21 August 2025
If you employ, or are recruiting someone with visual impairment, we can help to ensure a positive outcome for everyone involved.
Huge advances in assistive technology mean that people living with sight loss can now overcome most of their previous barriers to work.
Help with equipment and training costs is usually available and as an inclusive and socially responsible employer, you’ll meet your obligations under The Equality Act.
By law, people with a visual impairment should not be excluded from employment. The Equality Act 2010 protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society.
Reasonable adjustments aren’t necessarily expensive as many are free or involve minimal cost to implement. These include offering a phased return to work, visual impairment awareness training for staff and exemption from a hot desk policy. Longer breaks to reduce eye strain, lighting adjustments and feeding bowls for guide dogs also help. Equality Act Q&As
The most recognizable signs that an employee could be struggling due to sight loss are:
· Becoming clumsy and struggling to get around the office, shop floor or workplace
· Difficulty in recognizing colleagues
· Finding computer screens, print and handwritten documents difficult to read
· Eye fatigue or pain and discomfort with bright lights
· Experiencing migraines or headaches,
· Overall tiredness and difficulties in dark or dim environments
· Finding night driving more difficult
· Tripping or falling more than usual
Here are some examples of how people with various forms of visual impairment may see. These will vary between individuals and according to stages.
Living with sight loss impacts every aspect of someone’s life so consider factors such as lighting, signage, office layout, flexible working, additional breaks, and administration of medication.
Mobility to, from and within work may need addressing and some support may be required at home to avoid any impact on work performance.
Maintaining good health and safety standards benefits everyone, so keep corridors clear and avoid trailing wires between desks and across walkways. Don’t leave doors ajar or drawers open and consider layout as straight lines are easier to negotiate for everyone. Let your employee know if you are putting something on their desk like a hot drink and say exactly where it is.
Offer localised task lighting for reading printed material and/or a magnifying glass. Keep light levels consistent throughout the building and use vertical blinds to control the amount of natural light. Use colour and contrast, for example around door frames and to differentiate chairs from the desk and carpet. Tactile objects like rails help with navigation and signage needs to be large enough to see and ideally at eye level.
Video calling is now vital to stay in touch with people who are working from home. Working remotely can lead to feelings of isolation and group calls can help improve morale and wellbeing.
If you are unsure about what your employee needs or how they feel about video calls, simply ask them. Everyone is different and speaking with them is the best way to get things right. Plan your meetings with accessibility in mind and all your participants should feel included and enjoy the interaction.
Our Workplace Assessment service identifies the barriers your employee is facing. We then recommend the equipment, software, adjustments and support agencies that will enable them to be successful in their role.
We’ll help you to choose the most appropriate assistive technologies for your employee and provide bespoke one-to-one training.
Our online assessments now cover the whole of the UK and Ireland, so find out more by visiting our assessment page
Line managers, supervisors and colleagues have a vital role in ensuring appropriate support becomes part of the working environment.
Effective communication and correct guiding techniques help to facilitate the employee’s health, safety, and well-being at work.
· What support can I offer someone?
· How do different people see the world?
· Is visual language such as “see you later” offensive?
· How can a computer be accessed by someone with little or no sight?
· What jobs can someone with sight loss do?
· Is it easy to guide someone?
· How can I ensure my business is fully accessible?
· What are the best ways to communicate?
· How can I ensure my staff teams maintain good eye health?
These, and many other questions are dealt with as part of our Visual Impairment Awareness Training sessions.
#blind #blindness #visuallyimpaired #accessibility #visualimpairment #sightloss #disability #disabilityawareness #whitecane #lowvision #visualimpaired Source: Visualise Training and Consultancy