community for people with voice problems started by The Lary Project

Voice Problem Career Survey

To mark World Voice Day on 16 April and 2011 as The National Year of Communication, I would be very grateful if you would complete this quick survey which could really help people with voice problems to find voice problem friendly careers. It will take a few moments to complete:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/C5TQWMW

Please think about forwarding this to your contacts, particularly if they work in an unusual or niche job.

"YAWN! ANOTHER SURVEY" - HERE'S WHY YOU SHOULD COMPLETE IT:

Voice problems are a huge, unseen disability affecting up to 1.5 million people in the UK alone. They are characterised by pain on speaking, a hoarse - sometimes non-existent - voice and breathlessness, among other symptoms. If it is hard to imagine just quite how difficult these can be to live with, a US study indicates some voice problems can have a similar impact on quality of life to stroke and cancer. Some voice problems are the result of cancer or stroke.

Being forced to leave a job or fearing entering the workplace for the first time because you have developed a voice problem too often leaves people hopeless and unemployed or under-employed (employed below one’s skill/qualification level). Meeting teachers, actors, singers and others who have had to give up work they love is extremely sad.

Participants in the Lary Project's recent support group programme expressed anxiety about entering new careers, in particular asking:

1. How could they know how voice problem friendly different careers would be?
2. How could they address lack of understanding from employers, colleagues and clients which made doing the job difficult?

This survey can help answer these questions and therefore help people with voice problems to find careers that they can succeed in.

THANK YOU!

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Permalink Reply by Beatriz Alvarado on April 19, 2011 at 3:41

Hello, First of all english is not my mother tongue so I apologize for any mispelling or grammar mistake I may have. I have no doubt many jobs require a "normal voice". However I have found that in many cases if we tell people the problem we have, we´ll realize how comprehensive people can be, we´ll see that people will make an effort to understand what we say. I can take a job where I would have to speak on the phone as I can lower my voice and it will make it more understandable and less shaky, but I can not speak in front of a lot of people as having to raise my voice will destroy it (together with the stress of the situation). When going for any interview, do not be afraid to explain your voice problem, be brave, this will let the other one unarmed, we can not change the fact that we have to leave with it. I always pray to God and ask Him, if I´m not going to heal then I want not to care about it.

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Permalink Reply by Beatriz Alvarado on April 19, 2011 at 14:52

Some more things I forgot to say, within the telecom environment there are technical positions that can be taken by people with voice disorders; making equipment work (engineers and technicians who program telecom equipment) help others to communicate by maintaining a telecom network up and running. People working in Operation & Maintenance, they develop a very important role and do not have to have a wonderfull voice.

Any kind of developing web pages and internet content.

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Permalink Reply by Terence McDermott on April 19, 2011 at 15:44

Muchas gracias por tu respuesta. Vivia en Colombia por 3 anos y fue alli donde mis problemas de la voz empezaron (estaba ventilado despues de una cirugia y el tubo dano' mi laringe). No te preocupe sobre la calidad de tu ingles - me parece excelente y mucho mejor que mi espanol! Tengo que practicar mi espanol porque he olvidado mucho desde mi regreso a inglaterra - entonces estoy contestando en espanol e ingles.

Si quiero avisar tus medicos/terapistas de voz en Panama sobre este social network, por favor hagalo con mucho gusto! Empiezo un grupo para personas que hablan espanol y seria excelente si podriamos conseguir personas de espana y america latina para construir una comunidad latina.

Has respondido al "survey" aqui? http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/C5TQWMW

Thanks for your answer. I used to live in Colombia and it was there that my voice problems began (I was ventilated after surgery and the tube damaged my larynx). Don't worry about your English - it is excellent and a lot better than my Spanish. I want to practice my Spanish because I've forgotten lots since returning to England.

If you want to advise your voice doctors/speech therapists in Panama about this social network, that would be great. I set up a group on here for Spanish speakers and it would be great if we could get more users from Spain and Latin America to begin something of "Latin Community" on here too.