Out of sight, out of work: Creating opportunity for blind and partially sighted people
Billions of pounds are being lost - and hundreds of thousands of people excluded from the economy - because so much of our technology and working lives are not inclusive by design
The employment rate in the UK, if you are non-disabled, is 83%, according to the Office for National Statistics. If you are blind or partially sighted (BPS), it is 27%.
This is a shocking statistic and behind it sit hundreds of thousands of human stories of un-enablement, un-empowerment and unemployment.
It is for this reason that, this week, I published my report, Out of sight- out of work. I wanted to shift the dial on an issue that has dogged our economy and our society for decades and, through lack of action from governments of all persuasion, has blighted individual lives, held back potential and caused harm where there could so easily have been hope.
The situation is made even more sobering in that, currently, we have one of the highest employment rates in history – but not if you are BPS. In fact, since 2018 the numbers have got even worse.
According to analysis by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) of the Labour Force Survey 2024, since 2018 the employment rate has been falling for people who describe themselves as having difficulties seeing, despite increasing for the broader population.
The UK is losing billions in potential economic contribution because of inaccessible recruitment systems, inadequate employer support, and a lack of targeted government action.
Inclusion from the outset
Figures of 27% employment versus 83% of the general population is not inevitable – it is systemic. Inclusion must be designed from the outset – inclusive by design – not retrofitted. The cost of getting it right is negligible compared to the cost of exclusion.
If BPS people were employed at the same rate as the general population, UK GDP would rise significantly from increased tax receipts, reduced welfare expenditure, and the economic value of thousands of skilled, motivated workers. If it is not addressed, the gap will only widen as the number of people living with sight loss is set to double by 2050.
Technology can be such a positive force for inclusion. This is in no sense inevitable though because, if inclusive by design is not there from the outset, if the tech is not human-led, it can just as easily exacerbate existing exclusion
Chris Holmes
In the report, I highlight four key areas for action, with specific recommendations attached. These fall into issues around policy, funding and accountability; employer practices and workplace barriers; data or the lack thereof; and technology.
The key ask is a specific focused taskforce with cross-departmental reach, led by the minister for disabled people.
Computer Weekly readers will know that technology can be such an enabler, such a positive force for inclusion. This is in no sense inevitable though because, if inclusive by design is not there from the outset, if the tech is not human-led, it can just as easily exacerbate existing exclusion.
And, even if we get it right in the first instance, what about when a system upgrade or software switch-out happens? In my research for the report, I hear stories of accessible working on Friday, only for that BPS person to come in on Monday and, as a consequence of an upgrade, being completely shut out from the system. Exclusion, un-enablement and all of the practical and emotional consequences.
Similarly, I heard “day one” situations where people were told assistive software was not yet available but could they just carry on for the time being - very much like asking a wheelchair user to just go up and down the steps until the ramp arrives. It’s more than unfortunate and, with an inclusive by design approach, completely avoidable.
Setting the standards
From a technology perspective, the report recommends, among other things, that the government sets the standard by making accessibility compliance a condition of public procurement; develops and publishes national interoperability guidelines; establishes baseline assistive technology standards for large employers; and invests in digital skills training – from schools to university to work.
This is not about impairment. This is about systems, structures, leadership, attitudes and accountability.
The report leads to a clear conclusion: creating a more inclusive and equitable employment landscape for BPS people requires the collective efforts of the UK government and employers. Both have a critical role to play in closing the gap.
If the government is serious about its ambition set out in the Get Britain working white paper, to reach 80% employment for disabled people among the working age population, the crucial first step is to set up the proposed taskforce.
No nation can afford to waste the talent of hundreds of thousands of BPS people- the UK is no different in that.
It’s more than high time to act, to enable, to empower all BPS people’s abilities into employment. It’s time to break the terrible truth that persists in the UK- talent is everywhere, opportunity is not.
Digital ID must not deepen exclusion - UK government plans for a national digital identity scheme risk embedding further inequalities and barriers to public services for the 19 million people currently experiencing digital exclusion.
