Sam is a self-employed tree fruit orchard producer in Kelowna, growing apples and pears on a small orchard. He has hearing loss.

“I believe this started sometime after a left a career in the local saw-milling business. I started noticing difficulty in deciphering audio from one ear and later on from both,” he shares, noting that his hearing loss made it difficult to communicate with his workers, as well as colleagues at crowded conferences that he attends for work.

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Ryan has worked as a letter carrier for over 20 years, serving the community of Oak Bay.

“I enjoy working outdoors and being a part of the community,” he shares. “I have moderate bilateral hearing loss. It impacts my interactions with customers on my route, and prevents me from hearing approaching vehicles (especially electric ones).”

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Linda works as a Certified Education Assistant in the Okanagan, helping students who need more support in the classroom.

She has hearing loss, which impacts her ability to hear instructions from the classroom teacher — she often has to check back with the teacher to confirm instructions. Since many of the children she works with speak quietly, she also has to lean closer to hear the students.

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Maria is a family court support worker. Her duties include intakes, referrals, providing emotional support, and accompanying clients during court hearings and meetings.

She has hearing loss, which makes it hard to hear in public spaces and during court hearings and meetings. In particular, she was having trouble hearing her clients when they need to speak quietly.

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Chessa works as a Health Care Assistant, providing home and community care for seniors.

She has Central Auditory Processing Disorder, which leads to misunderstanding and mishearing of conversations. She finds loud voices and quick speech difficult to hear, and can find directions difficult to follow.

Through WorkBC Assistive Technology Services, she received hearing aids, which have made a big difference in her workday.

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Jo-Anne works as the head merchandiser at a pharmacy in Invermere, and she helps out on the till when needed. In May, she had an illness which affected her hearing, something she is still recovering from.

“Because of the nerve damage, [problems with] balance, and hearing loss of my right ear, it has made my job difficult,” she shares.

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Gregory works full-time as a truck driver.

“I had almost no hearing in one ear, and limited hearing in my other, which made it difficult for my work, as well as safety,” he shares. “I need to hear my dispatch throughout the day, and what each mill I go into tells me where to go, and what is going on.”

His hearing aid practitioner referred him to WorkBC Assistive Technology Services for funding for the hearing aids he needed for work.

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Linda develops and teaches a variety of personal development workshops for a retreat on the Gulf Islands.

“[I have a] hearing impairment, making it stressful and potentially reducing my effectiveness,” she shares. “My work includes working with intense emotions, and when people are emotional it is even more challenging to hear clearly what they are saying, and vital that I understand what they are saying.”

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Tania-Lynn has been taking courses to upgrade her skills and achieve her career goals, while also working in retail. However, she was having difficulties hearing during her studies and while working.

The WorkBC Centre she was working with referred her to WorkBC Assistive Technology Services for help.

“The Assistive Technology Services Program was instrumental in helping me acquire the necessary hearing aids. Without the program, I would still be without hearing aids,” she shares. “These aids have also greatly assisted me in my courses, as being able to hear better has improved my overall learning experience.”

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Tiffany works as an executive for a non-profit. She has moderate to severe hearing loss.

“If I don’t have hearing aids, I cannot work,” she shares.

When her old hearing aids started to fail, her audiologist referred her to WorkBC Assistive Technology Services for funding for a new set of hearing aids.

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