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See My Skills: Breaking the cycle of unemployment for blind and partially sighted people

See My Skills: Breaking the cycle of unemployment for blind and partially sighted people

This report by The Vision Foundation sets out a roadmap to ensure that everyone, sighted or blind, has the chance to enjoy the independence, purpose and meaning that employment can bring.

“Blind and partially sighted people do the vast majority of the jobs that sighted people do. They might do them a little differently – using specialist technology or admin support – but they do them successfully ” says Dr Olivia Curno, Chief Executive, Vision Foundation. In my role I’ve worked alongside blind or partially sighted politicians, journalists, lawyers, presenters, teachers, fundraisers, professors, artists, authors, actors, bankers, CEOs, entrepreneurs and chefs. But these success stories are far too few. In fact, if you’re a blind adult of working age in the UK, there is only a 1 in 4 chance that you’re working. That means that over 300,000 blind and partially sighted people are currently excluded from the workplace.

The lack of understanding about visual impairment by employers and Jobcentre Plus staff are major barriers to employment. The research highlighted the importance of working with employers and service providers to educate them to overcome negative attitudes.

The research also highlighted the importance of individual assessments to identify the support required and bespoke programmes to enable their participation in the labour market. This might include, for example, support to develop key skills (such as mobility and orientation or computer skills), counselling to help in acceptance of their visual impairment or support to develop self- advocacy skills.

Published July 2021.

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Category: Research Reports

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