This IS working 3
How people with sight loss participate successfully in the world of work.
Contents
Section 1: Introduction
Section 2: Lynsey Moffat
Section 3: Mark Wilson
Section 4: Hazel McFarlane
Section 5: Allan Milne
Section 6: Linda Martin
Section 7: Chris Turton
Section 8: Naheed Akhtar
Section 9: Andrew McFarlane
Section 10: Imran Akhtar
Section 11: RNIB Scotland’s Employment and Learning Service
Section 12: Jobcentre Plus
Section 13: From Article 19 to Article 20: public procurement and blind and partially sighted people
Section 14: Contact us
Section 1: Introduction
There are an estimated 8,500 people of working age in Scotland who are blind or partially sighted. But they remain among the most disadvantaged groups in society when it comes to employment.
While the employment rate of disabled people in general continues to increase, the position of blind and partially sighted people has remained almost static (29 per cent of blind and partially sighted people in employment, compared to 76 per cent in the general population).
Even in good times the unemployment rate is more than two-thirds. In times of economic downturn, blind and partially sighted people face an even more disproportionate disadvantage.
It is a common misperception among employers that people with sight loss can’t sustain real careers in the mainstream workplace, and that they, as employers, couldn’t possibly accommodate them. According to a Department for Work and Pensions survey of employers, 92 per cent believed it was either “difficult” or “impossible” to employ someone with impaired vision.
Our first two This IS working reports (the first was published in 2008) aimed to counter this with case studies of people who are succeeding in a variety of challenging occupations in Scotland – from school teacher, shop-keeper and civil servant, to financial analyst, broadcast journalist and astro-physicist.
And we showed, too, that there are employers providing supportive working environments, and that often the adjustments they have made have been fairly minor, while Government schemes such as Access to Work pay for many additional expenses.
This IS working 3 profiles a further nine blind and partially sighted people. Their stories prove how people with sight loss can and do support themselves and their families and contribute fully to the workplace. As Chris Turton, one of the individual’s profiled in this report, remarks: “It’s a problem with my sight, not my ability or capability.”
This IS working 3 shows again how the challenges of sight loss are being overcome in the workplace by some determined people and some enlightened employers. It explains how employers can play their part in providing equal opportunities in the job market and describes the resources and support available from RNIB Scotland, Jobcentre Plus and elsewhere.
Section 2: Lynsey Moffat
Lynsey Moffat is a contract administrator within the Accountant in Bankruptcy, an agency of the Scottish Government based in Kilwinning.
She developed keratoconus nine years ago, a condition resulting in the cornea being cone-shaped, making vision more short-sighted and irregular. The shape frequently changes, resulting in many optician and ophthalmic appointments to change her prescription. This is a hereditary condition.
Lynsey said: “Initially, I wore glasses which were made thicker as the shape of my cornea changed. My optician eventually recommended ‘piggy back’ lenses. These are soft lenses (acting as a cushion) with a hard lens placed on top meaning I wore two lenses in each eye. Without these, my vision was completely blurred. I could just about manoeuvre around my own house but couldn’t read anything or function in unfamiliar surroundings.
As my sight deteriorated I was put on the cornea transplant list for my right eye, which was successfully carried out. I now only require one large hard lens in my left eye while I wait on the transplant list for this to be transplanted.”
Lynsey left school after taking her standard grades and eventually joined the Accountant in Bankruptcy in 2005. She has gained temporary promotion and attended training courses in various MS Office applications, Business Modelling, Crystal Reports and more recently gaining a certificate in ISTQB-BCS Software Testing. Her current role is to administer on-going bankruptcy cases which involve processing information on a web-based portal as well as the Agency’s in-house systems.
“I currently have two large-screen computer monitors and ZoomText software. RNIB Scotland’s employment team reassessed me after my cornea transplant and made recommendations to use other software called Supernova. My employer is in the process of putting this in place and arranging training to allow me to use it to its full potential and carry out my daily functions more easily.”
The main problem in terms of the physical location was the design of the office building, which has lots of glass windows. “My eye condition makes me very sensitive to light,” explains Lynsey. “This issue resulted in me getting a lot of headaches, almost like a constant migraine. My colleagues have been very accommodating and the problem has eased by placing a tinted film over the windows. My team has also been issued with desk lamps to allow me to switch off the ceiling lights in our area and are happy to use these if they find it too dim.”
She feels lucky that her employer is willing to give people with a disability that bit of extra support they require. “My senior managers, line manager and union rep have always been very supportive,” she says. “I’ve had previous employers who weren’t; one told me I should just go part-time.
I’d say to all employers: don’t judge people until you’re aware of what their abilities are, not their disability.”
Her line-manager, Evlynne McCubbin, commented: “Lynsey is a pleasure to work with and an invaluable member of our team. The level of support she requires is minimal due to her positive attitude to dealing with her disability. Working with RNIB, minor recommendations were all that were required to allow Lynsey to continue to work full time. Adjustments such as the position of her seat, the level of lighting and magnifying software have created a suitable environment for Lynsey to perform no differently from any other employee.
Lynsey is respected by her colleagues who are very supportive of her needs. She is inspirational to others, showing that, with just a few adaptations to her working environment, she can continue to work full time and pursue her goals.”
Section 3: Mark Wilson
Mark Wilson (35) has worked as an assistant engineer with Dundee City Council for the past five years. Mark has been severely short-sighted since birth and is registered as partially sighted.
"I have high myopia, with complicating conditions such as nystagmus and astigmatism," he explains. "I can see things very close up but the further away they are, the less detail I can make out."
Originally from Bathgate in West Lothian, Mark studied mechanical engineering at Abertay University in Dundee.
"I work in road maintenance alongside the various contractors we have," he goes on. "I got my present job after a work placement arranged by the Employment Disability Unit. At the end of the two months, Dundee City Council offered me a job. I wasn't particularly daunted when I began. I'd actually done much of the same work before when I worked for a consulting engineer in the private sector.
Most of my work is based in the office. On site, I've always been accompanied by someone else. But that's as much to do with transport getting there as anything else.
My job can be pretty visual. But the mapping software I use is reasonably accessible with high contrast colours. Most things I can alter through Windows software or enlarge on the photocopier.
I feel I am really well-integrated with my team. There are some things colleagues can do better than me, of course, but we take it in our stride.
So there's never been anything that's really been an issue so far. As an employer, the council has always been a very accommodating, but the changes they have had to make were minimal because I've been able to adapt to the job relatively easily. The only things required have been large PC monitors. The council treats me the same as anybody else."
Was there a time when he was pessimistic about his career chances? "Yes," he says, "there was a period in my life when I applied for jobs, mainly in the private sector, when I'd get a no straight off the bat. When I asked them they said they were concerned about employing someone with sight loss. I was applying for jobs I was confident I was capable of doing but getting a flat turn-down.
But people with sight loss can be valuable employees. It's about finding the right person for the right job and dealing with their needs. It's the person first. Deal with sight loss as an after fact. If they are the right person for the job you'll find a way around the disability. For instance, are the essential requirements given in the job specification, such as having a driving license, really essential? But it requires effort on both sides – not just the employer.”
And his hopes for the future? "I'm not sure as yet. At some level I want to follow the traditional career-path. The council wants me to get more professional qualifications. I'm undecided whether to go down a more IT route or civil engineering route. The latter would mean more onsite time, but we'd find a way, I'm sure."
Senior engineer Ronnie Mackenzie is Mark's line manager. He says: "The biggest compliment I can give Mark is that everyone forgets he has sight loss. Except when people wave at him, that is, and he doesn't respond!
Mark is re-writing the rule-book on what it is to be an assistant engineer. He has a real talent for mixing engineering and IT. This is where his skill-set is. He's very good at finding solutions and has promoted new ways of working. He's made us far more IT aware. We don't use nearly as much paper as we did!
When we were planning the road-gritting, Mark used Google Streetview instead of driving along the streets in a car. He was nominated by the team to receive a letter from First Minister Alex Salmond congratulating him on the work done on maintaining the roads in the bad winter we had two years ago.”
Section 4: Hazel McFarlane
Hazel McFarlane from Troon works for the RNIB Scotland as Pathways Development Officer in Ayrshire where she examines the provision for people with sensory impairment, and seeks to identify best practice and find innovative solutions where there is a gap in service.
Hazel was born with significant sight loss and in 2000 developed an aggressive form of glaucoma and fully lost her sight. She went to Glasgow University where she did an initial BSc degree in plant bio-technology and hoped to developed a research career in this field however, it was not plain sailing.
"Having significant sight loss did prove to be a barrier for me trying to secure a research post in my academic field. So after applying for positions for eight months, I decided I’d have to develop my career and applied to work in the third sector.
I was very fortunate to secure a job working for Accessibility Lothian which focuses on mainstreaming inclusive education practices. Through that I got involved in developing the 1994 Disability Discrimination Act, which was a fantastic piece of work to be involved with."
After losing her sight fully, Hazel went back to University to take a PhD in social sciences, produced a thesis on "Disabled woman and motherhood" and then secured a research position at the Strathclyde Centre for Disability Research.
"I was delighted to get into research; however by 2010 the funding in this sector really took a hit because of the recession. I was made redundant and this was a significant blow to me.
I was really worried that being made redundant at my age, with sight loss could create real problems for me to get back into work. I held my breath, and was relieved when I got work at a local authority managing a social work facility."
Joining RNIB in 2012, Hazel said that the transition was easy. "The Government through the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) provide Access to Work support, which meant I was able to port over equipment and support they had given to me. So RNIB had to actually do very little, and I appreciate this can make life a lot easier for employers."
Hazel recognises that her employment journey has been bumpy and sometimes fellow employees haven't really understood her sight loss. "At the end of the day a blind person is an individual the same as anyone else. Other people sometimes view you as one-dimensional, defined by your sight loss. I have a family life, children, hobbies and habits all of which make me a person. Employers really need to look past sight loss to see what a person can truly offer as an employee."
Section 5: Allan Milne
"A lot of things I do aren't so much jobs as responsibilities," explains Allan Milne, a senior lecturer in software engineering at the school of engineering, computing and applied mathematics at the University of Abertay, Dundee. "I teach undergraduate through to postgraduate students up to PhD level, undertake research and generally offer support to colleagues based on my 34 years experience."
Allan (58), originally from Forfar, has had a deteriorating sight condition all of his life.
"My sight loss wasn't sudden, though. I wore glasses since I was three years old and this was enough for me to do my highers and a degree in computational science at St Andrew's University, then a masters.
However, when I was 21 my sight was deteriorating and my optician referred me to the eye clinic. They diagnosed cone rod dystrophy; it's similar to retinitis pigmentosa. I can just make out the light from the window in my office, so I'm now more or less totally blind.