Welcome to the 192nd episode of the award-winning Diverse Minds podcast. To finish this series, today we are talking about getting workplace adjustments for visual and hearing impairments right. To join me in doing this is Daniel Williams.
At the age of eight, Daniel was diagnosed with a visual impairment called retinitis pigmentosa. During his teenage years in mainstream education, he was confronted by his friends being able to do things he would never be able to, and he struggled with mental health issues while he was grieving his sight loss.
His turning point was starting at a college for young people with visual impairments, where he became aware that his peers were meeting similar challenges head-on. He was inspired to see others pursuing careers that he had thought were no longer open to him.
He then attended university to study rehabilitation work for people with visual impairment which equipped him with the professional knowledge to help others in similar situations.
In 2014, he decided to share his lived experience and professional knowledge by setting up his own business,Visualise Training and Consultancy Ltd, which specialises in ensuring accessibility, inclusion and equality for employee who live with visual impairment and/or hearing loss.
With workplace assessments, reasonable adjustments and awareness training for colleagues, employers can support employees with sight and hearing loss to retain their jobs and develop their careers.
For organisations that want to be fully accessible to both employees and the public, Daniel explains that they need to go beyond a tick-box exercise. They should contact a specialist and engage people that can give them appropriate advice, information and support, especially as the individual concerned may not know what they need.
Socially responsible employers can make changes that take minimal time and expense but make an enormous difference to someone with limited vision or hearing.
Have a look at my online work-life balance course on Thinkific. You can access it here: http://bit.ly/DMMHPONC
