Deaf Space and Workplace Inclusivity for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Employees in Malaysia

Deafness and hearing loss are widespread and found in every region and country. Currently more than 1.5 billion people (nearly 20% of the global population) live with hearing loss; 430 million of them have disabling hearing loss. Till January 2023, there are legally 42,652 hard of hearing and deaf individuals in Malaysia. Approximately 25,520 (59.83%) from that total number belongs to the working age category. Nonetheless, there has been very limited studies on workplace inclusivity for deaf and hard of hearing employees in Malaysia. This study focuses on reporting deaf space and workplace inclusivity. The population of this study was deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) employees who work in any sectors in Malaysia. The G*Power 3.1 application was used to calculate the sample size of the study. Data were collected via survey using a newly validated instrument on workplace inclusivity for deaf and hard of hearing employees in Malaysia. The sample size for this study was 176, and finally 200 deaf and hard of hearing employees participated in this study. Dimensions of deaf space includes disability discomfort, social inclusion, job performance, organizational justice, inclusive leadership and workplace bully). Interestingly, results reported high levels of deaf space and workplace inclusivity, as well as significant relationship between deaf space and workplace inclusivity. This study implies lights of progressive improvement on work conditions for deaf and hard of hearing employees in Malaysia.