cutbacks.

That's the claim of Progressive Labour Party candidate Mr. Michael Scott, who has taken up their plight.

He said few bosses cared for the needs of the hearing-impaired, some of whom felt discriminated against.

And Mr. Scott, a lawyer, added disabilities legislation needs to be considered.

Mr. Scott, PLP candidate for Southampton West, made his comments after meeting some of the hearing-impaired.

"Some spoke out at the discrimination they had encountered in the workplace,'' he said.

"They also highlighted that they felt like a forgotten group in the community.'' He added: "I intend to take it a step further, and to look at bringing their concerns to the fore.

"Their plight needs to be reviewed, and this includes considering disabilities legislation.

"I am convinced that once the public is made more aware of their needs, they will be more than willing to offer help, support and assistance.'' Mr. Scott said hearing-impaired people were particularly worried about making 911 calls.

They were often unable to communicate adequately, he said.

Mr. Scott said a teletype machine -- which he described as a "godsend'' -- was one way round the difficulty.

"This is good as a facilitator -- a medium to keep the hearing-impaired able to alert the emergency services in cases of emergency.

"However these machines are not cheap. Apparently, there are exemptions from certain duties on the TTY machines, but there is room for improvement.

"These machines are costly, and so are not easily accessible to the underemployed or the unemployed deaf person.

"The tragedy is that few employers do actively protect and encourage their employees who are impaired in this fashion.

"Rather, they are often the first fired when there are cutbacks.''