EU Protects the Rights of Handicapped People 

A directive issued by the European Union mandates standardised rules within the EU countries against discrimination. The rules provide basic minimum standards that must be implemented by 2. December, 2003. Individual member countries may choose to pass tougher anti-discrimination laws.

Article 5 in the EU directive concerns the rights of the handicapped, including hearing-impaired people. The directive requires employers to make the work place, training programmes etc. accessible to handicapped employees.

Cases of alleged discrimination may be dealt with through civil law suits. The directive sets the burden of proof at 50/50. The victim of the alleged discrimination must prove discrimination while the employer must prove that the company, school etc. have met the requirements of accessibility and the needs of handicapped employees.

Source: EU directive 2000/78/EF based on article 13 EF.