Lack of Employability

Everyone has the right to work and live a decent life. Concerns about low employment levels among young people with visual impairments began as early as 1840 at the Perkins School for the Blind where specialised programmes to improve transition from school to work were implemented (Cavenaugh & Giesen, 2012: 401). Visually-impaired people are, however, discriminated against in terms of employment

even though they may have requisite skills comparable to those of sighted people. This discrimination has narrowed their avenues to employment (Boame, 2009: 7). The International Labour Organisation (ILO, 2011: 1) has indicated that excluding disabled people from the world of work may cost countries 1 to 7% of Gross Domestic Product.

In a longitudinal study that was conducted in United States of America, McDonnall (2011: 463) found that there is a substantial gap in employment rates between youth with visual impairments and sighted ones. He discovered that 19.8% of youth with visual impairments aged 16-19 were employed compared with 29.2% of the same age youths who are sighted; the gap is even wider for those youths aged 20-24 where it is 39.5% against 63.8%. This gap is a matter of concern and could indicate deficits in the way visually-impaired learners’ transition from one stage of life to another is handled. According to the Department of Education (2007: 4), this calls for thoughtful assessment and collaboration by partners. Identification of community agencies who may be in a position to support, fund, or sponsor transportation is essential.

In a study by Shaw, et al. (2007: 15), visually-impaired youth indicated that they face barriers to successful employment. This problem is a world-wide challenge which is attributable to a variety of impeding factors, including a myriad of myths and misconceptions about disabilities in general and blindness in particular. The visually- impaired, like any other group in the age of technology, need technological devices and equipment suitably adapted to their situation. Unfortunately, specialised services that provide assistive equipment and devices (including computers with screen readers, screen magnification features, and/or braille outputs) are woefully and consistently under-funded. Malakpa (2007: 2) established that this was a major impediment to job acquisition and retention because these devices are helpful in enabling the blind and visually-impaired to perform their jobs effectively and efficiently. For example, about 40% of people with severe visual impairments use computers to perform their jobs.

In one study by Capella-McDonnall (2005: 12), the participants reported that attitudes of employers were not positive especially those who had never employed a person with a disability. They also reported that limited resources were supplied for

their use, such as Braille materials or assistive technology. Employers’ negative attitudes towards the visually-impaired is also related to low employment levels. Persons who are blind are perceived by many to be difficult to place, which would provide another disincentive to working with this population. They are also more likely to require expensive resources, such as assistive technology. A study by McDonnall, Zhou and Crudden (2013: 17) showed that 83.6% of the participants who were vocational rehabilitation staff indicated that employers had a more negative attitude to hiring a visually-impaired person for a specific job than another with other disabilities.

Other professionals such as rehabilitation providers have identified pervasive barriers to achieving competitive employment outcomes for people who are blind or visually-impaired. These barriers include negative attitudes toward visual impairment and persons who are visually-impaired and have transportation issues which may include orientation and mobility (Crudden, Sansing & Butler, 2005: 2). Other reported employment barriers include the lack of job-readiness skills, lack of access to print and problems within the rehabilitation system. Lack of job readiness skills mirrored into inadequate transition planning by teams of partners.

Other challenges are job requirements that visually-impaired persons may not have by virtue of being visually-impaired. Some jobs require that the applicant possesses a driver’s license. Transportation has also been pointed out as a challenge in job search. Workplaces which are very far away from home may be difficult to reach for people who do not have their own means of transportation. In a study conducted by McDonnall (2011: 462), transportation was identified as one of the predictors of employability. Those with good transport plan had a greater chance of getting employed than those who did not have. Independent travel by visually-impaired people was a factor in employability. An independent traveller exhibited independence in many areas of life, too (Crudden, et al., 2005: 2). Social skills and independent travel are important for the success of visually-impaired learners and especially future employment. Another finding in the study by McDonnall was the relationship between social skills and employment opportunities. It was established that unemployed college graduates with visual impairments have fewer social networks than employed graduates who are visually-impaired. Cavenaugh and

Giesen (2012: 408) equally indicated that training in social skills was found to enhance verbal skills in job interview situations.

Further, most visually-impaired persons got their jobs through a network of their acquaintances and not their families. These findings indicate that social skills may open doors to connections for a visually-impaired person. This is so because families generally have lower expectations about the achievements of their children. Overprotective families hide children from the outside world which is very harmful. In some ways, parents indirectly impart false hopes to their children but also neglect the children’s immediate need for special intervention, which could enhance their employability in future (Ng Lee, Abdullah & Mey, 2011: 112). However, it must be stated here that family plays the most influential role in one’s career development. According to Omede and Tenimu (2013: 346), this aspect need not be emphasised but it is well-researched and documented.

Ng Lee, et al. (2011: 115) found that persons with disabilities were more vulnerable to psychological problems. Issues such as poor self-concept and self-esteem could prevent them from seeking employment. Moreover, people with disabilities have been aware of the potential discrimination in education, training, and employment. Such insecure feelings foster a sense of self-limiting conservatism which later may negatively influence their career ambitions and occupation. Teaching ECC skills such as self-determination and social skills would help learners with visual impairments to deal with such matters.