How Employers Can Accommodate Visual Impairments In The Workplace
The above picture is of a man wearing glasses and sitting at his desk looking at his computer and appearing to be frustrated while looking at his screen.
The above picture is of a man wearing glasses and sitting at his desk looking at his computer and appearing to be frustrated while looking at his screen.
One
of the most common areas you may need to provide accommodations is in regard to
employees living with visual impairments. According to the American Foundation
for the Blind (AFB) report from 2020, around 32.2 million Americans live with
some form of adult vision loss. As such, this needs to be a
key area of focus when making your workplace more inclusive.
This isn’t always a simple matter, though. Let's explore some of the ways employers can accommodate visual impairments in the workplace.
Effectively
accommodating visual impairments isn’t about simply waiting for staff to
request assistance. Wherever possible, you should put accommodations in place
as standard. This means you need to understand the range of potential
challenges your staff may face and the tools that might help them.
For
instance, blindness and low vision (BLV) in and of themselves can take a
variety of forms. Some of your employees may have cataracts that can be caused by age,
ultraviolet (UV) exposure, or diabetes, among others. While there are some
treatments available, not all employees may have been able to access them as
yet. Your workers don’t have an obligation to disclose these types of
impairments. But, making screen reading tech and magnifiers available as
standard can give them options to perform more comfortably.
Another
frequently overlooked area of visual impairment is color blindness. This can
impact their ability to comfortably and safely navigate the workplace. Some
employees may have lenses to help address this. However, you can standardize
the workplace in a supportive way here by ensuring all signage and
documentation have high-contrast color distinctions.
Many
businesses arrange the layout of their working premises for efficiency. They
aim to fit the most assets into spaces or to streamline the flow of activities.
Unfortunately, this approach can occasionally result in businesses being
inadvertently ableist. It’s important to be aware that what layouts are
effective for workers who don’t identify as disabled are not necessarily
supportive of your employees with BLV.
As
such, it’s important to perform regular assessments of the physical environment
and make appropriate adjustments. Ensure there are no cables, furniture, or
storage items that can present tripping hazards. Confirm that there is
sufficient distance between desks, furniture, and equipment to maneuver
comfortably. As some people with vision impairments navigate spaces using
walls, you need to minimize protruding objects that are below 80”
in height or above cane sweep areas (around 27” high).
Not
everybody in your organization is likely to have experience with blindness or
vision impairments. As such, it can be wise to involve an external contractor
with experience in the field during your assessment procedures. They can
highlight problematic elements and make recommendations for improvements.
While
adjusting the physical environment is important, you shouldn’t limit your focus
to that area. Your software and online materials are also important points of
accessibility. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) now recognizes the
failure to include accommodations on digital tools as disability discrimination. In an increasingly
digital world, you have an ethical duty to ensure your employees can function
equally.
Take
the time to assess your digital assets. Your software must be compatible with
screen readers, speech-to-text interfaces, and other adaptive tools your staff
with BLV might utilize. If you use e-learning modules for training purposes,
make certain there are audio descriptions available as standard.
It
is also vital to ensure your website is compliant with ADA accessibility
standards. Include alt text for all images and make sure there is high color
contrast between text and background on pages. Any videos or podcasts should
have caption options or transcripts available. This not only supports staff
with BLV or color blindness who need to interact with the website as part of
their role. It also sends a distinct message that you take your
responsibilities for online accessibility seriously.
One
of the most valuable ways you can accommodate workers with visual impairments
is to be flexible. Provide all workers the option to work from home, wherever practical. This means
that your workers can choose to operate from the location that best suits their
needs each day.
This
certainly shouldn’t be an alternative to providing accommodations onsite. The
power to choose should be largely in the employee’s hands. Don’t make remote
working a situation that forcibly excludes them from the office and isolates
them from colleagues. Indeed, you still have a responsibility to ensure
workers’ remote operations are as accessible as those onsite.
This
should include ensuring video conferencing and remote collaborative software is
compatible with workers’ assistive technology. You also need to put protocols
in place to enhance communication with managers and colleagues to ensure equal
support. In some cases, it’s wise to provide workers with a budget to invest in
any essential additional equipment they need at home. After all, they are
likely to understand what tools meet their needs better than you do.
Accommodating
visual impairments in the workplace requires a variety of measures. Gaining an
understanding of the range of visual challenges people face can help you better
identify solutions. It’s also important to regularly assess and adjust both
physical environments and digital tools to meet workers’ needs. Wherever
possible, a flexible working arrangement can be advantageous — on the condition
that employees are still provided with sufficient support. By committing to
these efforts and others, your company and workers benefit from a more
inclusive working culture.