Doesn't whether a deaf person can do a job on pretty much equal terms with a non-deaf person depend on the job?
I can think of jobs where you'd need a relatively low level of fluency in English to function, albeit needing to work in the context of others doing what I'll call the liaising, i.e. others in those roles in an organisation, or agents.
I realize that many roles aren't going to be there without lots of extra help, but doesn't that apply to people with a whole range of differences, difficulties & disabilities?
I can think of various functions involving repairing and servicing physical things where you could do it in the context of an organization. Or various forms of creative artwork and design. There's a lot in the way of sewing, knitting, patchworking, etc.
I think it'll always be difficult, and certainly, I'd want to make every effort to help every child and adult to be as fluent as they are capable of in the language(s) used in their local community, facilities and workplace, which in the UK is mostly English, I just feel that I'm concerned that over-emphasis on language can go both ways. A person who's first language is BSL or other sign language may feel defensive if they perceive they're being seen as inadequate if their English isn't fluent.
Your reference to the number of deaf schools puzzled me so I looked it up, and yes, it appears there are 22.
But what doesn't make sense to me is that there's one very, very close to me that isn't on the list I found. Then I thought how it's on a campus with other schools and part of a MAT, so maybe it's not technically a separate school, just a separate 'unit'.
The jobs deaf qualify for a menial that's the trouble, many jobs are demanding quite high levels of academic qualifications the deaf don't have, or at least, cannot attain currently. Yes, 20 odd deaf schools still remain when looking that up its is important to also research how MANY deaf are in them, which has plummeted by over 31%, so a number are on the line for closure unless that changes.
There are numerous mainstream 'deaf/HoH' areas besides schools, PHU's e.g. Partial Hearing Units. This is mainstreaming basically, some are in 'annexes' which are tokenistic, many are contentional at present because they are seen by deaf activism as 'token' inclusion of deaf children, and lack adequate support. To a degree they are right, and LA's prefer mainstreaming to paying for specialist schooling. The last time I looked deaf assessed as requiring a deaf specialist schooling in my area, it was in single figures, Wales has no deaf schools e.g, nobody is going to fund a school for that low demand.
We need to also take into account (Which activism doesn't), parental choice. Many want their deaf children near, and with hearing families and peers, so family support is there, they choose not to send their child to any residential or distant option, they want their child included. Some parents claimed such a child returned home from deaf schools almost strangers and had difficulty relating again to hearing family. BSL usage was blamed for that, social aspects were impacted too. Deaf parents were attacked online by activists, accusing them of child abuse, if they supported HA or CI's etc..
Obviously, deaf related to deaf, they all signed, and were in deaf surroundings, another issue some parents had with specialist schooling, they weren't taught to communicate with hearing people as such. It wasn't helped with determined opposition from some quarters against hearing aids, genetics, mainstreaming, CI's, BAHA's, etc as well as English language and grammar opposition, again, parents found such 'rights' demands, as negatives, and a direct challenge to them and what they wanted for their children, after all, the law says they are legally responsible not deaf activists.
On the job front, it is said 63% of deaf never get or hold down a full-time job. (I think this reflects with other disabled stats too?). Covid apart, nil has changed but rhetoric demanding inclusion. The last word isn't however down to activism or inclusion law, but the employers. I recall after the old 1995 DDA emerged, the CBI launching seminars on how to circumvent it. It was clarified as 'explaining legal points to employers' but it was designed to find ways of NOT employing disabled and how not getting taken to task for turning disabled applicants down.
The fact doors got widened to admit wheelchairs, didn't enhance at all getting a job after going through them. Sadly I still feel the deaf lack the educational wherewithal to advance themselves as hearing can. University take-up was/is a fudge, they struggled to manage or read coursework, indeed one University said they should not be admitted as they lacked basic literacy to make a course viable. Some universities ran literacy classes for 6 months for deaf people before they started a chosen course.
Uni's claimed inclusion laws advocated substandard student admissions and lowered standards all around. While more do now attend UNI's, the drop-out rate is alarming as they struggle, despite Access to Work support/education help, it appeared to make little difference. we can argue against discrimination till the cows return home, but I think it all goes back to school curriculums and the bottom lines specialist schools need to adopt. Work training needs updating too, it is almost non-extant.
It IS unfair those with a disability will always struggle, but the world of work is unkind, fast-moving, and support is seen as the domain of the state. I rather fear every demand made for more 'help' for deaf and disabled just suggests they would be more of a 'problem' to employers, who can easily hire a hearing or able-bodied person instead. Yes, it is all wrong, how do we address it? More laws? more demands? more claims of discrimination?
Nothing changes... people just get angrier that's all. Where a disabled or deaf person has the qualifications then we can fight their corner more effectively, not, if they don't have them, and that is the first excuse employers will use. Can we really insist everyone else adapts to us? I think it is unrealistic in part because a number of us simply struggle anyway. Perhaps we need to look at the world of employment differently? Maybe subsidized work areas again?
Access to work can (for the most disabled), mean a maximum grant near £900 per week. Would you see that as the way ahead? or, is there another way to see deaf/disabled really employed? education is the key. Specialist schools are failing I think, the focus is caring mostly, not academics. Care is an obvious priority, but is ill-equipping them for the future on its own. Do we accept this? If we do, we accept the employer argument too.