Study: Deaf, hearing impaired job candidates at a disadvantage

Dive Brief:

A recent survey by CareerXroads and Middlesex County College of Edison, N.J. has found that most organization career websites are not adequately accommodating candidates who are deaf or hearing impaired.
The study, which took place over four months and used the fictional job seeker Jack "Jacque" Coostow to probe some of the world's most admired companies, found that companies are missing fundamental pieces in ensuring the deaf and hearing impaired have what they need to learn about and apply for jobs.
Middlesex students submitted Coostow's résumé for positions at the 100 companies on Fortune's 2014 Best Companies To Work For list, and the results were less than positive.

Dive Insight:

The survey found that only three in 10 companies provided a phone number or email address that would allow deaf or hearing-impaired job seekers to access resources for their special communication needs. Also, about one in 10 companies had a TTY line, also called a text telephone or Teletypewriter, that enables deaf and hearing impaired individuals to communicate by phone.

One in five companies asked applicants if they had preferences in communication, and fewer than a handful offered visual evidence that deaf and hearing impaired employees are part of their workforce.

On a separate but equally negative front, the survey results also underscored longstanding CareerXroads’ concerns about how organizations are sharing candidate data, according to the study. At the time of publication, the "Coostow" candidate had received more than 400 emailed responses to his résumé. These included more than 100 messages from Monster.com, although he had not sent a résumé to the job board.

Such activities are little more than "chumming for candidates and violations of trust," wrote the study authors at CareerXroads, who added that companies should not be sharing information destined solely for them without candidates’ consent, particularly to organizations who stand to profit from it.

It's a fascinating study; Every HR executive should read it.