Using this Website

You may be a rehabilitation counsellor, an employment officer, coordinator at an office providing services for students with disabilities at a college or university campus, or another service provider working with adults who are blind or partially sighted. Your role likely supports the efforts of those people who are interested in gaining or maintaining employment.

This website has two main purposes: to provide career planning and employment content and resources to people who are blind or partially sighted; and to help friends and family members, service providers, and employers find out how best to help or support these individuals find or maintain employment. As a service provider, consider reviewing all of the sections on this website to familiarize yourself with how to help resolve issues faced by people with vision loss or simply skim through articles of interest.

If you are new to the field of vision loss, you need to understand that people who are blind or partially sighted are not all alike. They are as diverse as the general population; however, there are groups within the larger population that may be more like the clients you serve than others. For instance, there is a small subgroup of individuals who are completely or almost completely blind (functionally blind). These people are primarily tactile and auditory learners – they cannot see to read print or to walk unassisted through space. They will use braille or auditory media to read and typically travel with a white cane or guide dog.

However, many people who are partially sighted (“legally blind” in some countries) can and do access information visually – they read print and usually walk unassisted. Some partially sighted people will find that braille and auditory media are more efficient for them than visual access and they will use some or all of the same alternatives to vision for learning that functionally blind individuals use. If you’re unsure in what medium (print, braille, electronic, or audio) your clients prefer to receive information, don’t hesitate to ask them.

Strengths/Problems Checklist

Before you begin, download and review this Strengths/Problems Checklist document (click here for Strengths/Problems Checklist text only version). This Checklist is a self-evaluation tool that can help adults determine whether they have the skills needed to secure employment and work successfully. It is always easier to help individuals who recognize that they need to change in some way to achieve their goals.

If your clients fail to identify any challenges or problems at present – if they are happy with life as it is – it will be frustrating for you and them because they will see no reason to change. After completing it, your clients should have an idea of their challenges or needs and you can concentrate on those areas as well as reinforce the skills and knowledge the individuals already have.

When clients complete the Strengths/Problems Checklist, or any of the other checklists on the site, they should be encouraged to incorporate them into a career portfolio (copies can become part of either a hardcopy or electronic folder). A career portfolio can help someone who is interested in obtaining employment for the first time or after a period of unemployment with re-entry into the workplace stay focused and organized.