The Health Adjustment Passport is a document to record the support and changes (known as reasonable adjustments) you may need at work. Your employer may have their own version for you to use.
You can use a completed Health Adjustment Passport to support an application to Access to Work, which could help fund adjustments such as communication support or specialist equipment.
How a passport can help you at work
If you have hearing loss you may not identify as disabled, but you may still face challenges that can impact your work. The passport can be an easy way to open conversations about deafness or hearing loss at work. The passport can also support discussions with your employer or a potential employer by providing them with an overview of the support you need.
The passport belongs to you, and it cannot be shared with others without your permission.
How to complete your passport
Things to think about if you are deaf or have hearing loss
If you are deaf or have hearing loss, there are some things you might like to think about when completing the passport.
Communication
What is your preferred way to communicate? For example, British Sign Language (BSL) or lipreading.
How do you need your manager and colleagues to communicate with you? If you are a BSL user, do you need support to translate documents and emails?
Meetings
Do you require a British Sign Language interpreter or other communication support such as notetaker or STTR for meetings? How much time would you need communication support for?
Are there key regular meetings that you will attend? Consider how will you access meetings, face-to-face or online?
If having agendas or presentations in advance helps you prepare, mention this need. Would it help to have extra time for interviews or meetings?
Equipment
Consider mentioning if you use an assistive technology, such as hearing aids or a personal mic.
There is a wide range of equipment that could support you at work, investigate the options that are available and think about what would work best for you. Do you need a pager for the fire alarm, an amplified telephone, a personal listener?
We would always recommend a workplace assessment to guarantee that you get all the support you need to perform to your best at work.
Work environment
How noisy is your work? If you require a quieter workspace to focus, or to avoid background noise that can interfere with communication, mention this.
Can you see when people are approaching you? Is the lighting bright enough for you to lipread colleagues or customers?
Emergency procedures
Think about the need for visual alert systems or vibrating alarms to notify you in case of emergencies, such as fire alarms.
Find out more about workplace adjustments for deaf people and people with hearing loss.