By: A Member of the V.I. & B. Creatives Community
In the quiet of my home office, my screen reader—a rhythmic, synthesized companion—pulses through a list of job descriptions. To most, these are opportunities. To those of us in the V.I. & B. (Visually Impaired and Blind) community, they are often a series of digital hurdles, each one requiring a unique brand of problem-solving that has nothing to do with the job itself and everything to do with how the world perceives us.
At V.I. & B. Creatives Workshop, we celebrate the “brilliant imaginations” that flourish behind the loss of sight. We are poets, musicians, tech bloggers, and novelists. But when we step out of our creative sanctuary and into the competitive job market, we often encounter a “glass ceiling” that is actually a “glass wall”—one where employers see the white cane or the guide dog before they see the professional.
The Digital Gatekeepers
The first hurdle is often the application itself. Despite the rise of “digital accessibility,” many recruitment portals remain a labyrinth of unlabeled buttons and incompatible forms. When an applicant cannot even submit a CV because a website isn’t screen-reader friendly, a potential career is snuffed out before it begins.
The “Competency” Misconception
The most exhausting hurdle, however, is the assumption of incompetence. There is a pervasive myth that hiring a person with low vision is a “charity move” or a “liability.” In reality, the blind community consists of some of the most natural problem-solvers on the planet. As noted in the workshop’s archives, navigating a sighted world requires memory, agility, and a constant, high-level concentration.
When I sit down for an interview, I am not just interviewing for the role; I am performing a live demonstration of my existence. I am proving that:
- I can use Excel (yes, screen readers handle spreadsheets beautifully).
- I can navigate the office (my orientation and mobility skills are sharper than most).
- I can meet deadlines (I’ve been “coding” my life for years to ensure I stay on track).
The Burden of “The Disclosure”
To disclose or not to disclose? It is the question that haunts every blind job seeker. If we mention our vision loss on the application, we risk being filtered out by unconscious bias. If we wait until the interview, we face the “stumble”—that moment of awkward silence when the recruiter realizes their candidate isn’t making eye contact in the traditional sense.
This is why the mission at V.I. & B. Creatives is so vital. By “mastering professional writing skills” and “writing without limits,” we are building a portfolio of excellence that speaks louder than our disability. We are not asking for the bar to be lowered; we are asking for the door to be opened.
Beyond the Visual Lens
We live in an era where “diversity and inclusion” are corporate buzzwords, yet the unemployment rate for the blind remains disproportionately high. True inclusion isn’t just about having a ramp at the front door; it’s about a cultural shift in the workplace. It’s about a manager realizing that a blind employee’s unique perspective—relying on sound, texture, and logic—can lead to innovations that a purely visual team might overlook.
As George Bernard Shaw once said (and as we often reflect upon at the Workshop), “Imagination is the beginning of creation.” Our community has the imagination and the will to work. We have the professional acumen and the creative drive. Now, we are looking for a professional world that is willing to see us—not with their eyes, but with their minds.
If you are a creative or professional navigating sight loss, join our community at the V.I. & B. Creatives Workshop to share your story, hone your craft, and help us redefine what “professionalism” looks like.
