On September 23, the United Nations (UN) commemorates the International Day of Sign Languages, here we give a context of how is the labor integration of people with hearing disabilities in Mexico. Likewise, we include recommendations of good practices for the inclusion of deaf people in a company.
The first International Sign Language Day was commemorated in 2018.was chosen, the September 23rdThe date coincides with the moment in which the World Federation of the Deaf was established in 1951..
According to the UN, in the world there are more than 300 different sign languages. Of course, Mexican Sign Language (LSM) exists in our country.which has its own grammar, syntax and lexicon. This language allows deaf people to communicate.
What is the context of hearing impaired people in Mexico and how are they integrated in work contexts?
Through its official channels, the Government of Mexico (citing the National Institute of Rehabilitation) announced that approximately 2.3 million people with hearing impairment by 2021.
There are few official data that allow us to know in depth the deaf population in Mexico, especially in areas such as occupation and schooling. Nevertheless, the economic censuses of the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) do have some data on companies that hired personnel with disabilities..
According to Inegi data:
"In 2023, 102,285 economic units employed people with some type of disability. Of those, 86.8% were micro; 11.6%, SMEs; and 1.5%, large."
In addition, Inegi reported that 19,733 people with a hearing impairment were economically employed by 2023.. This figure is very revealing, as it indicates that there are still obstacles that prevent deaf people from integrating into the workplace in many companies.. Especially if we put into perspective that there are more than 2.3 million hearing impaired people in Mexico..
On the other hand, the Secretariat of Labor and Social Welfare announced the following in its National Work and Employment Program for Persons with Disabilities 2021-2024:
"Inclusion in the labor market for people with disabilities is often complex, due to discrimination, judgments, prejudices and lack of information".
However, Mariana Villarreal Guzmán, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Manager at Diamler Truck, said in an exclusive session for ComproDiverso affiliates that one of the most important first steps to achieve labor inclusion of hearing impaired people is to break the fear barrier.:
"The first of the biases [...] was the fear of saying "it's going to be expensive here", "this plant here has already been here for many years with the infrastructure it has". Biases. All projects for the inclusion of people with disabilities can be initiated in the circumstances in which they are".
Best practices for the integration of deaf people in a company
Nalleli Gonzalez, Human Resources Manager, Daimler Truck (Toluca)gave some good practices that have worked for them in the inclusion of deaf people in your workforce.
- Training
This item covers the general staff awarenessas well as the training to enable LSM learning for the entire workforceespecially to the people in leadership positions. Likewise, it is necessary to have inclusive work instructions.
- Inclusive hiring
This means that the following must be done publications of vacancies that can be understood by deaf people. It is also necessary that the human resources team adjusts the questions in a job interview if the person with a disability is applying for his or her first job..
This point is very relevant if we recall the fact that in Mexico there are only 19,733 economically employed persons with a hearing impairment..
In addition, according to data from the 2022 Latin American Survey on Disability (ELADis), 92.6% of the respondents indicated that they have had difficulty finding employment.. As a fact, ELADis only focuses on women and that edition had more than 4000 participants. So it is vital to make recruitment more and more inclusive.
- Communication
When making internal communication materials, they need to be clear, simple and inclusive, i.e., interpreted in LSM. At Daimler Truck, it was also highly functional have one LSM interpreter per locationIt is therefore suggested that this practice be replicated.
Did you know these facts about how deaf people can be integrated into work environments?
With information from UN, Government of Mexico, Inegi (p. 24-25) and Eladis
Research and editing by José Manuel Ríos and Mildred Pérez de la Torre
