Originally published May 20, 2014. Updated September 2026.
An inclusive workplace gives people the tools, access and opportunity to contribute their skills. For people who are blind or visually impaired, however, inaccessible hiring practices, workplace technology and misconceptions about disability can create unnecessary barriers to employment.
Removing these barriers requires employers to look beyond the hiring decision itself. Accessible recruiting, thoughtful accommodations and connections with organizations that understand the experiences of people with disabilities can all contribute to more inclusive employment practices.
Organizations such as Bosma help put these practices into action. With more than a century of history, Bosma provides rehabilitation, employment and community-based services for people who are blind or visually impaired. Through personalized training and practical support, participants can develop daily living skills, learn assistive technology, explore career options and prepare for meaningful employment.
Bosma’s own workforce demonstrates what is possible when accessibility is built into employment practices. More than half of the Bosma Enterprises workforce is blind or visually impaired. Its model challenges assumptions about disability while showing how accessible workplaces can create opportunities for employees and deliver meaningful results for organizations.
In 2014, DirectEmployers sponsored a joint event between IndySHRM and the Indiana Industry Liaison Group. The event included a resource fair featuring organizations that serve veterans and individuals with disabilities. At its exhibit, Bosma shared an impaired vision simulator illustrating some of the ways macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa and cataracts may affect a person’s vision.
An impaired vision simulator illustrates how several eye conditions may affect the appearance of an everyday object. These examples are educational representations and do not reflect every person’s experience with vision loss.
Although a simulator cannot fully represent the lived experience of blindness or vision loss, it can help employers recognize how visual information and workplace environments may create barriers. Employers can improve access by making career sites and application systems compatible with assistive technology, providing accessible documents, offering alternative ways to complete visual tasks and discussing reasonable accommodations directly with applicants and employees.
Employers do not have to approach disability inclusion alone. Through VocRehab+, DirectEmployers helps employers connect with vocational rehabilitation professionals, agencies and programs nationwide. The tool automates the delivery of relevant local job openings to vocational rehabilitation counselors and provides reporting on job distribution, delivery and outreach activity. These connections can help employers strengthen disability recruitment efforts and reach job seekers receiving vocational rehabilitation services.
DirectEmployers Members can also turn to our Disability & Community Outreach Specialist for practical guidance. With extensive experience in vocational rehabilitation, our specialist helps employers better understand the VR system, build productive community relationships and identify ways to make recruiting, hiring, onboarding and retention practices more disability-inclusive.
Accessible employment practices benefit every organization. Federal contractors must also understand their responsibilities under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, including nondiscrimination and reasonable accommodation requirements for qualified individuals with disabilities.
Creating an inclusive workplace requires more than good intentions. It means identifying barriers, listening to people with disabilities and building accessibility into recruiting, onboarding, technology and everyday employment practices. Organizations such as Bosma demonstrate what is possible, while resources such as VocRehab+ help employers turn that commitment into meaningful outreach and stronger connections.
Learn more about VocRehab+ or request a demo to see how DirectEmployers can support your disability recruitment and outreach efforts.