“Every day you are working you have to prove it”: Navigating the costs of work and ableism with visual impairment

Abstract

BACKGROUND: People with visual impairment often need many items that their sighted counterparts do not, such as assistive devices, transportation services, and other disability-related goods and services. Acquiring these items represents a major barrier to the employment of people with visual impairment. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the nature of disability-related employment costs as they relate to engagement in the labor market of people with visual impairment. METHODS: The research consisted of a qualitative analysis of interviews and focus groups with 15 visually impaired adults from the New York metro area. RESULTS: What emerged were the costs of accessing and maintaining employment— particularly related to meeting the expectations of expediency in the modern world— in areas like communication and transportation. These costs interacted with perceived ableism in the labor market and created a climate of job scarcity and anxiety, which came at additional cost to participants who felt stuck in low-paying work. CONCLUSIONS: Further research is needed on the impact of perceived ableism and disability-related employment costs, and on decreasing barriers to programs that may ameliorate these costs, such as vocational rehabilitation services. Such research would inform policy interventions geared toward enhancing disabled people’s participation in the labor market.