Employment opportunities of the hearing impaired in the hospitality industry: gender analysis

The increasing participating rates of disable youth in hospitality higher career education can clearly be seen in many countries including Malaysia. This group has been identified as a key equity group for several years on the basis of their overall participating level, progression rates and the employments outcomes they achieve after completion their special education. This study empirically compares the barriers and constraints of employment among the young male and female hearing impaired graduates in Malaysia hospitality industry. Using a self reported questionnaire among the hearing impaired graduates from two higher learning institutions for disable, result revealed that there are still some constraints especially faced by females disable graduates compare to males while pursuing their career interests in the hospitality industry. Inferiority complex owing to their physical and communication disabilities creates the feeling of less confident, isolated and insecure working in the hospitality industry. This situation is not only given significant impact and implications to the disable students, graduates, hospitality institutions, industry practitioners but the government as well.