Barriers to employment for visually impaired women

Coffey, M ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5837-5532, Coufopoulos, A and Kinghorn, K 2014, 'Barriers to employment for visually impaired women' , International Journal of Workplace Health Management, 7 (3) , pp. 171-185.

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Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore barriers to employment for visually impaired (VI) women and potential solutions to those barriers.
Design/methodology/approach – Mixed methods, comprising three phases; first, exploratory interviews with VI women (n=6) and employers (n=3); second, a survey to assess the barriers to employment experienced by this group (n=96); and third, in-depth interviews with VI women (n=15). This paper reports phases 2 and 3.
Findings – The most commonly reported barriers to work were: negative employer attitudes; the provision of adjustments in the workplace; restricted mobility; and having an additional disability/health condition. Significantly more barriers were reported by women: who reported that their confidence had been affected by the barriers they had experienced; with dependents under 16; and women who wanted to work.
Research limitations/implications – Key solutions to these barriers included: training for employers; adaptive equipment; flexibility; better support; training and work experience opportunities; and more widely available part-time employment opportunities.
Originality/value – This paper adds to the literature in respect of the key barriers to employment for VI women, together with providing key solutions to these barriers.

Item Type:	Article
Schools:	Schools > School of Health Sciences
Journal or Publication Title:	International Journal of Workplace Health Management
Publisher:	Emerald
ISSN:	1753-8351
Related URLs:	Publication
Funders:	Catholic Blind School
Depositing User:	M Coffey
Date Deposited:	22 Feb 2016 13:08
Last Modified:	06 Nov 2019 16:15
URI:	http://usir.salford.ac.uk/id/eprint/37996

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