The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) report on Eye Health and Visual Impairment has revealed “deeply troubling” findings about employer attitudes.
Launching the report at Westminster, chair of the APPG, Marsha de Cordova MP, said that the report “must be a watershed moment that leads to lasting change, breaking down barriers for blind and partially sighted people to obtain employment and changing employer attitudes.”
Attitudes to people who are blind and vision impaired
The report, titled Changing Attitudes, Changing Lives, found that a quarter of respondents (25%) would not be willing to make workplace adaptations and adjustments to employ a blind or partially sighted person.
Reasonable adjustments are changes that an employer must make to ensure that “workers with disabilities, or physical or mental health conditions, are not substantially disadvantaged when doing their jobs,” as explained on the YouGov website.
Many adjustments are simple and free. Others will incur costs.
Worryingly, 47% did not know where to find funding to help cover the extra costs of practical support for employees who are blind or partially sighted, such as the Government’s Access to Work Scheme.
In addition, the report highlights that 48% of employers did not have an accessible recruitment process, presenting a significant barrier to employment.
The report echoes a previous report by Fight for Sight, See My Skills, which found that most literature focuses on barriers to entering the labour market rather than identifying positive interventions.
First-hand experiences of employment
Alongside the employer survey, the APPG heard oral evidence sessions, which provided a series of compelling testimonies.
One example detailed lengthy processes for negotiating reasonable adjustments. Another shared that if companies don’t want to make forms accessible, how can they hire blind and vision-impaired people?
At the APPG report launch, Marsha de Cordova said: “I found those powerful and at times emotional due to my own lived experience.”
Marsha de Cordova has the condition nystagmus.
Again, these echo our findings, which included a series of interviews. One respondent to See My Skills said:
“In my experience, most people who have employment with sight loss are either working for a large governmental organization or a charity or working in local government, or indeed self-employed. In terms of the sort of people working at supermarket, for example, I’ve yet to see someone with a vision impairment working in that kind of job.”
Another finding was that it is easier for people to navigate reasonable adjustments the more senior they become.
Recommendations for change
Changing Attitudes, Changing Lives recommends 22 recommendations. Marsha de Cordova said, “This report must be a watershed moment that leads to lasting change, breaking down barriers for blind and partially sighted people to obtain employment and changing employer attitudes.”
She added: “With more than 800,000 vacancies in the UK, employers can no longer afford to overlook the potential of blind and partially sighted people.
“Now is the perfect time to deliver that long-awaited change.”
Some of the recommendations made in the report include:
- The government must partner with sight loss organisations to develop best practice on recruiting and supporting blind and partially sighted people to enter the labour market.
- Employers must take practical steps to ensure their workplaces are inclusive.
- Employers should offer a holistic workplace assessment to all new employees, and at regular points throughout an individual’s employment.
- The UK Government should review the Equality Act (2010) to make sure it is fit for purpose in the 21st century to protect and support blind and partially sighted people to participate in the labour market.
You'll find a copy of the full report, including all recommendations
Commenting on the report, Eleanor Southwood, Director of Impact for Fight for Sight, said: “We know blind and vision impaired people face significant barriers to employment, as this report identifies. It chimes with the See My Skills report we commissioned in 2021. Three years later, many of those same themes are evident in the APPG report.”
“As a grant-making charity, we have funded and will continue to fund organisations that support people who are blind and vision impaired in getting into and thriving in the workplace. As an employer, we’re also committed to creating a workplace that is inclusive for all our employees.
Speaking at the report's launch, Alison McGovern, MP Minister of State at the Department for Work and Pensions, said: “We must make a big change in the way that we approach employment altogether. In terms of Access to Work, we already have more staff.” She also spoke about technology's role, saying: I am excited about how we can match talent with technology to get under the challenges that we have, including AI.”
The report was supported and funded by Thomas Pocklington Trust and RNIB.
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