all my free time resting just to have a chance of making it back to work the next day. It was clear nobody read this document.

I struggled daily. Many of my difficulties came from adjusting to a busy environment again, and they improved over time. However, some challenges could have been reduced with the right accommodations.

Simple Accommodations That Could Have Helped

At the time, I didn’t take a moment to consider accommodations that could have helped me to perform better. I was too busy trying to make it through the day. Apart from an initial meeting with the headteacher about my return to work, I never had a follow-up meeting to discuss accommodations. We didn’t have check-ins. Thinking of ways to make things more manageable wasn’t on my radar.

My boss didn’t understand my hearing loss or balance issues and the daily struggles these conditions brought. Now, I know I could have had a far better experience and performed significantly better, had I advocated for myself more effectively. Simple accommodations—such as scheduled breaks to manage listening fatigue and recalibrate my balance, ensuring staff meetings follow the rule of taking turns to speak, and regular check-ins with the headteacher to discuss and adjust accommodations—would have supported my health and well-being while providing the necessary support for my role. Everything seems clearer in hindsight, but self-advocacy can be challenging when confidence is low.

Supporting Yourself and Others

If you have hearing loss, noise sensitivity, tinnitus, or balance disorders and are struggling at work, have you considered whether adjustments could help you perform at your best? Is there something that could make work life more manageable for you—something to level the playing field so you have the same opportunities as your colleagues? If we don’t take the time to consider what could help us, how will our workplace know how to support us?

Looking for Support?

You don’t have to navigate workplace challenges alone. Take the first step towards the support and accommodations you need to succeed. Reach out today and explore how simple adjustments can make a big difference in your work life.

Be sure to check out part 2 below, where I share a comprehensive guide for successful advocacy for hearing loss accommodations at work.  

In the next blog, discover how to successfully navigate workplace challenges with hearing loss.