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According to the CDC, “Approximately 7 million people in the United States have vision impairment. This includes 1 million with blindness.” Yet, the struggles they experience are often unseen and unacknowledged in the business world. It must be the priority of every organization to create an environment that makes all applicants and employees feel included, safe, and respected. This week, we’re discussing blindness/visual impairments in the workplace and the changes employers can make to be more welcoming to these employees.
Before employers can factor in appropriate accommodation policy, they need to have a hiring process without anti-blind bias. The American Foundation for the Blind reports that Blind/visually impaired applicants with a bachelor’s degree, “are less likely to be employed than people with no disability who have a bachelor’s degree or higher.” Overall, the American Community Survey finds that, “only 44% of people who are blind are employed, compared to a 77.2% employment rate for those without disabilities.” This is due, in no small part, to the implicit bias that employers have by presuming these applicants are incompetent. When employers make these assumptions, rather than reviewing all their applicants in good faith, they risk missing out on some really great work performed by these would-be employees.
For blind/visually impaired people who are employed, they still have to overcome unfair barriers and stigma at work. The technology may be inaccessible and, similar to the disability community at large, may avoid asking for accommodation due to fear of backlash. Both workplace social functions and the everyday work environments can be socially isolating or exclusionary (i.e. visual-only presentations, inaccessible physical environments, prejudice from fellow colleagues, etc.).
As an organization working to combat workplace sexual misconduct, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention that people with disabilities (particularly women) face higher rates of this type of harm compared to non-disabled people. UN Women’s Discussion Paper, “Sexual Harassment Against Women with Disabilities in the World of Work and on Campus” notes that:
“The bodies of women with disabilities are often deemed to belong to others, to be public property, such that decision-making is removed from the person concerned, including about whether, when and how to control contact. Blind women report regular inappropriate touching from people who offer them help. Such unwanted touching can become normalized – “it always happens”, “it is normal that people touch you when helping you cross the street”
The risk of sexual violence is also higher for employees with multiple marginalized identities like having an additional disability or being a racial, sexual, or gender minority. This is why prevention and accessibility should always be approached intersectionally.
The good news is that employers have the power to create positive change for their blind/visually impaired employees and applicants. Below are some of our recommendations.
Connect with Disability Advocacy Organizations
The best people to speak to the needs of the disability community are the advocates from that community. They can help introduce you to more accessible technologies, consult on workplace disability policy, and conduct trainings to make supervisory staff better equipped to handle the needs of all their employees. Below are some of our favorite organizations in this field:
–American Foundation for the Blind
–Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability
–National Federation of the Blind
–National Organization on Disability
Provide Reasonable Accommodations
As required by the ADA, all workplaces must be made accessible to employees with disabilities. However, with disabilities covering such a broad spectrum, employers may not know where to start. In addition to reaching out to the organizations listed above to discover solutions catered to the needs of specific employees, here are some resources we think are worth investigating:
-Job Accommodation Network’s Article on Blindness
-RALIANCE’s blog on Welcoming Guide Dogs in the Workplace
–W3C Recommendation for Web Accessibility Guidelines page
Foster a Disability-Friendly Workplace Culture
At the root of all progress is transforming the people within our systems to be more mindful, compassionate, and respectful of others. Whether it’s preventing harassment or eliminating prejudice and stigma, the employer has a role to take in that conversation. Share Disability: IN’s resource on Disability Etiquette amongst employees to improve conversation and interactions with colleagues living with all kinds of disabilities. Express that there is a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination or harassment for employees with disabilities. Ensure Employee Resource Groups are accessible and disability-informed. Express that there is an open line of communication for employees with disabilities, and that it is the organization’s priority to ensure that they feel heard, respected, and comfortable coming forward with any request for accommodation. All of these actions can shift workplace culture for the better for everyone, not just employees with disabilities.
Cultural and systemic change does not happen overnight, but all of us have the power to inspire, promote, and enact change. This Blindness Awareness Month, we hope to see employers start and continue reviewing their policies, technology, and culture to be more equitable to blind/visually impaired employees and applicants everywhere.
RALIANCE is a trusted adviser for organizations committed to building cultures that are safe, equitable, and respectful. RALIANCE offers unparalleled expertise in serving survivors of sexual harassment, misconduct, and abuse which drives our mission to help organizations across sectors create inclusive environments for all. For more information, please visit www.RALIANCE.org.