• Health
• Money
• Leisure
• Make a Difference
• Family
• Online Community
• Membership

Regular visitors to the Work channel may be aware of my “Ask Bob About Jobs" column. You can submit your work-related questions directly to me. Several questions are selected each week to be answered in the column in the hope that the questions and answers are of value to the 50+ reader.  Occasionally, I will also answer questions in my Journal.

Q: I’m retiring after working 31 years for the U.S. Navy. I went to work for a telecommunications company. I was laid off after 10 years due to a merger. I have a great work history and am eager to continue working.   Unfortunately, I am finding it difficult to find a new job. It could be my age or also my impaired hearing that prevents me from working at a job requiring use of a phone. I am a fluent lip reader so I can work face-to-face with no difficulty. I have had several possibilities but my hearing problem seems to be stopping me. Do you have any advice?   Merry. – Annandale, Va.

A: Merry, first let me compliment you on your persistence and fortitude. You didn’t mention the type of work you did, so my suggestions will have to be somewhat general.

You should be aware that you have two important federal laws in your favor. The 1967 Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) prohibits consideration of age in hiring and employment decisions and actions. 

The second, and more important for you, is the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This act specifically addresses employment issues. In summary, employers must provide reasonable accommodations to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities in all aspects of employment. Possible changes may include restructuring jobs, altering the layout of workstations, or modifying equipment. Your hearing impairment will be an obstacle only when hearing ability is a genuine job requirement that cannot be “reasonably accommodated.”

Both of these laws protect your employment rights. You would think that the simple existence of these laws would compel employer compliance. Regrettably, this is not always the case. Rather than doing battle with employers that resist compliance with these laws, I recommend you put your energy into finding employers who value all employees, regardless of age or disability.

You wonder if your difficulty finding a job could be due to your age and hearing impairment. I can’t determine if you have been the target of bias due to age or disability, but it’s likely this hasn’t helped you. My advice is to ignore your age and hearing impairment and proceed with your job search - it seems there isn’t much to do about either condition. So where to look?

I checked job postings on AARP.org’s job search and found 364 openings within 30 miles of your home; 299 openings within 20 miles; and 69 openings within 10. Many of these jobs are with Age-Friendly Certified employers recognized by RetirementJobs.com, AARP, or both. Most of these employers are in retail and your hearing impairment should not be an obstacle. They include Borders; Citizens Bank; Fresh Market (grocery); REI (recreation product); Safeway; Staples; Synergy HomeCare (in-home health and personal care services);  Erickson Retirement Communities; and Talbots. These jobs offer a pleasant and active environment and they have declared their desire to hire workers of all ages.

There are several non-profits searching for tutors, job coaches and aides to work with disabled or learning impaired students including Educational Services of America – College Living Experience; and Pride Industries.

Finally, staffing agencies have many appropriate openings (I looked at all of them). Age-Friendly staffing firms in your immediate area include Accountemps, Office Team, Manpower, and Express Employment Professionals. They’re all Certified Age Friendly! Best wishes on another 10 or 20 years of work.