TEBEK

 

Test procedures for the assessment of occupationally relevant competencies of deaf and hard of hearing people

The holistic inclusion of people with various forms of disability and their participation in society is a central requirement of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Article 3 UN CRPD, see Federal Government Commissioner for the Affairs of Persons with Disabilities, 2017). Especially for the target group of people with hearing impairment it is true that the hearing impairment is accompanied by a special form of communication that cannot be equated with the conditions of written language of hearing people as a matter of course. Therefore, this requires explicit consideration in the context of inclusion.

Results of studies in the field of health psychology indicate that healthy people have reservations about employing hearing impaired applicants in the work context, especially with regard to professional participation. Such reservations relate, among other things, to questions of job performance. In order to check the fit between a hearing impaired applicant and a position to be filled, cognitive or linguistic abilities and skills as well as personality traits can be tested by employers (e.g. intelligence test, personality tests).

For the identification of suitable support measures, institutions for the support of occupational participation (e.g. integration specialist services, vocational support services) are also interested in an actual status assessment of the above-mentioned points.

Conventional written and spoken language diagnostics, however, reach their limits with the target group of hearing-impaired people, as they require a structural understanding of written and spoken language. Therefore, using conventional test diagnostics as a benchmark does not do justice to hearing-impaired people. Due to the different initial situations, hearing impaired people are disadvantaged or misdiagnosed compared to people with normal hearing. This stands in the way of professional participation.

In this sense, it is necessary to develop a diagnosis adapted to the special needs of the target group of hearing impaired people. Therefore, the aim of the TEBEK project is to develop a sign language and written language based culturally fair inclusive online test system for the assessment of occupationally relevant competencies of deaf and hard of hearing people (TEBEK). TEBEK is to be integrated into an open source website and made available to institutions that promote the vocational participation of hearing-impaired people and to employers. The online testing system is to be made accessible via the website www.tebek.de.

In addition, viable online formats are of existential importance, especially in light of the current situation (cf. e.g. Corona pandemic and digitalization offensive).

Duration

08.2022 - 09.2026

Support

BMAS – Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales