Business Instructors' Awareness and Strategies in Enhancing the Employability of Postsecondary Students Who Are Blind or Visually Impaire

For more than three decades, the unemployment rates have been extremely high for persons who are blind or visually impaired. This is particularly noted for those seeking business-related careers where technology or computer competency is a required skill. Generally, since education and training are related to employment, the purpose of this study was to explore and to examine how the perceptions of business instructors' awareness, strategies, and accommodations can enhance the employability skills of postsecondary students who are blind or visually impaired. The business instructors in this study regarded an accommodation as being a form of a strategy. Therefore, it was categorized as such by the researcher. This investigation contributed toward helping to find avenues to address this problem of the high rate of unemployment. A significant finding in this study revealed that the business instructors in this study who were not aware of the employment capabilities of postsecondary students who are blind or visually impaired still highly recommended them for employment based upon their belief that assistive technology was the component to make the employability possible. The research design involved a mixed methods approach utilizing quantitative survey instruments. In addition, on the Independent Samples T-Test, both groups (business instructors and postsecondary students who are blind or visually impaired) reported that the accommodations were effective which were provided by the business instructors for the postsecondary students who are blind or visually impaired. A qualitative phenomenological approach was utilized to explore the common perceptions of the participants. The population of participants included two groups, i.e., business instructors (with or without visual impairments) as well as postsecondary students who are blind or visually impaired. Participants for the study were selected from the state of Illinois. Recruitment was obtained through networking and contacting postsecondary and higher education institutions; professional organizations in the areas of education and business; blind consumer organizations, staff members and past program participants from social service agencies, organizations, and institutions which serve persons who are blind or visually impaired; and communicating with individuals at educational, business, computer, and vision conferences.