National Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision

The NRTC has a new publication available titled "Group-Based Trajectory Analysis of Longitudinal Employment Patterns and Predictors for Adults With Visual Impairments." A substantial gap in employment rates has been documented between people with and without visual impairments, but most employment-related research for people with visual impairments has focused on employment at one time point. The purpose of this study was to examine longitudinal employment trajectories by visual impairment and investigate factors associated with trajectories for people with visual impairments. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/gJEy6RCn #NRTC #NIDILRR #BlindnessAwareness #LowVision #Research #EmploymentResearch #publication

Today's fast fact highlights higher self-employment rates for people with visual impairments from the “Beyond Employment Rates: Self-Employment and Other Categories of Work Among People with Visual Impairments” publication found here: https://lnkd.in/gNV8i_zV Compared to private or government employees with visual impairments, self-employed people with visual impairments were more likely to be older, male, and White, receive Social Security Disability Insurance, and have less than a high school education or a bachelor’s degree or higher. Stay tuned for more Fast Fact Fridays! Image description: Fast Fact Fridays graphic highlighting higher self-employment rates for people with visual impairments from the “Beyond Employment Rates: Self-Employment and Other Categories of Work Among People with Visual Impairments” publication. A cartoon graphic of a .... QR code for more information. #NRTC #NIDILRR #Blindness #LowVision #VisualImpairment #SelfEmployment #FastFactFridays

Today's fast fact highlights assistive technology skill levels among people who are blind or have low vision from the “Comparison of Assistive Technology Use and Beliefs Among Employed and Unemployed People Who are Blind” publication found here: tinyurl.com/comparisonofat Unemployed people were significantly more likely to report a need for additional training on using third-party screen readers than employed people: 41.4% versus 25.3%, respectively. Stay tuned for more Fast Fact Fridays! Image description: Fast Fact Fridays graphic highlighting assistive technology skill levels among people who are blind or have low vision from the “Comparison of Assistive Technology Use and Beliefs Among Employed and Unemployed People Who are Blind” study. A cartoon graphic of .... QR code for more information. #NRTC #NIDILRR #Blindness #LowVision #VisualImpairment #AssistiveTechnology #Employment #FastFactFridays

Read our latest AccessWorld article! In the article, Remote Sighted Assistance App Use and Thoughts About 'Sighted' Assistance from Artificial Intelligence, NRTC director Michele Capella McDonnall discusses takeaways from a survey conducted in 2023 about people who are blind or low vision (B/LV) using remote sighted assistance apps (such as Aira and Be My Eyes). Two-thirds of participants reported using these apps, and most indicated a willingness to use AI for remote “sighted” assistance. To learn more, access the article here: https://lnkd.in/geQUq2_c

Today's fast fact highlights the earnings gap for people with visual impairments from the “Beyond Employment Rates: Earnings of People with Visual Impairments” publication found here: https://lnkd.in/g9a74Y8h When comparing the median hourly wages of U.S. workers with visual impairments, women with visual impairments earned about 86 cents per dollar than men with visual impairments earned. Stay tuned for more Fast Fact Fridays! Image description: Fast Fact Fridays graphic highlighting the earnings gap of people with visual impairments from the “Beyond Employment Rates: Earnings of People with Visual Impairments” publication. A cartoon graphic of two stacks of gold coins with a ladder in between. A male holding a white cane stands on the higher stack of coins while a woman holding a white cane stands on the smaller stack of coins. QR code for more information. #NRTC #NIDILRR #Blindness #LowVision #VisualImpairment #EarningsGap #Employment #FastFactFridays

Today's fast fact highlights the use of refreshable braille devices at work by individuals with visual impairments from the “Use of Braille in the Workplace by People Who are Blind” publication found here: tinyurl.com/useofbraille A higher percentage of workers aged 61 and older (70.3%) and workers aged 21 to 30 (55.6%) used refreshable braille technology at work compared to other ages (49.4%). Stay tuned for more Fast Fact Fridays! Image description: Fast Fact Fridays graphic highlighting the use of refreshable braille devices at work by individuals with visual impairments from the “Use of Braille in the Workplace by People Who are Blind” publication. An image of a refreshable braille device. QR code for more information. #NRTC #NIDILRR #Blindness #LowVision #VisualImpairment #Braille #RefrshableBrailleDevice #Employment #FastFactFridays

The NRTC has a new article summary on our publication "Actual and Preferred Methods for Learning to Use Assistive Technology." The purpose of this study was to investigate how employed individuals who are blind or have low vision (B/LV) prefer to learn new assistive technology (AT) and how they actually learn to use it. It examined how these methods vary by age and age of vision loss onset, the percentage of individuals receiving formal AT training, and the link between learning methods and perceived skill levels. To learn more about our research takeaways, visit our Article Summaries page on our website here: https://lnkd.in/gx7-Rg8Y

We’re enjoying our time at the Chicago Social Work Conference! Older blind specialist Jennifer Ottowitz delivered her insightful presentation, "Older Adults Navigating the Journey of Adjustment," and former social worker and professor Adele Crudden is also here at the NRTC booth. Take a look at these photos of Jennifer in action at our booth and presenting during her session. It's inspiring to connect with so many dedicated social work professionals! #SocialWorkConference #NRTC #VisionRehabilitation #OIBTAC #BlindnessAwareness

Today's fast fact highlights the earnings disparity amongst college graduates with visual impairments from the “College Degree Majors and Associated Earnings: Are There Differences Between People with Visual Impairments and the General Population?” publication found here: https://lnkd.in/gJTUivSX College graduates with visual impairments who worked full-time earned less on average than the general population of college graduates: $81,433 vs. $93,219 in 2018 dollars. Stay tuned for more Fast Fact Fridays! Image description: Fast Fact Fridys graphic highlighting earnings disparity amongst college graduates with visual impairments from the “College Degree Majors and Associated Earnings: Are There Differences Between People with Visual Impairments and the General Population?” publication. A cartoon graphic of a bar chart with a bag of money, gold coins, a graduation cap, a white cane, and a red arrow pointing in the downward direction above the graph. QR code for more information. #NRTC #NIDILRR #Blindness #LowVision #VisualImpairment #Earnings #EarningsGap #Graduates #Employment #FastFactFridays

Today's fast fact highlights higher self-employment rates for people with visual impairments from the “Beyond Employment Rates: Self-Employment and Other Categories of Work Among People with Visual Impairments” publication found here: https://lnkd.in/gNV8i_zV In 2019, people with visual impairments in the United States were slightly more likely to be self-employed than people without visual impairments. Stay tuned for more Fast Fact Fridays! Image description: Fast Fact Fridays graphic highlighting higher self-employment rates for people with visual impairments from the “Beyond Employment Rates: Self-Employment and Other Categories of Work Among People with Visual Impairments” publication. A cartoon graphic of a person sitting in front of a laptop with a gear in the background that has a money sign in the middle. QR code for more information. #NRTC #NIDILRR #Blindness #LowVision #VisualImpairment #SelfEmployment #Employment #FastFactFridays