Guide

Contained within this guide are various avenues, tips, and recommended job fields for VI individuals to take. All to make you as successful as possible within the developing job marke. Either as someone just entering adulthood or someone with an established job experience and skillset

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Building a
strong foundation for success

It is important for everyone, especially those with a Visual impairment, to develop confidence and advocacy for themselves. Below are 4 of the main pillars for establishing oneself as someone with a Visual Impairment within the increasingly turbulent job market. From finding a desired and accommodating job field, to discussing your necessary tools to an employer. All are necessary for establishing ones own financial independence and security.

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Career Preparation

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Understanding your rights under the ADA

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Advocating for ones independence and accommodations

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Finding what's a good fit for YOU

1.

Understand Your Workplace Rights

Understand your legal rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and that employers may not discriminate against you for your disability. This includes employers providing reasonable accommodations upon your request.

2.

Vocational Rehabilitation Services

Various services listed under the Resources page of this site offer a variety of pathways towards employment and training. Using these services you can get the knowhow experience you need to build a sustainable career.

3.

Strengthening your skillset

A key aspect of maintaining employment as someone with a Visual Impairment is both advocacy and the knowledge to use assistive technology. Where that be physical screen readers and monocular, or software designed for accessibility. These necessary skills can be trained via the listed local resources or even the employers themselves.

4.

Remote Based Careers

Remote based careers, or even simply technology based careers, offer various avenues for readily available accommodations. Jobs like IT help desk services, software testing, cybersecurity, and even digital marketing are all easily accessible from your own home and may fit cleanly into your lifestyle situation.

5.

Government, Nonprofit, and Advocacy careers

Local public services alongside jobs in the nonprofit sector offer a clean transition into employment as a VI individual. Where disability service coordination is often built-in, and government agencies often have many varieties of jobs to pick from for someone with a Visual Impairment.

6.

Entrepreneurship and Skilled Trades

Other avenues for employment may involve self-run small businesses, freelance writing, tutoring, content creation, or online sales. Although many of these options provide useful independence and flexibility, the opportunity for failure may always be present. Where skills like entrepreneurship, planning, budgeting, and marketing skills are more than necessary to facilitate career fulfillment and financial independence.

Long Term Career
Stability

Sustaining your employment and financial independence requires continuous but often simple maintenance. Developing backup plans, career goal setting, maintaining updated resumes, and especially understanding healthcare benefits are all necessary for maintaining career stability. Continuously saving and advocating for oneself in these aspects are all methods to preserve any accrued career.