Employment Challenges and Opportunities for Persons with Visual Impairment in Pakistan
Abstract
Purpose: The employment challenges and opportunities for persons with visual impairment (PWVI) in Pakistan were investigated in this study.
Design/Methodology/Approach: Quantitative approach through a structured survey of 70 respondents was used. Influencing factors of job acquisition, types of employment, and available support mechanisms for PWVI were determined.
Findings: Predominant presence of PWVI in provincial government roles and teaching was found. PWVI face challenges such as societal attitudes, infrastructure accessibility, and limited training opportunities. It was suggested that there should be enhanced educational access, inclusive hiring, improved workplace and public accessibility, expanded vocational training, and awareness campaigns about disability rights.
Implications/Originality/Value: These actions are needed to foster a more inclusive employment environment to empowering PWVI for achieving greater socio-economic integration and professional success in Pakistan.
Downloads
Article Analytics Summary
References
Ameri, M., Schur, L., Adya, M., Bentley, F. S., McKay, P., & Kruse, D. (2018). The disability employment puzzle: A field experiment on employer hiring behavior. ILR Review, 71(2), 329-364. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0019793917717474
Bengisu, M., Izbırak, G., & Mackieh, A. (2008). Work-related challenges for individuals who are visually impaired in Turkey. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 102(5), 284-294. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482X0810200504
Benoit, C., Jansson, M., Jansenberger, M., & Phillips, R. (2013). Disability stigmatization as a barrier to employment equity for legally-blind Canadians. Disability & Society, 28(7), 970-983. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2012.741518
Coffey, M., Coufopoulos, A., & Kinghorn, K. (2014). Barriers to employment for visually impaired women. International Journal of Workplace Health Management, 7(3), 171-185. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJWHM-06-2013-0022
Crudden, A., Sansing, W., & Butler, S. (2005). Overcoming barriers to employment: Strategies of rehabilitation providers. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 99(6), 325-335. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482X0509900602
Cushley, L., Galway, N., & Peto, T. (2023). The unseen barriers of the built environment: navigation for people with visual impairment. Town Planning Review, 94(1), 11-35. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3828/tpr.2022.4
Frank, J. J., & Bellini, J. (2005). Barriers to the accommodation request process of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Journal of Rehabilitation, 71(2).
Grech, S., & Goodley, D. (2011). Doing disability research in the majority world: An alternative framework and the quest for decolonising methods. Développement Humain, Handicap et Changement Social, 19(2), 43-55. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7202/1086899ar
La Grow, S. J., & Daye, P. (2005). Barriers to employment identified by blind and vision-impaired persons in New Zealand. Social Policy Journal of New Zealand, 26, 173.
Martiniello, N., & Wittich, W. (2019). Employment and visual impairment: Issues in adulthood. In The Routledge Handbook of Visual Impairment (pp. 415-437). Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315111353-26
McDonnall, M. C. (2019). The importance of research on employment issues for people with visual impairments. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 113(6), 479-480. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482X19890168
McDonnall, M. C., O'Mally, J., & Crudden, A. (2014). Employer knowledge of and attitudes toward employees who are blind or visually impaired. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 108(3), 213-225. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482X1410800305
Schur, L., Kruse, D., & Blanck, P. (2013). People with disabilities: Sidelined or mainstreamed?. Cambridge University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511843693
Shaw, A., Gold, D., & Wolffe, K. (2007). Employment-related experiences of youths who are visually impaired: How are these youths faring?. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 101(1), 7-21. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482X0710100103
Singal, N. (2010). Doing disability research in a Southern context: Challenges and possibilities. Disability & Society, 25(4), 415-426. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09687591003755807
Vedeler, J. S. (2014). Disabled persons’ job interview experiences: stories of discrimination, uncertainty and recognition. Disability & Society, 29(4), 597-610. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2013.831748
Wolffe, K. E., & Spungin, S. J. (2002). A glance at worldwide employment of people with visual impairments. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 96(4), 245-253. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482X0209600406
Wolffe, K., & Candela, T. (2002). Expanding the labor pool: Recruiting, hiring, and retaining workers with visual impairments. Employment Relations Today, 29(3), 59-68. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ert.10050
World Blind Union (WBU). 2019. World Report on Disability. Accessed 23 September 2019.
Copyright (c) 2024 Rukhsana Bashir, Benish Umbreen Sabar, Asma Kanwal
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
CSRC Publishing and JBSEE adhere to Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International License. The authors submitting and publishing in JBSEE agree to the copyright policy under creative common license 4.0 (Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International). Under this license, the authors published in JBSEE retain the copyright including publishing rights of their scholarly work and agree to let others remix, tweak, and build upon their work non-commercially. All other authors using the content of SBSEE are required to cite author(s) and publisher in their work. CSRC Publishing and JBSEE follow an Open Access Policy for copyright and licensing.