Types of supportive intervention sought by visually impaired graduates to assist their transition from education to employment

Abstract

This was one of several papers given at the RNIB Seminar on The Disability Discrimination Act and Education held at the University of the West of England, Bristol in November 1995. In this study 51 visually impaired graduates were interviewed on issues relating to their studies and the transition from higher education and post- graduation to employment. The study found that 55% of graduates were in employment and that this figure included only a very few who were under-employed. No link was found between the chance of equitable employment and the degree of visual loss but there was a slight tendency for females to succeed post-graduation compared with males. When questioned about the types of supportive intervention they required to assist transition, graduates expressed a need for a range of provision. The nature of the response sometimes depended on whether graduates were unemployed or employed.

Factors that Affect the Employment Status of Working-Age Adults with Visual Impairments in New Zealand

“…There is also evidence that age, the degree of disability (amount of usable vision), the level of education, gender, and the presence of other disabling conditions have an affect on the rate of employment among working-age persons with visual impairments (Crudden, 2002;Hagemoser, 1996;Hill, 1989;Leonard et al, 1999;Roy, et al, 1996;Tillsley, 1997;Wolffe et al, 1992). Age has been found to have a negative affect on rates of employment (Crudden, 2002), as have being a woman and having other disabling conditions (Leonard et al, 1999), while both the amount of available vision (Hill, 1989;La Grow, 2003;Leonard et al, 1999) and level of education (Hagemoser, 1996;Roy et al, 1996;Wolffe et al, 1992) has been found to have a positive effect. There is mixed evidence on the effect of age at onset on employment rates .…”

“…UNDEREMPLOYMENT "Research indicates that not only are persons who have a visual impairment employed at a lower rate, they are also less likely to be employed at levels consistent with their education and skills" (Leonard et al, 1999, p. 33) and are paid less than others and disadvantaged in terms of advancement (Roy et al, 1996). This statement appears to be true in New Zealand as well, where 24% of those who were working said that they worked too few hours, 30% said that the levels of their present jobs were too low for their ability and qualifications, 36% said they thought their chances for advancement were worse than those of their peers, and 40% said that their rates of pay were too low for the jobs in which they were employed (La Grow, 2003).…”

“…One thing that is clear from the foregoing figures is the degree of visual impairment, as well as the type of disability, affect the employment rate among this population. There is evidence that a number of other factors may also influence this rate (Crudden, 2002;Hagemoser, 1996;Hill, 1989;Leonard et al, 1999;Roy, Dimigen, & Taylor, 1996;Wolffe, Roessler, & Schriner, 1992). However, more systematic research is needed on the independent predictors of the employment rate among persons with visual impairments (see, for example, Leonard et al, 1999).…”

Academic attainment in visually impaired students in distance education

“…Previous studies in the United Kingdom have found more men among visually impaired students (Richardson & Roy, 2002; Roy et al, 1996; Simkiss et al, 1998, p. 46), whereas one survey in the United States found more women (Horn & Berktold, 1999, p. 10). However, Richardson (2010) found that the gender distribution of visually impaired Open University students was not significantly different from that of non-disabled students.…”

“…At a local level, the number of visually impaired students within a single institution may be too small to make reliable comparisons with the attainment of students without disabilities. As a result, researchers have tended to rely on small-scale qualitative studies of the experiences of visually impaired students (e.g., Bishop & Rhind, 2011; Cole-Hamilton & Vale, 2000; Frank, McLinden, & Douglas, 2014; Owen Hutchinson, Atkinson, & Orpwood, 1998; Roy, Dimigen, & Taylor, 1996; Simkiss, Garner, & Dryden, 1998). Such studies provide valuable information that can be used to promote the development of support services, but they do not provide evidence on the more fundamental question of the academic attainment of visually impaired students.…”