Disability adaptation:
not so hard
Adapting to working with a person with a disability has proved to be a manageable challenge for the owner, staff and customers of Wilbartec, a mechanical engineering consultancy in Wollongong.
Matt Lightfoot began working at Wilbartec after completing a Diploma of Engineering at TAFE. He did well in this course and has subsequently began studying mechanical engineering at Wollongong University.
When Matt started at Wilbartec he had some hearing, but he had a tumour which would eventually have to be removed. This was delayed as long as possible while he was studying, as he would most likely be completely deaf after the surgery. The company had not known about his hearing problems when he began work, so Matt thought that he would not be able to stay on once the operation became unavoidable. He approached the owner, Lothar Wilkens, to resign.
‘Two years ago Matt came to me very upset and said goodbye,’ Lothar said. ‘But I said we shouldn’t pre-empt what will happen. He is very bright and intelligent and switched on, and I didn’t want to lose him if possible. I couldn’t promise anything, as we are only a small company, but I encouraged him not to give up without a fight.’
Matt was very happy, as this was not what he had been expecting at all. ‘I told him to come back to work after the surgery and see what happened,’ Lothar said. ‘And in fact it was amazing how easy it was.’
Matt has learned to lip-read, and can understand a large percentage of what is being said as long he can see people’s mouths as they speak. Lothar says it was a bit of a culture shock at first to remember to face towards Matt as they were speaking, but they soon got used to it. It also helps if people speak relatively slowly and enunciate their words more than usual.
Lip-reading can be tiring, particularly in a group situation, so the company generally has a few short discussions on a project rather than one longer one. They bought a whiteboard which they can use to write up any words that Matt doesn’t catch, and in non-group situations he can also communicate using SMS, email or written notes.
Matt does his share of liaising with clients, and they have all accepted the situation. ‘I just behaved as normal, and didn’t tell them in advance’, Lothar said. ‘When he goes on site and discusses a job he’s been working on, they can see he’s already done a good job, so it’s not an issue.’
‘I don’t generally tell them straight out that I am deaf, I look at the way they talk, and if it’s likely to be a problem then I may ask them to speak more slowly,’ Matt said. ‘In fact, people go out of their way to make sure I understand, and the positive response has given me faith in humanity.’
One client is Tim Starr, the Safety, Quality and Environment Superintendent with MultiServ, which provides services to BlueScope Steel. He says that working with Matt has taught him to be more precise about defining and expressing his requirements, using drawings as an additional aid.
There are some safety issues which need to be thought through – for example there are areas where Matt can’t go on his own, such as where there are overhead cranes or mobile equipment with audible warning signals. However Tim always ensures that someone is organised to accompany him.
‘We also have to be careful approaching him if he’s using power tools,’ Lothar said. ‘ He can’t hear you coming, so you need to wait for a good moment and not surprise him.’
But the most important thing is that Matt is accepted and feels as much a part of the company as everyone else. ‘We didn’t take care of him, or treat him differently,’ Lothar said. ‘I have always joked around, and I continued to do that, and made the same jokes that we always would. But we do give him the angle grinding to do, because it’s noisy work and he can’t hear it!’
And for Matt there is huge relief that he can continue with the career he enjoys and has such an aptitude for. ‘I had an idea that I would have to do what deaf people do, and I was very pleased to discover that I could continue here. I’ve learned so much, and it would be hard to match it anywhere else,’ he said.
According to the Manager of the Board’s Wollongong Office, Gerardo de Liseo, disability is a big issue in a heavy industry area such as the Illawarra. Many of the workers are older men who may develop a medical condition or be injured at work.
If the person is unable to continue working, this can have a very serious impact, and if they are the main breadwinner in the family it may result in them losing their house. ‘The ramifications are enormous at a social and personal level,’ Gerardo said.
He says the key is for employers to follow Lothar Wilkens’ example and adopt a flexible and positive approach to people with a disability in the workplace. ‘As the experience at Wilbartec has shown, there are often simple adaptations or changes that may enable a person to keep doing the essential requirements of their job,’ he said.
‘It works at Wilbartec because of Lothar’s positive attitude,’ Gerardo said. ‘Too often, employers make unjustified assumptions about what a person with a disability can or can’t do, or how difficult it may be to overcome perceived problems. This means they may lose a valuable and perhaps very experienced employee, with all the costs that this can involve.’
Index of Equal Time article
