Employers' Speech-Based First Impressions of Cochlear Implant Users

This study is part of a series on speech-based first impressions of prelingually deaf cochlear implant (CI) users with differing speech intelligibility. Hiring managers with typical hearing (TH) rated CI users and TH young adults on various personality traits and suitability as job applicants after hearing recorded speech samples. Similar to prior peer listeners, managers rated TH speakers more positively than highly intelligible CI users (CI-Hi), with less-intelligible CI users rated even more negatively. Managers for white-collar or high-communication jobs rated CI-Hi lower than did managers of blue-collar or low-communication jobs. Positive attitudes and experience with deafness improved ratings of CI users. While underlining the importance of intelligibility, these patterns also highlight the impact of listeners' underlying attitudes on their initial judgments of CI users, which could affect deaf employment opportunities. The study calls for workplace education about hearing loss and deaf communication to improve deaf inclusion and employment rates.