Parliamentary Report Demands New Disability Employment Strategy to Get More V I People Into the Workforce

Date posted: 14th October 2024

A new report, published 14 October 2024, by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Eye Health and Visual Impairment (APPG) has exposed the damaging effects of negative employer attitudes on employment rates for blind and partially sighted people. The findings show a long history of outdated views, misconceptions, and discrimination, leading to the exclusion of visually impaired people from the job market, significantly impacting their lives.

The report outlines the practical barriers blind and partially sighted people face, such as inaccessible recruitment processes, lack of access to online training platforms, and insufficient workplace adaptations.

Tahira, a university student at King’s College London said:

“I am currently applying for graduate roles where as part of the recruitment there are online tests, but often they are not accessible – and then I am deterred for continuing with the process. Also I often need to spend time editing PDFs so I can fill in the application… Sometimes employers don’t even respond to my requests for reasonable adjustments”.

The ‘Changing Attitudes, Changing Lives’ report urges the UK Government to adopt a Disability Employment Strategy to improve employer attitudes and increase employment for blind and partially sighted people.

The report makes 22 recommendations, including:

• Reviewing the Equality Act (2010) to ensure it supports blind and partially sighted people in the labour market.
• Addressing issues in the Access to Work (ATW) scheme, such as delays and backlogs.
• Encouraging employers to make workplaces inclusive by providing accessible information and regularly testing for compatibility and accessibility.

Mike Bell, Head of Public Affairs and Campaigns for Thomas Pocklington Trust said:

“This report should be a wake-up call to the UK Government. Blind and partially sighted people, and others with disabilities, have been locked out of the employment market for too long. This needs to be fixed so this scandalous waste of talent is utilised to benefit the British economy and change the lives of thousands of people”.

The report was produced following an inquiry into employer attitudes conducted by the APPG earlier this year. The APPG is chaired by Marsha De Cordova MP and includes MPs and members of the House of Lords from all political parties. The APPG is supported by Thomas Pocklington Trust and Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).

Read the APPG report: Changing Attitudes, Changing Lives