[stylist] more on the question of the 70% thing - :Articleshowing what parents & kids are facing

Mon Feb 18 16:35:37 UTC 2013

Good morning colleagues,

Though I haven't participated in this discussion, I've followed it with
interest.

The data below came from the National Center for Health Statistics, and is
posted on the American Foundation for the Blind website.  It appears to be
the source of the statistics we've been discussing.  From my read, depending
on which of the statistics below one uses, perhaps everyone is at least a
little bit right.

Regarding the percentages not changing over time, in my 37 year experience
with the federal government, the percentage of disabled employees actually
dropped during my career.  The Feds hired many of us in the 1970s and fewer
and fewer thereafter.  In my opinion, the cause is employment
discrimination, not old or inaccurate statistics.

Source:  www.afb.org

Employment Statistics for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired: U.S.
This document is being archived because the information it contains is not
recent data and may be outdated. See Featured Resources for Employment
Statistics for the most recent employment data pertaining to people with
vision loss.
What are these statistics?
This set of statistics starts with the broadest grouping as background, that
is, the entire U.S. population. It then narrows down, step by step, to focus
on the employment status of relevant groupings of people who are blind
(legally blind); those who are visually impaired (other people with serious
difficulty seeing that cannot be corrected with ordinary glasses); and, for
comparison, the general public with no serious visual or other impairment.
Also shown are statistics for broad age groups within the vision groupings. 
Where are these statistics from?
Most of the data come from a 1994-95 national survey conducted by the
federal government's National Center for Health Statistics. That study
provides details about employment status of legally blind and other visually
impaired adults that are not available from other national studies. The
specific definitions and methods of the study are explained in a report by
AFB research staff (Kirchner et al., 1999).
How are the statistics organized here?
Each numbered set, from 1 to 10, deals with a different grouping. For
example, one set refers to blind and visually impaired people grouped
together, whereas another set refers only to people who are legally blind
and the next set refers only to people who are visually impaired, excluding
those who are legally blind. 
Within each set-starting with #4-the lettered items differ by referring, A,
to the number and percentage of people who are employed, and B, to the
number and percentage who are not employed. 
The employment data are also provided in a question and answer format. The
questions and answers section follows after the numbered items.
________________________________________
1. Total Population of the United States
About 262 million (1994-95).
2. A. Estimated number of blind & visually impaired people of all ages,
including institutionalized and homeless people
7 to 10 million (1994-5).
2. B. Estimated number of blind & visually impaired people who live in
households (i.e., excluding institutionalized and homeless) of all ages
6 to 8 million (1994-5).
Note: Only people who live in households, including those who live alone,
are covered by surveys used for statistics on employment. The range of
estimates exists because various national studies use different definitions
and methods. 
3. Estimated number and percentage of household-based blind & visually
impaired people who are of working age, defined as 18 through 69 years old
About 2 to 3 million (1994-95) or 35-40% of all blind & visually impaired
household-based people.
4. A. Employed: estimated number and percentage of working age (18 to 69
years old) blind & visually impaired people who are employed
1 to 1.3 million people or 40-45% (1994-95). 
4. B. Not Employed: estimated number and percentage of working age (18 to 69
years old) blind & visually impaired people who are not employed
1 to 1.7 million people or 55-60% (1994-95).
5. A. Employed: estimated number and percentage of legally blind people of
working age (18 to 69 years old) who are employed
About 160,000 people or 30% (1994-95).
5. B. Not employed: estimated number and percentage of legally blind people
of working age (18 to 69 years old) who are not employed
About 375,000 people or 70% (1994-95).
6. A. Employed: estimated number and percentage of visually impaired
(excluding legally blind) people of working age (18 to 69 years old) who are
employed
About 1.1 million people or 45% (1994-95).
6. B. Not employed: estimated number and percentage of visually impaired
(excluding legally blind) people of working age (18 - 69 years old) who are
not employed
About 1.4 million people or 55% (1994-95).
7. A. Employed: estimated number and percentage of blind & visually impaired
people of working age, by age category, who are employed:
.	Ages 18 through 54 years-About 868,000 people or 54% (1994-95)
.	Ages 55 through 69 years-About 217,000 people or 22% (1994-95)
7. B. Not employed: estimated number and percentage of blind & visually
impaired people of working age, by age category, who are not employed:
.	Ages 18 through 54 years-About 740,000 people or 46% (1994-95) 
.	Ages 55 through 69 years#8212;About 769,000 people or 78% (1994-95) 
8. A. Employed: estimated number and percentage of legally blind people of
working age, by age category, who are employed:
.	Ages 18 through 54 years-About 145,000 people or 42% (1994-95)
.	Ages 55 through 69 years-About 17,000 people or 9% (1994-95)
8. B. Not employed: estimated number and percentage of legally blind people
of working age, by age category, who are not employed:
.	Ages 18 through 54 years-About 200,000 people or 58% (1994-95)
.	Ages 55 through 69 years-About 171,000 people or 91% (1994-95)
9. A. Employed: estimated number and percentage of visually impaired people
(excluding legally blind) of working age, by age category, who are employed:
.	Ages 18 through 54 years-About 733,000 people or 59% (1994-95)
.	Ages 55 through 69 years-About 149,000 people or 20% (1994-95)
9. B. Not employed: estimated number and percentage of visually impaired
people (excluding legally blind) of working age, by age category, who are
not employed:
.	Ages 18 through 54 years-About 509,000 people or 41% (1994-95)
.	Ages 55 through 69 years-About 598,000 people or 80% (1994-95)
10. A. Employed: estimated number and percentage of the general population
with no serious impairments, of working age, who are employed:
.	Ages 18 through 54 years-About 97,649,000 people or 82% (1994-95)
.	Ages 55 through 69 years-About 1,453,000 people or 54% (1994-95)
10. B. Not employed: estimated number and percentage of the general
population with no serious impairments, of working age, who are not
employed:
.	Ages 18 through 54 years-About 21,435,000 people or 18% (1994-95)
.	Ages 55 through 69 years-About 9,756,000 people or 46% (1994-95)
________________________________________
Employment Statistics Questions and Answers 
What percentage of working-age adults who are visually impaired (not
including those who are legally blind) are employed in the U.S.?
Please note that this older estimate is provided pending the availability of
more current information. In 1994-95, approximately 46% of working-age
adults (ages 18-69) who were visually impaired but not legally blind were
employed. 
Definition and scope: This estimate includes adults aged 18-69 years, who
have a vision loss with a visual acuity better than 20/200, and a visual
field of better than 20 degrees.
Data source: National Center for Health Statistics (1998), National Health
Interview Survey--Disability Supplement, 1994-95, www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm.
________________________________________
What percentage of working-age adults who are legally blind are employed?
Please note that this older estimate is provided pending the availability of
more current information. In 1994-95, approximately 32% of working-age
adults who were legally blind were employed.
Definition and scope: This estimate included adults 18-69 years of age who
were legally blind. Legal blindness is a level of vision loss that has been
defined by law to determine eligibility for benefits. It refers to central
visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with the best possible
correction, or a visual field of 20 degrees or less.
Data source: National Center for Health Statistics (1998), National Health
Interview Survey--Disability Supplement, 1994-95, www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm.
For further information, see Kirchner, C., Schmeidler, E., & Todorov,
A.(1999). Looking at employment through a lifespan telescope: Age, health,
and employment status of people with serious visual impairment. Mississippi
State: Mississippi State University, Rehabilitation Research and Training
Center on Blindness and Low Vision.
________________________________________
When age is taken into account, what percentage of working-age adults who
are visually impaired (not including those who are legally blind) are
employed in the U.S.?
Please note that this older estimate is provided pending the availability of
more current information. In 1994-95, over three-fifths of visually impaired
individuals in the "prime working years" of 22-50 years old were employed.
About two-fifths of those 50-59 years old, and one-fifth of those 60 and
older, were employed. 
Definition and scope: This estimate includes adults aged 18-69 years, who
have a vision loss with a visual acuity better than 20/200, and a visual
field of better than 20 degrees.
Data source: National Center for Health Statistics (1998), National Health
Interview Survey--Disability Supplement, 1994-95, www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm.
For further information, see Kirchner, C., Schmeidler, E., & Todorov, A.
(1999). Looking at employment through a lifespan telescope: Age, health, and
employment status of people with serious visual impairment. Mississippi
State: Mississippi State University, Rehabilitation Research and Training
Center on Blindness and Low Vision.
________________________________________
When age is taken into account, what percentage of legally blind adults are
employed?
Please note that this older estimate is provided pending the availability of
more current information. In 1995, almost one-half of legally blind
individuals in the 22-50-year-old range were employed. By contrast, fewer
than one-quarter of legally blind people ages 50-59 years, and one-tenth of
those older than 60 years, were employed. 
Definition and scope: This estimate included adults 18-69 years of age who
were legally blind. Legal blindness is a level of vision loss that has been
defined by law to determine eligibility for benefits. It refers to central
visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with the best possible
correction, or a visual field of 20 degrees or less.
Data source: National Center for Health Statistics (1998), National Health
Interview Survey--Disability Supplement, 1994-95, www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm.
For further information, see Kirchner, C., Schmeidler, E., & Todorov, A.
(1999). Looking at employment through a lifespan telescope: Age, health, and
employment status of people with serious visual impairment. Mississippi
State: Mississippi State University, Rehabilitation Research and Training
Center on Blindness and Low Vision.
________________________________________
What is the explanation for the discrepancy in the rates of employment
between younger (ages 22-50) and older (ages 50-59) visually impaired and
legally blind working-age adults?
The lower employment rates for older adults raise the following
possibilities:
1.	The younger workers have had better access to education.
2.	There is age discrimination against older workers.
3.	There are more economic disincentives to employment for those closer
to retirement age.
4.	Adults who have lost their vision late in life have fewer of the
skills they would need as employees to cope with their visual impairments.
5.	Health problems that might prevent employment increase with age.
Definition and scope: This explanation included adults 18-69 years of age
with vision loss, including those who are legally blind. The term vision
loss refers to individuals who are visually impaired and, thus, have trouble
seeing, even when wearing glasses or contact lenses. These visually impaired
individuals have a visual acuity better than 20/200, and a visual field of
better than 20 degrees. The term vision loss also refers to individuals who
are legally blind or unable to see at all. Legal blindness is a level of
vision loss that has been defined by law to determine eligibility for
benefits. It refers to central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better
eye with the best possible correction, or a visual field of 20 degrees or
less.
Data source: National Center for Health Statistics (1998), National Health
Interview Survey--Disability Supplement, 1994-95, www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm.
For further information, see Kirchner, C., Schmeidler, E., & Todorov, A.
(1999). Looking at employment through a lifespan telescope: Age, health, and
employment status of people with serious visual impairment. Mississippi
State: Mississippi State University, Rehabilitation Research and Training
Center on Blindness and Low Vision.
________________________________________
When health is taken into account, how does it affect the rates of
employment among visually impaired and blind working-age adults?
Health has a major effect on rates of employment. For visually impaired
adults under the age of 55, of those who were in "excellent" or "very good"
health, 83% were employed, the same as the percentage for sighted adults.
If, however, visually impaired adults under age 55 were in "poor" health,
only 20% were employed.
The situation is similar for legally blind adults. Of those under 55 years
old who reported "excellent" health, 60% were employed, in comparison to a
5% employment rate for those in "poor" health.
Please note that this older estimate is provided pending the availability of
more current information.
Definition and scope: This explanation included adults 18-69 years of age
with vision loss, including those who are legally blind. The term vision
loss refers to individuals who are visually impaired and, thus, have trouble
seeing, even when wearing glasses or contact lenses. These visually impaired
individuals have a visual acuity better than 20/200, and a visual field of
better than 20 degrees. The term vision loss also refers to individuals who
are legally blind or unable to see at all. Legal blindness is a level of
vision loss that has been defined by law to determine eligibility for
benefits. It refers to central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better
eye with the best possible correction, or a visual field of 20 degrees or
less.
Data source: National Center for Health Statistics (1998), National Health
Interview Survey--Disability Supplement, 1994-95, www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm.
For further information, see Kirchner, C., Schmeidler, E., & Todorov, A.
(1999). Looking at employment through a lifespan telescope: Age, health, and
employment status of people with serious visual impairment. Mississippi
State: Mississippi State University, Rehabilitation Research and Training
Center on Blindness and Low Vision.
________________________________________
What is the explanation for the discrepancy in the rates of employment
between individuals who are blind or visually impaired and those who are
sighted?
Seventy-four percent of the sighted working-age public are employed,
compared to approximately 46% of working-age adults who are blind or
visually impaired. However, the sighted public, as a group, is both younger
and in better health than are people who are visually impaired or legally
blind, and these two factors have major effects on rates of employment.
Please note that the older estimate this explanation is based upon is
provided pending the availability of more current information. More current
information most likely resembles these older employment estimates.
________________________________________
Definitions
Legal Blindness is a clinical measure that, in the U.S., means a person's
central visual acuity is 20/200 or less in the better eye, when using the
best correction that can be provided by ordinary eyeglasses, or he/she has a
visual field of 20 degrees or less. 
For the data used here, survey respondents reported if they were legally
blind, after having responded "Yes" when asked whether they have "serious
difficulty seeing, even with glasses." Others with "serious visual
impairment" were respondents who answered "yes" to the question about
serious difficulty seeing, and "no" to legal blindness.
"Employment" is based on responses to a survey question asking whether the
person had worked at a job or business in the two weeks prior to the
interview, or-for those who said "no"-whether they had a job but were on
vacation, sick or on layoff. "Not employed" includes people who were
actively looking for work as well as those who, for various reasons, were
not actively looking for work, although they may have been interested in
working.
Reference
Kirchner, C., Schmeidler E., Todorov, A., (1999) Looking at Employment
Through a Lifespan Telescope: Age, Health and Employment Status of People
with Serious Visual Impairment, Mississippi State, MS: Rehabilitation
Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision.

Thanks for letting me post this lengthy response.

Bill Meeker

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Donna Hill
Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2013 2:32 PM
To: 'Writer's Division Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [stylist] more on the question of the 70% thing -
:Articleshowing what parents & kids are facing

Robert,
I like the "un or under employed" perspective. 
Donna

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Robert Leslie
Newman
Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2013 11:07 AM
To: 'Writer's Division Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [stylist] more on the question of the 70% thing - :
Articleshowing what parents & kids are facing

Donna and others 

To answer you --- I am not in a position to do so. And I really do not want
to speculate to far on this. I am not afraid to do some speculation, but for
sure I must say up front that I have not been privy to a discussion that
explains this recording of facts. (One weird outcome resulting from this
number that has been used for decades, is that some of the really good rehab
services find it more difficult in presenting their need for funding, yet
alone increased moneys to do their work. After all --- the congress hears
that that over the decades of spending on rehab, there has been no
improvement of the status of employment of the blind, so why throw good
money after bad?) The dramatization of the high percentage of unemployment
is indeed a eye catcher! (You know what --- I swear that the first wording
of this 70 plus percent of blind people being unemployed was once presented
as - "70% of the blind are either unemployed or under-employed." I
personally like this combo of un and under, because I think it actually more
correctly outlines the employment blight of the blind - I mean, just think
of the workshop people and those of us who hit that glass-blind ceiling of
promotion or initial trust to be taken into a professional job and have to
start and get stuck in a lesser position! (I know more of these last types
of employed blind guys than I know those who are doing equal jobs with
equally trained and smart sighted counterparts. 

(Guys, too many state rehab  services in this country are operating under a
philosophy of low expectations of the blind.)

 (I invite anyone more knowledgeable in the 70% stats that we use to please
help us understand this issue.) 

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