Caron is self-employed as a counsellor in Victoria, and her job requires her to listen closely to her clients.

“I have lost some of my hearing over the last few years,” she says. “I found that I was missing things that clients said to me. I was embarrassed to keep asking people to repeat themselves. I want to be the best counsellor I can be!”

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Trina works with seniors for a community service organization, helping them connect with community supports and services, as well as providing practical supports to older adults and their families.

She has Mixed-Connective Tissue Disease, which has many of the features and symptoms of lupus, arthritis, and various other conditions.

“This limits my ability to sit on non-supportive chairs and at non-ergonomic workstations; walk or stand for long periods; and write legibly and type quickly. Therefore, it necessitates the use of adaptive equipment for many workplace tasks,” she says.

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Karen works as an intake coordinator for a residential drug and alcohol treatment centre.

“I have hearing loss and was having a hard time hearing on the telephone and in busy environments with background noise,” she shares.

A friend suggested she check out WorkBC Assistive Technology Services for help funding a new pair of hearing aids. WorkBC Assistive Technology Services staff walked her through the application process, and in no time, she was approved.

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Belle works in healthcare. She has hearing loss in both ears, which can make her job difficult.

“I have a lot of interaction with co-workers, visitors and residents, and the surroundings are kind of loud,” she says. “I barely hear what people are telling me, I always asked them to repeat what they said, or sometimes pretend that I heard them.”

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Andrew helps keeps the roads safe in the winter, working in snow removal and trucking salt. Thanks to funding for hearing aids from WorkBC Assistive Technology, Andrew can stay safe on the job.

“Thank you for your assistance and support,” he says. “Without your support for the hearing aids, I may not have been able to continue my career as a Truck Driver due to safety issues and licensing requirements.”

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Roy is a self-employed musician and broadcaster, who lost his vision in an accident eight years ago.

Today, Roy uses a computer to manage the administrative tasks for his music career, and to work on his weekly radio show — doing audio editing, script writing, making the playlists, and research. He uses the JAWS screen reader to navigate the various programs on his computer.

Having originally worked with Neil Squire in 2016 to learn how to use JAWS, he was referred to WorkBC Assistive Technology Services to update his assistive technology set-up that he needs for his work.

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Gary’s job sees him wearing many hats, acting as project manager, site superintendent, and design engineer. His job involves a lot of communication, meeting with clients to discuss the project, interacting with work crews, before designing the project to be sent off to fabricators to be assembled and installed.

Gary, however, has hearing loss, and needed hearing aids to do his job. His audiologist referred him to WorkBC Assistive Technology Services for funding assistance.

“The people at Assistive Technology Services were awesome. They understood my issue, assisted me in completing forms, and the turnaround time once I completed the forms and submitted was incredible,” he shares. “[They] walked me [through] the application process and [were] extremely patient and understanding.

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Farhad works as a security guard at a shopping centre in the Lower Mainland. He has hearing loss.

“Cons of having hearing loss includes fewer job opportunities due to impaired communication, social withdrawal due to reduced access to services, and difficulties communicating with others,” he shares.

Referred by his hearing practitioner, he applied to WorkBC Assistive Technology Services. WorkBC Assistive Technology Services helped him purchase the new set of hearing aids he needed for work by covering most of the cost.

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Darren is currently looking for employment, while also taking courses to enhance his skills.

He has a C3 spinal cord injury, as well as arthritis, which led to him leaving a previously successful career due to the pain.

“[It] severely limits the types of work that are available to me,” he shares.

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Michelle is opening her own business in February, something she’s able to do thanks to equipment she received from WorkBC Assistive Technology Services.

“Without this equipment, this wouldn’t be possible for me,” she says.

“I have osteoarthritis and no cartilage in my knees which limits my mobility and the length of time I can sit without severe pain and inflammation in my legs. At my last job, I was required to sit at a desk for extended periods of time and would often end up with swollen legs and my knees would buckle when standing up.”

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