ERIC Number: ED391319
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1995-Jun
Pages: 91
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Transition to Work following Graduation from College: Experiences of Employees with Visual Impairments and Their Employers. Technical Report.
McBroom, Lynn W.
This report describes the experiences of successfully employed workers with visual impairments as they made the transition from college to work. It is based on interviews with 45 employees and 27 of their employers. The first chapter provides a literature review covering the importance of college, employer concerns, concerns of job applicants, the employment interview, and disclosing the visual impairment. The methodology of the study is then described. Direct quotations from the interviews are interspersed throughout the report. Employee interviews revealed that employees took an average of 7 months to obtain their job. Employees identified problems in the areas of transportation, money, accessing written materials, discrimination because of the visual impairment, accessing computers, managing time, and being lonely. Interviews with employers revealed that employers wanted to be informed about the visual impairment before or during the interview by the employee; the most frequent accommodations provided were travel instruction, computer access devices, alternative print media, flex-time scheduling, and removal of architectural barriers; and most employers were aware of the legal protections available to applicants and employees with disabilities. A checklist for employment was developed from the literature review and interviews. Appendices include letters and questionnaires used in the study. (Contains 31 references.) (DB)
Descriptors: Accessibility (for Disabled), Adults, College Graduates, Disclosure, Education Work Relationship, Employee Attitudes, Employer Attitudes, Employment Practices, Equal Opportunities (Jobs), Graduate Surveys, Interviews, Job Applicants, Visual Impairments, Vocational Adjustment
Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision, P.O. Drawer 6189, Mississippi State, MS 39762 ($20, print, cassette, computer diskette; $60, braille).
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Inst. on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (ED/OSERS), Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: Mississippi State Univ., Mississippi State. Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A