When people think about accessibility, they usually picture what they can see.
An interpreter standing beside a presenter.
Captions on a screen.
A wheelchair ramp leading into a building.
Those things matter, but they’re only part of the picture.
What people don’t see is all the work that happens behind the scenes just to keep up.
I’ve spoken with many Deaf professionals over the years, and I hear similar stories again and again. They leave a meeting only to spend extra time emailing coworkers to confirm what was discussed. They read through notes to make sure nothing was missed. They follow up on conversations they weren’t part of because they know important details were probably shared before the meeting, after the meeting, or somewhere in between.
That work isn’t part of their job description.
It’s simply the extra work they do to stay on the same page as everyone else.
Most hearing employees don’t think twice about the information they pick up throughout the day. They overhear conversations in the hallway. They hear someone talking while making coffee. They catch a quick update as people walk back from lunch. None of those moments seem important on their own, but together they create context.
That context helps people understand what’s happening long before an email is ever sent.
For many Deaf employees, those moments don’t exist.
Instead, they spend time chasing information that everyone else received without even realizing it.
I’ve often said that access isn’t only about being present. It’s about having equal access to information. Without that, people are constantly trying to fill in the blanks.
That takes time.
It takes energy.
And after a while, it becomes exhausting.
The irony is that many organizations never see this extra work. They see a Deaf employee doing their job, but they don’t see the additional effort required just to reach the same starting point as everyone else.
Imagine finishing your workday and then spending another hour making sure you didn’t miss anything important.
Imagine having to ask, “Can someone explain what happened?” because a decision was made in a conversation you never had access to.
That invisible work adds up.
This isn’t about asking for sympathy.
It’s about recognizing that accessibility isn’t measured by whether someone was invited to the meeting. It’s measured by whether they had the same opportunity to participate, understand, and contribute without having to work twice as hard.
When organizations begin reducing that invisible work, something changes.
People stop spending their energy trying to catch up.
Instead, they can spend it doing what they were hired to do.
And that’s when everyone benefits.
