Michelle is a bank teller and account manager at a financial institution in Squamish.

“I am hearing impaired and have needed hearing aids since 2019. With COVID and people wearing masks and plexiglass between us, this created a roadblock in my job. It created anxiety for me as I have to be very accurate,” she explains.

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Freeman works as a church organist in Nanaimo. He is hearing impaired, and it was beginning to make his work understandably difficult.

The Island Deaf and Hard of Hearing Centre referred Freeman to WorkBC Assistive Technology Services for funding for hearing aids.

“[WorkBC Assistive Technology Services] provided the specialized hearing aids I needed and which I couldn’t afford to buy from retail outlets,” he explains.

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Marie works in a women’s treatment centre in Vancouver.

“My hearing ability had diminished drastically, and I was unable to function at my best. I do a lot of phone intake with women, this is one of the most difficult phone calls they make and not to be able to hear properly was unforgivable,” she explains.

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Eliezar works as a residential cleaner in Victoria, cleaning homes.

He has hearing loss, which has made his job difficult due to miscommunications that have occurred. As well, being unable to hear alarms or emergencies put Eliezar at risk of injury.

The Island Deaf and Hard Of Hearing Centre referred Eliezar to WorkBC Assistive Technology Services for funding for a pair of hearing aids. He applied and was quickly approved.

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Victoria works as a business software specialist in Port Moody managing her company’s implementation of a customer relationship management (CRM) software. Her team has worked remotely since 2019 and she spends a significant amount of time conferencing through video and audio with colleagues on different continents.

She has had bilateral hearing loss since childhood, and audio-only conferences prevented her from lip reading or using other coping mechanisms to compensate for her hearing loss.

Victoria learned about WorkBC Assistive Technology Services through a family member who also has hearing loss, and decided to apply.

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Peter is a mechanical designer based in Surrey, and is currently in the YMCA self employment program. He is looking for new clients and contract work as he works towards starting his own business.

Last year, Peter experienced significant hearing loss.

“It was very difficult for me to get a job because I could not even conduct an interview,” he shares.

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Rod runs a business with his wife in Cranbrook.

“It is very important that we communicate well with each other and with our customers,” he says.

However, his hearing aids were over five years old, and he noticed he was making mistakes.

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