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Have you spoken with him about what he'd like? I think everyone has different tastes (both personal and also in relation to the types of hearing loss they have
by sdrothrock 4y ago
Have you spoken with him about what he'd like?
I think everyone has different tastes (both personal and also in relation to the types of hearing loss they have) and one of my buttons in particular is when people go out of their way to do everything... except ask what I prefer.
For example, if he prefers to do video chats (I myself do), he may appreciate hand raising/visual cues before speaking (to context switch), clear lighting and dimmer backgrounds (to help lip reading/curing), better mics (basically not anything onboard). Additionally, things like someone taking minutes and recording decisions can be helpful for review afterward to clear up misconceptions or assumptions.
It may be that no matter how many video chat accommodations there are, he may not feel completely included and would prefer text of some kind.
I think another important thing is to make him feel welcome to interrupt or say something outside of the meetings, both implicitly and through explicit reminders -- sometimes it turns out that some accommodations don't work out, or someone is just particularly difficult to understand (accents, enunciation), or something just throws it all out the window (people without cameras, suddenly noisy backgrounds, etc) and it can be hard being the odd one out saying "Hey, this actually isn't working."
I think really though, my strongest recommendation would be to keep him actively involved in accommodations without springing anything on him.
Edit: I want to emphasize that I do think it's great that you're reaching out and trying to help! I just also want to emphasize that for some people, loss of agency regarding how they handle their accommodations, no matter how well-intentioned, can feel bad.
- kradeelav 4y agoThis, absolutely. Different people have different preferences, and a lot of folks can be surprised at the sheer variety of options out there. People also have different preferences about how many, hm, visible? accommodations they like; some like 'em, some don't (me). Would set up a casual meeting with him to go over what he'd prefer, see what works best for the two of you and the company, and go from there. A big part of dignity is feeling like you have some choice in the matter, to echo OP.
- a-dub 4y agomaybe better to just raise the issue generally for yourself about how well the meeting/communication style is working and get everyone's feedback on collaboration tools and process so that no one is put on the spot. not only does this avoid singling anyone out, but it will capture all the problems (and hopefully solve them) regardless of whatever challenges people may be facing. check in with your manager and hrbp before doing so though. you don't want to step on any laws or toes. (and hr may already have a program in place to help)