Comparison of Assistive Technology Use and Beliefs Among Employed and Unemployed People Who Are Blind

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Digital skills are essential for today's workforce. To possess the digital skills needed in so many jobs, people with visual impairments must have adequate assistive technology (AT) skills. Lack of the necessary AT skills may be one reason for unemployment. Method This study included 325 blind or legally blind respondents who completed an online or phone survey in 2021. Participants reported on AT they utilized and self-perceived AT skill level, training needs, and self-efficacy. We evaluated group differences between employed and unemployed participants on the top 10 workplace AT by using chi-square and t-tests. Results There were five significant differences between the groups in AT use, two in training needs, and none in skill level or self-efficacy. Effect sizes were generally small. Discussion Both employed and unemployed participants considered themselves highly skilled with their AT, and most had high AT self-efficacy. However, training needs were relatively high for both groups on many common workplace AT. The lack of substantial differences between the groups suggests that employment status has minimal associations with AT beliefs. Application for Practitioners Vision rehabilitation professionals must ensure that their consumers have the necessary AT skills to work efficiently in the digital workforce. Our findings suggest that the most universally utilized AT on the job by blind employees are screen readers, apps on mobile devices, and optical character recognition technology. For professionals preparing consumers for the workplace, it is vital to ensure that they are skilled with these technologies.