Report: 73% of working-age blind Britons are jobless, taskforce urged

The Out of Sight – Out of Work report puts the employment gap in stark terms: 73% of blind and partially sighted people of working age in the UK are not in employment, compared with 27% of the non-disabled population. Its author, Lord Holmes of Richmond, who lost his sight in childhood, said the single biggest thing needed from government is clear leadership and a commitment to establish a taskforce. The Department for Work and Pensions responded that it wants every visually impaired person who can work to get the support they need.

The report flags four clusters of barriers keeping visually impaired people out of jobs: policy, funding and accountability; employer practices, recruitment processes and workplace issues; data and measurement; and technology. Holmes said they need addressing urgently, arguing that enabling people to work adds to the economy, productivity and GDP while cutting welfare benefits. 'These are individuals who want to work and who have skills and talent to bring. This is such a waste of talent,' he said.

Willow Horner knows the grind firsthand. She was unemployed for a year before starting a nine-month internship run by the sight loss charity the Thomas Pocklington Trust in central London, and since finishing in July she has sent roughly 40 applications and landed one interview. Horner, who uses a cane and wants a career in marketing or communications, said she found the recruitment process and its use of AI difficult, and that employers need an open mind. 'The main thing you come up against is that someone just doesn't know enough about visually impaired people in the workplace,' she said.

Bradley Tomsett, from Greenwich, finished the same internship in July and has applied for between 40 and 50 jobs since, getting five interviews. He uses a cane for stability getting to interviews and believes it can put an employer off or trigger an unconscious judgement. Before the scheme, he said, he couldn't secure any interviews at all. Both he and Horner told the BBC they are determined to stay positive about finding work.

Josh Feehan, who runs the internship scheme at Thomas Pocklington Trust, described it as a paid opportunity to gain skills, confidence and experience. The trust's Get Set Progress programme, developed with the Royal National Institute of Blind People, has organised around 150 internships. It also trains employers' staff to feel comfortable, checks recruitment processes and websites for accessibility, and advises on reasonable adjustments.

The DWP pointed to its Access to Work scheme, which can cover specialist equipment, assistive software and support workers such as a job coach or travel buddy, plus commuting costs for people who can't use public transport. It said it is investing £3.5bn in disability employment support, including help for blind and partially sighted people to fulfil their potential.