There are two topics I keep returning to in my blog posts. The first is the lack of jobs available to the blind. The second topic is how the right system can make adapting to low-vision much much easier. I will be talking about how the working blind get to their jobs.

 

Why are so few blind people working?

According to the National Federation of the blind (NFB)over sixty percent of work-able legally blind people don’t have jobs. There are lots of reasons for this. The top two are: the misunderstandings employers have about blind people and the low expectations many blind people have about themselves that keeps them from finding meaningful employment.

 

In spite of this, there are many legally-blind people who do work and earn a great living. So, the question is, how do they get to work if they can’t drive? The answer is systems.

 

A drivers licence is an advantage and not a necessity

When a sighted person is looking for a job, one of the items they keep in mind is how convenient is it to drive to? People spend a lot of time in their cars going to and from their work. A great selling point for any position is that it is ‘close to home’ thus making for a better commute.

 

A vision impaired person looking for a job has this same thought in mind. Is the job easy to get to? Not driving a car means that the blind person must do a bit more homework before accepting a job. That is where a system can make things a whole lot easier.

 

What systems do blind people use to get to work?

A car is a great general-purpose tool. Without a car, a vision impaired person must find alternatives. The choice of transportation alternative depends on the location of the home and the location of the work and the transportation options available between them.

 

The first question I ask myself before considering a change of employment is, “Is there public transportation available in the area”. I purposely live in an area with lots of public transportation options like busses, taxies, shuttles, trains, etc. The more options available in an area, the more likely that I will take a particular job. The less available public transportation options are, the less likely I will find a job in that area.

 

I have many vision impaired friends who live in rural areas where there is no public transportation. No surprise that hardly any of them also have a job. If you are vision impaired, you should put yourself in a position with the greatest options in order to find success. And, in this case, success is being employed.

 

You would call someone crazy is they were looking for a job as a sailor if they didn’t live near any water. So, why would you put yourself in a transportation desert and think you could keep a job? It just doesn’t make sense.

 

Being employed is hard. Not having a system for easily getting to and from work can make being employed even more challenging. When searching for employment, consider all the available transportation options that are available. If there are some that will work. The more likely your employment search will be successful. The few the options, the harder you will have to work to find a job.

 

The task for the blind is not only to find a job. But, to find one they can get to and that can be done using a system.