Thank you very much.
I want to start by thanking you all for having us come in to make a presentation to you today and by explaining how I'm going to make my presentation.
I have my speaking notes on my computer, and I have an earphone in, so my computer is going to be talking to me while I talk to you. It's a skill set that some of us have to develop, given the fact that our ability to read print is not readily available.
Thank you again for inviting me and Ms. Christine Robbins from CNIB to come and present to you today.
The most recent PAL study indicates that only 35% of working-age Canadians who are blind or partially sighted are employed, compared to 56% of working-age Canadians with disabilities as a whole.
CNIB's 2007 “The cost of vision loss” report found this low employment rate costs the Canadian government approximately $886 million a year in social transfer payments, forgone tax revenue, and reduced productivity.
Although the graduation rate of people who are blind and partially sighted is comparable to that of the general population—19.9% compared to 23%—educational attainment for blind and partially sighted job seekers does not transfer easily into employment. CNIB's unequal playing field studies found that of blind or partially sighted clients who had graduated with university degrees or higher, 49% were unemployed or underemployed.
There are three main barriers to academic and employment success for Canadians who are blind or partially sighted.
One is access to pre-employment skills training and career exploration. The second is access to adaptive technologies and accessible information in the workplace. The third is the lack of awareness among employers of the workplace capabilities of Canadians who are blind or partially sighted.
Pre-employment skills may include orientation and mobility skills to navigate various environments independently. These include white cane training and the ability and understanding of how to use other senses to get around. There are organizational skills and communication skills—these are the soft skills employers are seeking in their employees when they are seeking the best fit for the position in their organization—as well as career exploration opportunities and adaptive technology training.
Access to adaptive technology and alternate format materials is key to access in the workplace. Currently there is very little support for employers and potential employees to access the adaptive technology for their accommodation needs in the workplace, i.e. screen readers and screen magnification software for computers.
In previous studies looking at employment barriers for people with visual impairment, employers have identified two major challenges. First was their lack of understanding and knowledge of the workplace capabilities of people who are blind or partially sighted. Employers often lack the tools and resources to properly evaluate how a job candidate who is blind or partially sighted can perform the hard and soft skills the position requires.
Second, employers have limited resources and time to investigate the workplace capabilities of people with visual impairments. This is especially true of small and medium-sized businesses. As the panel on labour market outcomes for people with disabilities stated, more training and education are needed to help overcome hesitation and to dispel myths employers may have regarding workplace capabilities of Canadians who are blind or partially sighted.
While education and awareness are important, employers need the opportunity to work with people who are blind or partially sighted. This may be the most effective way for employers to overcome any hesitations they may have in hiring a person who is blind or partially sighted.
Studies in the U.S. have shown that employers who have hired people with disabilities for an internship are 70% more likely to hire a person with a disability into a permanent position.
CNIB recommends that the federal government implement the following targeted initiatives for persons with disabilities through the Opportunities Fund and the labour market agreements: internship programs for Canadians who are partially blind and partially sighted in the private and public sector, and as part of this initiative, CNIB also recommends that an adaptive technology bank be created for employers providing internships to blind and partially sighted Canadians in order to ease the transition into the workplace; and pre-employment skills programs specifically tailored to Canadians who are blind or partially sighted, and such programs would include organization and communication skills training, orientation and mobility training, and adaptive technology training.
Thank you for having us here today.