On September 24, and in light of October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month, George Abbott, AFB’s Chief Knowledge Advancement Officer, hosted a webinar sponsored by Getting Hired, a recruitment solution dedicated to helping inclusive employers hire professional individuals and veterans with disabilities. The webinar was titled “Hiring & Retaining Talent with Visual Impairments.”
George’s presentation included advice and best practices on hiring and retaining people with visual impairments, providing participants tips on how the hiring process can be more accessible, information on how prevalent visual impairments are among job candidates, and the best accommodation processes to make companies more inclusive.
George pointed out general workplace tips, such as being consistent in moving items to the break room, supply cabinet, et cetera. Colleagues should put the coffee pots and tea bags, for example, in the same place each time they are used. He also suggested that for email and electronic documents, using a san serif font, avoiding the curls that provide challenges to a person with low vision using a screen.
"Don't be intimidated about hiring or working with people that are blind or visually impaired,” George said. “Blind people are used to encountering different environments, they tend to be flexible, adaptable, and they're very happy to work with people."
