Organization works to dispel myths about hiring blind, visually impaired

Vision loss can happen to anyone at any age. It can also affect a person's ability to find a job.

This month, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind has launched a campaign called EmployAbility as part of October's National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

The group is asking employers to put misconceptions aside about hiring those who are visually impaired.

"People think that they have to lead a blind or partially-sighted person around the workplace or they have to read everything to them on the screen," explained Saskatoon CNIB spokesperson Charlene Young.

Young said she can relate to those facing hardships finding a job because she was born with a rare condition called degenerative anophthalmia, which means that she was born without eyes.

"It's not a big deal to hire somebody that is blind or partially sighted and that the accommodations are very limited and not very expensive," she said.

Young now works as a switchboard operator with the Saskatoon Police Service, but she said it was a tough road locking down a job because of her visual impairment.

"I am totally capable of doing certain things on the job and, you know, if I have to show them how to do certain things or how I do certain things, [I will]," she added.