The total economic impact of sight loss in the UK, including costs attributable to unemployment, is estimated at £28 billion per year, a figure that exceeds the estimated annual economic burden of heart disease, cancer, and stroke combined.
The employment gap facing visually impaired people remains stark. Just 27% are in work, compared with 76% of the general population, and this figure has changed little over time. Research points to a lack of access to essential technology and digital skills training as a major contributor, limiting opportunities in today’s modern workplace. Creating more inclusive workplace cultures is also critical to improving employment outcomes for blind and partially sighted people
Furthermore, there are a number of systemic challenges in providing technology training, including the lack of a recognised digital skills framework for people who are blind or partially sighted, a lack of evidence of what training works, a lack of consistent outcome and impact measures, the lack of consistent referral pathways, as well as the need for additional trainers to deliver specialist training. TAVIP and Visibility Scotland’s Digital Inclusion in Employment Project will start tackling these issues by developing a digital skills framework and a national business case for a professional training programme and delivery model.
TAVIP will build on existing frameworks such as the Essential Digital Skills Framework (EDSF) and the International Certificate of Digital Literacy (ICDL), but will add an additional foundation layer focusing on assistive technology skills and accessibility.
Visibility Scotland will develop a standardised workplace support assessment tool to guide Rehabilitation Specialists and Rehabilitation Assistants in identifying and addressing employment-related needs. The assessment will provide practical questions, guidance and recommendations to support both blind and vision impaired employees and their employers, helping to create more inclusive, accessible and supportive workplace environments.
The project is being delivered in partnership with Visibility Scotland who will be incorporating the learning into the training of Vocational Rehabilitation Specialists, as well as engaging with employers on supporting new employees with Access to Work assessments, with assistive technology and with ongoing digital skills training.
TAVIP and Visibility Scotland will collaborate with organisations from the Vision Partnership, Vision Collaborative Scotland, and AbilityNet to support the development of an evidence-led, sector-wide approach that lays a strong foundation for further investment and service development in this area.
The two-year project is being funded by Funded by Fight for Sight as part of their Digital Inclusion funding programme.
For further information or to get involved with the project contact info@tavip.org.uk or info@visibilityscotland.org.uk.