Press Release issued: 22 October 2012.
Teacher, businesswoman, physiotherapist, civil servant… These are just some of the jobs being done by people in Scotland today who are blind and partially sighted.
But despite this, the unemployment rate of those with sight loss, at 67 per cent, is 15 times greater than for the general population. In one survey, 92 per cent of employers thought it would be either "difficult" or "impossible" to employ someone with impaired vision.
That's why starting today, Insight Radio, the station run by the Royal National Institute of Blind People, is broadcasting a 12-month series of programmes on learning and employment.
'Work Matters' will inform people across the UK with sight loss and other disabilities about the range of accessible learning, career development and employment opportunities open to them.
Weekly topics will include inspirational stories from blind people who have forged successful careers, coupled with information from organisations which employ people with sight loss.
The series, supported by Standard Life, will examine everything from new and accessible IT learning opportunities to 'Ask the Expert' - an open forum allowing listeners to put questions to a range of learning and employment experts. It will follow blind and partially sighted people in their recruitment search, hearing how to format a CV, prepare for an interview and get that job.
Presenter Allan Russell, who is himself blind, hopes 'Work Matters' will help challenge the stigma and discrimination around employment and sight loss.
"Too many employers have exaggerated ideas of what the barriers and costs would be to taking them on," he said. "We need to challenge these misconceptions. Given a level of support - often a quite modest level of support - blind and partially sighted people can contribute in the workplace and provide for themselves and their families."
Insight Radio is the UK's first and only dedicated radio station to serve the needs and communicate the interests of the estimated two million people across the country living with sight loss. It has studios in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff and London.
Listeners can tune-in to 'Work Matters' in partnership with Standard Life on 101FM in Glasgow, Sky Channel 0188, Freesat 777, online and via the mobile app. Anyone can listen to, repeat and download the weekly features via www.insightradio.co.uk.