According to The 2023 Agefiph study, the number of people visually impaired in France, that is to say people who have a lot of difficulty seeing or do not see at all, would be estimated at 1.8 million. Of these people, half are of working age. However, only 2 out of 5 people in a situation of visual disability have a job according to the largest French study conducted on the DV population: The Homer Study.
Focus on the job market
The market for work therefore remains a challenge for visually impaired and blind people. According to INSEE, the unemployment rate of people in Disability situation is almost twice that of the total population. A reality that does not match expectations of inclusiveness.
Indeed, although the law prohibits any discrimination injob based on disability, the ignorance and prejudices of companies concerning the work of people with visual disabilities make employers hesitate, even today, to hire people in this situation.
Thus, visually impaired people feel obstacles when looking for a job: “66% believe that their disability strongly limits the number of positions that can be occupied and 27% of them are victims of discrimination.” according to the Agefiph study. And since they are not required to disclose their difficulties because it is a personal question, 25% of them do not indicate their visual impairment when applying and 26% of those in position do not talk about it in their company.
Solutions and layouts
The helpers
Although people with visual disabilities are fully capable of contributing effectively within a business, employers are still hesitant in part due to a misperception that this could result in costs.
Indeed, their integration must include adapted workstation arrangements of work, of the training And of the sensitization within the structure. But subsidies to finance these arrangements exist and these aids can be found at theAgefiph (for the private sector) and the FIPHFP (for the public sector). In addition, equipment loans are also possible!
The arrangements
With regard to possible arrangements, specialized equipment can be used to reduce eye fatigue and increase user comfort. To name just a few, there are large-character or braille keyboards (what we call braille displays), magnifiers, and video magnifiers (such as Magic Sight), software adapted to screen reviews with speech synthesis, etc.
In all cases, it is possible and even recommended to work with ergonomists and specialists in visual impairment to assess the specific needs of the employee and to adapt the workstation accordingly.
With regard to ergonomics, in the same way as for an employee without visual disabilities, the positioning of the screen, the sitting position at the office, the lighting of the workstation and the use of anti-reflective filters will have to be taken into account in order to offer optimal comfort to the worker.
The training
A point not to be overlooked for successful integration and Inclusion Of a collaborator visually impaired is the training of its teams. Progress activator has achieved A production very interesting to present the solutions that exist to reconcile visual disability and employment. In it, it is possible to find advice for working with a visually impaired colleague.
In particular, naming yourself when greeting your colleague, not obstructing traffic areas and closing or leaving doors wide open, pointing out obstacles that could be at face height and therefore not identifiable with a white cane, not touching the guide dog if he is at work and remembering to send the materials presented at the meeting beforehand in an accessible version.
All of these elements put in place will be an excellent path to the successful integration of your employee!
Benefits of hiring a DV person
For employers, who are mostly skeptical about hiring people with visual disabilities, it is important to remember the benefits that this could bring them.
- You will diversify the skills within your company by integrating employees. motivated and conscientious.
- You will demonstrate the social commitment of your company by improving its image in the process because recruiting a disabled person is a strong gesture to change mentalities and this contributes to the fight against discrimination;
- You are giving yourself the opportunity to find more applications. An opportunity, especially for sectors in need of labour;
- You will see your contributions to Agefiph be reduced or even removed. As a reminder, in France, any company with more than 20 employees is required to have an employment rate for disabled people of 6%;
- You will benefit from financial assistance to facilitate the integration of your new visually impaired employee, as specified above.
All united for professional inclusion
Much remains to be done to ensure access to employment for blind and partially sighted people. Businesses must intensify their efforts to put in place appropriate arrangements, to become more involved in training and awareness-raising. The aim is to dismantle all barriers to employment for people with visual disabilities.
Finally, there is support that should not be overlooked for visually impaired people and businesses. Organizations and associations such as the Braille League, the Valentin Haüy association, the Valentin Haüy association, Agefiph and the FIPHFP are there to support you and offer resources to facilitate professional integration.
Employment must be accessible to all.
Learn how Magic Sight can transform your work experience by improving your autonomy and efficiency at work
.png)
.png)
