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Editor’s note: The following blog has been updated as of 2024. It provides job seekers and employers with tips for reducing the unemployment rate of individuals who are blind or have low vision.
“When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet, at the hundred and first blow, it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it, but all that had gone before.” —Jacob Riis (1849-1914)
This quote is displayed in the San Antonio Spurs dressing room. The head coach, Gregg Popovich, is known in South Texas for his “pounding the rock” mindset and the culture he created in the Spurs locker room. It is not Popovich’s quote, though. It comes from a book he read during the 1990s. The quote belongs to Jacob Riis, a staunch proponent of immigration rights and decent living conditions in New York during the late 1800s.
The Blind and Low Vision Community
I reference this quote because the blind and low-vision community faces a significant hurdle. The unemployment rate among people who are blind or have low vision is three times the rate of people who are sighted.
Additionally, a high percentage of people who are blind or low vision are not even counted as being in the labor force, even in this day of advanced technology and favorable laws.
Naturally, the question is, “Why?” If I tried to tackle all the “why” elements, I could write enough posts to fill a month. Instead, I would like to promote cooperation between our community and employers, especially hiring managers.
Unemployment is the rock, and we all need to pound it. Breaking the rock would signify major progress in lowering the unemployment rate. Here we go!
Conquering Unemployment for Job Seekers
While success does not arrive in mass quantities, individuals who are blind or have low vision are achieving success despite misconceptions and skepticism in the workplace.
A statistic is a snapshot in time. However, you may feel hopeless when you are one of those stats. However, continued unemployment is not your destiny. Current unemployment does not define who you are or what you will be. Take hold of your hammer and pound the rock!
1. Complete all the training available to you.
There are likely many local services available where you live. State agencies and nonprofit organizations can help you with independent living skills, vocational rehabilitation, education, and job readiness.
Mastering the skills to live and work independently will set you up for success. It will be like getting a bigger, better hammer!
2. Help others pound the rock.
When you find employment, celebrate your success by helping others achieve it. Consider becoming a mentor to a person who is blind or has low vision and is looking for work in your field.
Share your success with APH CareerConnect by writing a blog or being interviewed on Career Conversations. Volunteer or give a testimonial to the vocational rehabilitation agency or nonprofit that helped you.
3. Work your way up.
Read Unexpected Turns Led Russell Shaffer to a Rewarding, Executive-Level Career.
Even though we may break our own rock, we ought to keep pounding on it for our entire community. Hence, becoming a leader in your field could bring about the breaking of countless rocks.
Employers, you can help.
I know many companies promote their diversity and inclusivity initiatives. Grant research requires me to read through corporate web pages fairly often. It is fantastic when they talk about its diversity and inclusivity. But does that word trickle down to all corporate levels? Do hiring managers understand what to anticipate when a job seeker who is blind or low vision appears for an interview?
To help break the rock of unemployment of people who are blind or have low vision, we need employers to be open-minded. How can this be done? An employer can become knowledgeable about the issues and various adaptations or accommodations used by people who are blind or low vision.
1. Expand your knowledge of the issue.
This one is easy. If you are an employer/hiring manager who seeks to learn more about the issue, visit the Employers section of the APH ConnectCenter website. It is a one-stop shop for learning all you need to know about hiring and working with job seekers who are blind or low vision. Other sources include the American Foundation for the Blind and the Job Accommodation Network.
2. Pave the way to success.
Take the next step when promoting your diversity and inclusivity initiatives. Review the Job Accommodation Network’s reasonable accommodations in your recruiting materials, webpages, job announcements, etc. Progressive human resources departments ought to be aware of the most common accommodations requested and used by people who are blind or low vision.
Take your recruiting efforts to state agencies and nonprofits serving individuals who are blind or low vision. Actively seek talent to demonstrate your company’s commitment to diversity and inclusivity.
3. Help others pound the rock.
When you have a worker who is blind or has low vision at your company, share it (appropriately, of course). Learn from the experience and become an advocate. Consider giving a testimonial about the hiring process, the reasonable accommodations, and the employee’s level of performance. Find a way to spread the good word about great experiences. Sharing stories with other employers or hiring managers helps extinguish the skepticism and misconceptions employers may harbor about workers who are blind or visually impaired.
Allow Me to Summarize
Unemployment is a major challenge. Despite advances in technology and disability rights, the unemployment rate is unacceptably high.
Those of us who are blind or low vision must stay committed to job seeking, continually sharpening our skills to navigate and contribute to the cause.
Employers must continue their commitment to diversity and inclusivity in their workforce and go the extra mile to become knowledgeable about this problem.
We cannot do this without the teachers, counselors, and other professionals who work with us. If we all continue pounding away at the unemployment rock as a team, eventually, it will split open.