This study, analyzing decisive factors affecting employment of people with visual impairment, aims to resolve vocational problems the visually-impaired suffer in the limited pool of job opportunities, and to expand the realm of occupation.
To examine ...
This study, analyzing decisive factors affecting employment of people with visual impairment, aims to resolve vocational problems the visually-impaired suffer in the limited pool of job opportunities, and to expand the realm of occupation.
To examine the factors influencing employment of the visually impaired on verifiable grounds, literature review had been done. Based on the review, detailed research question and hypothesis concerning recruitment of the visually-impaired were established.
After examining the preceding studies, it was shown that suggested reasons explaining employment of the visually-impaired include socio-demographic factor, disability factor, human-capital factor, and socio-environmental factor. These factors were selected for the analysis model.
To verify the hypothesis of research question, the study referred to the raw data from the 2005 National survey on people with disabilities undertaken by Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs(KIHSA), and among them, data of 394 registrants with visual impairment were selected for secondary analysis.
After the analysis was completed, following facts were discovered.
Determining procedure of employment of the visually-impaired was evenly affected by socio-demographic factor, disability factor, human-capital factor, and socio-environmental factor, and showed distinctions in subsidiary variables in greater or lesser degree.
First of all, socio-demographic factors have been proven to be a strong influence on employment of people with visual impairment. By order of listing, age, marital status, householder status, and household income had a stronger influence on employment amongst other socio-demographic factors. The age factor had shown to be a negative influence on the matter. Further, other studies assert that gender, which claims to affect employment, has no statistically significant effect on recruitment of people with visual impairment.
Next influencing factor is disability factor. It turns out that if the severity levels of disability become more intense, occupational opportunities become more constraining. The severity levels of disability and the time of occurrence of disability were proven to be two main reasons that affect employment of the visually impaired, with the former having more significance than the other. However, the mobility required in daily-life activities and the severity of restrictions in outdoor activities had little influence on the matter.
Human-capital factor also has influence on employment. Although education level gave negative impact in greater or lesser level, experience of special-education and vocational training had little influence. Since there are few who had experienced vocational training among the visually impaired, it is speculated as a minute importance in statistical significance. The reason of human-capital factor's negative influence on the employment can be inferred as an outcome of both rarity in tailored education and vocational training opportunities for them.
Socio-environmental factor is another factor affecting employment of people with visual impairment, displaying the status of basic livelihood security support as the sole influence on the matter. On the other hand, presence of assistants, deemed social class, self-discrimination level showed no statistical significance, displaying no influence on the employment.
Lastly, factors influencing employment of people with visual impairment range from great to small as the following: the status of basic livelihood security support, status of householder, marital status, severity levels of disability, levels of education, age, the time of occurrence of disability, and net household income. Such factors showed that subsidiary factors of socio-demographic factor, disability factor, human-capital factor, and socio-environmental factor are evenly influencing the employment.
In conclusion, it is suggested that various new policy initiatives should be implemented to promote fair job opportunities for the visually impaired and the standpoint of the visually impaired must be reflected in policy-making. Moreover, starting from developing occupational fields approachable for people with severe visual impairment, specialized programs in rehabilitation, education, and vocational training tailored to the individual needs must be devised in order to enhance human-capital competence of the visually impaired and job opportunities for them.
Further, assistive technologies, playing a vital role in improving accessibility for people with disabilities, should be provided to support workers with visual impairment and enhanced with tailor-made services. It is inevitable to prevent them from exclusion due to environmental limitation. At the same time, it needs to raise awareness of disability and change negative socio-cultural perception of people with disability along with systemic improvements for employment of people with severe disabilities.