Supporting employees with sight loss

The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) Employment of People with Sight Loss report (2022) highlights the ongoing employment gap for people with sight loss in the UK.

Creating a supportive environment helps organisations to:

• Ensure employees with sight loss have equal opportunities to succeed
• Remove barriers so everyone can take part fully
• Demonstrate commitment to fairness and inclusivity

When workplaces are accessible and inclusive, staff are better able to contribute their skills, knowledge and experience.

Find out more about equality, diversity and inclusion at work.

Supporting staff with sight loss helps workplaces to:

• Retain valuable knowledge and experience
• Reduce recruitment and training costs
• Maintain team stability and continuity

Improvements made for accessibility often benefit all employees. Inclusive approaches can help workplaces to:

• Enhance digital accessibility and usability
• Improve clarity and effectiveness of communication
• Create processes that work better for staff, customers and service users

Providing support for employees with sight loss sends a clear message about workplace values. It helps to:

• Build trust and psychological safety
• Have open and honest conversations about individual needs
• Create a respectful, inclusive workplace for everyone

You can help reduce stress and prevent unhealthy coping mechanisms by promoting:

• healthy workloads
• effective planning
• healthy work-life balance

Find out more about stress management and burnout and fatigue in the workplace.