Karen works in the finance department of an organization, responsible for variance reporting, budget analysis, and reconciliation. She oversees two bookkeepers, and also answers the inquiries of managers, donors, and stakeholders. Recently, she has noticed a decline in her hearing, particularly affecting her ability to hear speech.

“Accuracy is vital for my work,” she says. “This is significantly impacting my ability to perform my duties as an accounting assistant and is also affecting my relationships with colleagues and vendors.”

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Carol works as a receptionist and does office administration work for a construction company. She has hearing loss.

“[WorkBC Assistive Technology Services helped me] by paying a large portion of the cost of two hearing aids. Financially, I was not able to purchase them on my own,” she shares.

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Kerstin is self-employed, working as an accountant. Her job involves talking with staff and customers, both in-person and over the phone. She has hearing loss.

Her audiologist referred her to WorkBC Assistive Technology Services, and with funding through the program, Kerstin was able to purchase a new set of hearing aids.

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Suzy is a visual artist based in Vancouver. She has also been teaching art for over 30 years.

She began noticing hearing loss nearly 15 years ago, and had previously considered getting hearing aids, but she couldn’t afford them. Suzy found it difficult to participate in events like gallery openings with her hearing loss, and as a teacher, she found she was asking students to repeat themselves multiple times.

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Kari works with a non-profit drop-in resource centre in Vernon that helps people find and understand health services and supports. She runs a monthly chronic pain group for the non-profit, and she also manages their social media and website.

“I do quite a bit of work on the computer, and this has brought great pain to my neck and shoulder area as I have degenerative disc disorder, osteoarthritis, and psoriatic arthritis, along with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and chronic migraines. This makes it very difficult to work for any length of time as I am in so much pain,” she shares.

“I also carry supplies needed for my monthly chronic pain groups and have had to find ways to carry these in an easier filing system with wheels as I just don’t have the strength to carry it from the street into the venue.”

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William is a counsellor, and he works with individuals experiencing work-related illnesses — such as depression, anxiety, chronic pain, or PTSD — using various evidence based treatments. For his work with clients and colleagues, Rob needs to listen intently and accurately.

However, he has hearing loss in both ears affecting his communication at work. With much of his work done online, William finds he often has to ask clients and colleagues to repeat themselves.

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Lilibeth works as an outreach coordinator for an organization that provides medical and dental aid to remote areas in the Philippines. She has hearing loss.

“Hearing accurately and well is crucial for my job as I need to coordinate many moving parts, agencies, [and] people to ensure our outreaches are successful,” she says.

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During the COVID pandemic, Jora Singh found himself spending many more hours on the computer — his classes initially moved online, he had started to teach himself how to code. After a while, he noticed he was having wrist pain and back pain from the long hours at the keyboard. He started thinking of solutions.

“I have a huge passion for science, and I’ve been doing science fair projects since I was in grade four,” says Jora Singh, who recently finished grade nine.

This led to him developing a hands-free app for using your computer, DeviceABLE. Developed over the last year using his self-taught coding skills, DeviceABLE allows you to use head and facial movements to move your cursor, as well as use an onscreen keyboard. There’s also a voice feature for people who can’t use as much neck or head movement.

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Samantha is currently looking for part-time work. She is Deaf, and communicates using American Sign Language.

Working with WorkBC Employment Services to find employment, she was referred to WorkBC Assistive Technology Services for help purchasing hearing aids. She applied, and received funding to purchase the hearing aids she needed for the job search.

“The hearing aids are important for me to have communication accessibility during job interviews, networking, workshops, and eventually onboarding training,” she says.

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Bob works as a sales representative for a building materials company. He has hearing loss, which can make his job difficult.

His audiologist referred him to WorkBC Assistive Technology Services for funding for hearing aids. He applied and was quickly approved, getting the hearing aids he needed for work at a price he can afford.

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