BUSINESS owners are being urged to give individuals with vision impairments greater opportunity to enter the workforce.
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Guide Dogs NSW/ACT has launched an awareness campaign in time to celebrate International White Cane Day today.
The campaign aims to increase the number of people who are blind or vision impaired in the workforce with statistics revealing startling unemployment figures among people who are blind or vision impaired who are willing and able to work.
TenFM volunteer Michael Harris, who has been blind from birth having been born without optic nerves, has called on employers to give vision impaired people a go.
“If I do something wrong at the radio station they’ll treat me professionally and pull me up – it’s really important being treated the same and given equal opportunities where possible,” Mr Harris said.
Michael has been working with the station for 24 years having moved from school straight into the job.
“When I was eight I wanted to be an actor – but then I remember listening to the radio and thinking I wanted to do that.
“I’ve been lucky to have worked with a very, very supportive staff,” he said.
Mr Harris spent some time on Monday with year 3 and 4 students at Sir Henry Parkes Memorial Public School discussing the varying hurdles he’s come across over the years.
Students were given the opportunity to where specialty goggles to see how they would cope getting around without proper sight.
Guide Dogs NSW Orientation and Mobility Instructor Jenny Croaker, who has aided Michael over a number of years, said it was important more people understood the disadvantage felt by some trying to enter the workforce.
“Employers need to know there is an untapped sector of the community who are very capable of working.
“Sometimes people will put in their resumes somewhere and they won’t even get a look,” Ms Croaker said.
Latest technological advances have made it easier for the visually impaired to go about their daily routine and Mr Harris currently works four shifts a week at the radio station.