Introduction: The number of adults with hearing impairment and deafness is steadily increasing worldwide, which brings numerous challenges that these people face in their everyday and work environments. The most common forms are age-related and occupational hearing loss. Individuals with these problems need appropriate rehabilitation and support to maintain their independence and quality of life. Purpose: The purpose of the thesis was to gain insight into the role of occupational therapists in the treatment of deaf and hard of hearing adults and to identify areas where their involvement is most necessary and effective. Methods: In the thesis, we used the descriptive method of literature review. The search was conducted in the CINAHL, Web of Science, and PubMed databases in English. The keywords used were: deaf, hard of hearing, hearing loss, hearing impairment, occupational hearing loss, noise-induced hearing loss, presbycusis, age-related hearing loss AND occupational therapy, OT, occupation, meaningful activity, activities of daily living, ADL, vocational rehabilitation, workplace adaptation. The search time limit was between 2015 and 2025. Results: We included 9 articles in the final analysis, which were evaluated for quality. We conducted a thematic and descriptive analysis of the articles. Based on the thematic analysis, we highlighted five main themes: communication accessibility and barriers in different environments, empowerment, self-advocacy and psychosocial acceptance of impairment, vocational rehabilitation and integration into the labor market, assistive technology and strategies for greater independence, and the competencies of experts and the gap in education. Discussion and conclusion: People with hearing impairments and the deaf are often included in the process of vocational rehabilitation, where experts are important connectors between users with hearing impairments and employers. Developing self-advocacy is crucial for the success of rehabilitation, as individuals often avoid using devices and social interactions due to stigma. Greater involvement of occupational therapists in the field of assistive technology could significantly reduce the abandonment of devices. Abandonment can occur due to personal, environmental, technical or other factors. A critical flaw in the healthcare system remains the lack of knowledge of the basic sign language and deaf culture, which prevents the establishment of a confidential therapeutic relationship. The results highlight the need to update occupational therapy study programs, which currently focus too much on the anatomical structure of the organ and too little on practical communication strategies and specific occupational therapy interventions for this population.
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