• A hearing impairment does not have to interfere with your employment.ear image by cico from Fotolia.com
  
  Living with a hearing impairment can impede how well you function in your daily life. Missed or misunderstood communications can create awkward or frustrating situations with family, friends and coworkers. There are many things you can do to overcome a hearing impairment. When you take steps to correct or compensate for your hearing loss, you may find that you aren't limited in the types of work you can do. However, there are some jobs that may appeal to you more than others because of your hearing impairment.
  
  

Federal Employment

• Federal agencies proactively hire individuals with disabilities such as hearing impairments. As of 2010, seven percent of the people working in federal agencies have some sort of disability.
  
  The federal government has a plan in place to help individuals who are capable of working but find getting employment difficult due to a disability. First, the federal agency or department at which you apply will do an assessment of your work capabilities. Special accommodations are provided during testing, such as an interpreter for a hearing-impaired person. When a federal agency hires someone with a disability, the agency takes steps to create the most efficient and comfortable environment possible based on the severity of the impairment and the limitations it introduces. For the hearing impaired, this might entail hiring an interpreter or modifying work conditions.
  
  

Working in the Deaf and Hearing-Impaired Community

• Another common place to look for jobs when you are hearing impaired is within organizations that serve the deaf and hearing-impaired community. A visit to a job board tailored to serve the needs of deaf and hearing-impaired individuals can reveal a number of jobs in the industry that serve people in the same circumstances. There are many jobs within the community that are readily open to people with hearing impairments, from coordinating services and activities at centers that cater to the deaf community to leading support groups for people with hearing impairments.
  
  

Don't Accept Limits

• While working in a federal agency or with an organization that serves the deaf community may help you to overcome any initial barriers to employment associated with your hearing loss, the truth is that with few exceptions, you can go after and land any job you put your mind to. Other than positions that demand full hearing for safety reasons, there is no job for which your hearing impairment should be cause for discrimination. Prepare yourself, advocate for yourself and pursue your dreams.