The Relationship Between Employer Contact with Vocational Rehabilitation and Hiring Decisions About Individuals who are Blind or Visually Impaired

摘要

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) professionals' interactions with employers and those employers' hiring decisions regarding individuals who are blind or visually impaired. A national sample of 382 employers responded to an online survey that included questions about their interactions with VR, their history of hiring and intent to hire people who are blind/visually impaired in the future, and their attitudes towards this population as employees. A strong relationship between VR contact/level of relationship with VR and having hired, intent to hire, and attitudes was found. Much has been written about the importance of VR agencies developing relationships with businesses, but this is one of the first studies to provide empirical evidence of its benefits.