Careers for Blind and Low Vision Individuals

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People who are blind or low vision are employed in as many diverse jobs as those who are sighted. Individuals with vision loss can perform jobs across all industries. This includes marketing, human services, business management and administration, health science, law, agriculture, and more. There is no special category of careers or a unique list of jobs for people who are blind/ low vision.

Legislative changes have positively impacted the career possibilities for individuals who are blind or low vision. Civil rights laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, protect individuals with disabilities from being discriminated against in all aspects of the employment process. Employers, especially in mid-sized and large businesses, routinely follow equal employment opportunity practices and have diversity and disability accommodation processes in place. More important, since the passage of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (amended in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, WIOA, of 2014), individuals who are blind/ low vision have access to vocational rehabilitation training programs, services, and resources that can prepare them for employment opportunities as well as increase their success in the workplace.

When choosing a career path, individuals who are blind or low vision explore careers based on their vocational interests. There is no need to limit options for pursuing jobs in the labor market due to having a visual disability. Just as sighted job seekers, blind/ low vision job seekers pursue careers based on their skills (what they’ve learned to do well), abilities (talents), and values (what’s important to them).

However, teens and adults who are blind or low vision do not always learn about career options and jobs in the same way sighted individuals do. Therefore, they need opportunities to explore jobs in their careers of interest by visiting worksites, completing informational interviews with workers, job shadowing, volunteering, and holding internships. These opportunities increase awareness of jobs available in the workforce and the tasks, training, and salary associated with different jobs. During the job exploration process, they discover their preferences for lifelong work.

Job Accommodations Create Opportunities

Individuals who are blind or low vision can perform the functions of most jobs with no or minimal sight. No two blind/ low vision people have the exact same level of functional vision or the same approach to executing work-related tasks. Some use their vision more than others; others may work more efficiently using non-visual techniques. The majority will use accommodations to perform competitively at work.

Accommodations are adjustments to the work environment or an individual’s work situation that enable a person with vision loss to perform work duties as well as his or her sighted coworkers. Employers are expected to provide an employee with reasonable accommodations at the worksite. If an accommodation is an undue hardship or beyond the employer’s own resources, vocational rehabilitation may pay for the necessary accommodations. Accommodations that have proven to be effective and affordable include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Glare reduction and adjusted lighting
• Desk or laptop computers adapted with screen-reading (synthesized speech), screen magnification, and/or optical character recognition (OCR) software
• Digital cameras, larger-than-average computer monitors, and/or braille devices can be added as peripherals
• Large print, tactile, or talking devices such as calipers, scales, tape measures, thermometers, blood pressure cuffs, calculators, money identifiers, and cash registers

Find more information on workplace accommodations here.

Is Working Possible for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired?

Often, questions arise on what kinds of jobs and careers blind and visually impaired people are capable of doing. Our answer: just about anything. Almost any job is possible with accommodations. Adaptations with screen reading and magnification make computers, phones, and tablets accessible and entirely usable. Braille, large print, white canes, guide dogs, and talking devices, including GPS, visual navigation tools, and sensory equipment make it possible for blind and low vision individuals to participate in personal and professional daily activities fully.

Here are but a few of the types of jobs and careers blind and visually impaired people have done and are doing:

• University professors
• HR/ hiring managers
• Social workers
• Woodworkers
• Musicians, actors
• Customer care representatives
• Journalists
• Podcasters
• Machine operators
• Daycare owners
• Courtroom attorneys
• Chefs

Blind and visually impaired individuals in the modern workforce are brilliant, critical thinking, and solution-oriented. Many lean into their careers and promote to supervisory and management leadership posts. APH CareerConnect has a vast base of tools, guides, and resources for both active job seekers and hiring managers. Our resources and many other organizations work daily to educate and inform the public about what is possible. Together, we are helping to reduce the unemployment rate of working-aged blind and low vision adults.

Blind/ Low Vision Individuals Hold All Types of Jobs

Job opportunities for people who are blind or low vision are limitless, especially when accommodations are in place. Individuals who are blind/ low vision are employed in all classes of work. This includes the private sector (nonprofit and for-profit); local, state, and federal government; and even self-employment as entrepreneurs.

A unique avenue for a person who is blind or has low vision to pursue entrepreneurship is to apply for the Business Enterprise Program (BEP) with their state’s vocational rehabilitation agency. The BEP was created under the Randolph-Sheppard Act and provides business opportunities for individuals to run vending stands in the lobbies of government buildings, in rest areas along state highways, and occasionally on military bases.

For informative first-hand accounts written by blind and low-vision employees who have achieved success in various occupations, read some of the success stories.

Careers in Computer Coding

What is code? Code powers your computer’s speech functions, braille displays, internet searches, and video streaming. So much of our world is becoming computerized. We depend on bright young people to understand code so they can engage with the products and companies. Likewise, they can make the ones we haven’t even dreamed of yet. Watch the 2023 National Coding Symposium and learn about the various pathways to careers in and/or related to coding through a series of inspirational speakers, panel discussions, presentations, and question-and-answer sessions.

Additional Resources

Check out 5 Courses for Career Success with the Job Seeker’s Toolkit