Report presented at the European Seminar
"Seeing a Future : Older visually impaired people and access to the job market"
(Erice, 9 May 1999)
By Klas Winell and Martti Kauhanen
Finnish Federation of the Visually Impaired
Foreword
This report is the contribution from the Finnish Federation of Visually Impaired to EU -project Older Visually Impaired People and Access to the Labour Market. The report is prepaired as a joint effort of different units of the Finnish Federation with contribution also from the Arla Istitute.
The Finnish employment system differs in many respects from the employment systems in other European countries. Impaired people with different handicaps are helped to become participants in working life by rehabilitative measures. Medical rehabilitation in connection with vocational rehabilitation are organized by health care units and in case of visually impaired together with the Finnish Federation of Viually Impaired and paid by the National Social Securety Institute
Especially effective ways to keep older visually impaired people in working life are the counselling services that are organized by the Finnish Federation of Visually Impaired. In these services both the employee and the employer are helped in the problems of working life. Lighting and glare problems are solved and vision aids are bought to the working places. An important part of services is to inform about the sight problem in the working community. This dimishes the psycho-social pressure that the visually impaired often feel.
New ways of organizing working life like co-operative firms has shown to be valuable. This has been the case especially for masseurs and handicraft workers. The same idea can most probably be used also to other visually impaired entrepreneurs in the future.
Combining work with pension has proven to be a valuable and effective way to enable visually impaired persons to stay as part of work force. In this way they can diminish their working hours per week in a way that makes it possible for them to manage with their work, with their private life and with the handicap in a way that they make the corner stones of good life.
The Finnish Federation of Visually Impaired finds it of extra value to have the networking with other European Union countries, to get new ideas that can help the older visually impaired people access to the labour market.
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2. The profile of visual impairment and the social status of the visually impaired persons in Finland
2.1 Prevalence of visual impairment
According to national estimates and research work there are some 80.000 visually impaired persons in Finland, which counts to 1.5 % of the population (5.1 million inhabitants). In the Finnish Register of Visual Impairment there are about 22.000 visually impaired persons out of which about 12.000 are alive. There are some 2.000 new entries annually to the register. The following data in chapters 2.2. - 2.5. is based on the register data.
2.2. Demographic features
It is estimated that out of the 80.000 visually impaired persons almost 70.000 (85%) are 65 years or older, 10.000 (12 %) are in the working age group and 1.500 (2 %) are children. The median age of the registered is 75 years. Of those, who are registered, 62 % are females.
2.3. Etiology and diagnoses behind visual impairments
Ageing is the main etiology of visual impairment. It covers 40 % of the total. Among new entries to the register in 1997 it covered 53 %. The following are the etiological factors (in percentages) causing visual impairment: hereditary (16 %), congenital (12 %), diabetes (10 %), degenerative myopia (4 %), infections (4 %), accidents (2 %), neoplasms and sclerosis multiplex (both less than 1 %). The other known etiologies count to 5 % of visual impairments. The etiological factors are unknown in 13 % of registered visually impaired persons .
In the age group 0 - 17 years non-congenital disorders of optic nerve system covers 37 % and congenital anomalies of eye 27 % of the main diagnoses. Other main diagnosis groups in this age group are hereditary retinal dystrophies, retinopathy of prematurity and nystagmus.
In the working age (18 - 64 years) hereditary retinal dystrophies cover 26 % of the main diagnoses. Other main diagnosis groups are non-congenital disorders of optic nerve system, congenital anomalies of eye, diabetic retinopathy and degenerative myopia.
Among the elderly visually impaired persons (65 years or older) senile macular degeneration (AMR) counts to 54 %, glaucoma 12 % and diabetic retinopathy 9 % of all diagnosis in this age group.
2.4 Degree of visual impairment among the registered persons
Out of the 80.000 visually impaired persons some 70.000 have low vision and 10.000 are blind when using the definition and categories of visual impairment of the World Health Organisation (visual impairment: binocular visus < 0.3 and blindness: visus < 0.05). In the register only 3 % of the registrants are totally blind.
2.5 Level of education
The data concerning education and employment of the visually impaired persons is based on research of visually impaired persons, who where registered for the impairment. The data was collected by combining data in the register with the National Census data.
The results of the research show that the level of education of the visually impaired persons is lower than the educational level of the whole population. In the age of 15 to 64 years 47 % of the visually impaired have only basic education (max. 9 years of education). In the whole population the figure is 38 %. 33 % have lower level of upper secondary education (10-11 years of education) compared with 26 % in the whole population and 24 % have upper level of upper secondary education (12 years of education) compared with 23 % of the whole population.
2 % of the visually impaired persons have an education of the lowest level of higher education (13-14 years of education) compared with 6 % of the whole population. Undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate level of higher education counts to 4 % of the registered (8 % of the whole population).
2.6 Employment status and the most common occupations of visually impaired persons
In the National Census a person is classified as employed if the total amount of incomes and earnings is greater than the total amount of pensions and other social allowances. Almost all visually impaired persons in Finland receive pension and are therefore usually classified as pensioners if their incomes are low.
According to our research 43 % of visually impaired persons in the working age have incomes from work and are either fully or partially employed, although only 18 % are classified as "employed" in the National Census. Therefore we used the concept of "fully employed" meaning employed in the National Census and the concept of "partially employed" for those visually impaired persons who have incomes from work but the total amount of pensions and social allowances is greater than the incomes.
18 % of the visually impaired in the working age were fully employed and 24 % where partially employed. Considering these figures 42 % of the visually impaired persons are part of the labour force (compared with 57 % of the whole population). 2 % of the visually impaired in the working age were unemployed (14 % of the whole population), 4 % were students (13 %) and 50 % where pensioners (11 %). In the age group 45-54 years 20 % were fully employed and the figure in the age group 55-64 years is 8 %. Those that were partially employed in these age groups were respectively 23 and 19 %.
The full or partial employment rate for visually impaired men is 46 % and 41 % for females. The figure is 45 % for the partially sighted and 43 % for the blind. The employment rate for those who were either born with a visual impairment or were less than 24 years of age by the onset of visual impairment was 54 %.
Other impairments in combination with the visual impairment influence strongly the employment rate. The same relates to the education level of the persons. For non-multihandicapped visually impaired persons the employment rate is 51 % (33 % for multihandicapped visually impaired persons). In higher education level 44 % are fully employed and 32 % are partially employed.
The most common occupations of the visually impaired were
- masseurs and physiotherapists
- industrial production work
- office or clerical work
- ADP designers and planners
- teachers and instructors
- social workers
- farmers
- hospital nurses
- sales staff and shop assistants
- trained home helpers
- cleaning, engineering and telephonists.
2.7 Employers of visually impaired persons
35 % of the emloyed visually impaired persons were working in health and social work (13 % of the whole employed labour force), 11 % in other community, social or personal services (5 %) and 11 % in manufacturing (20 %). Public administration covers 8 % of employers (6 %), 8 % real estate, renting and business enterprises (9 %), 5 % are wholesale and retail trade enterprises (12 %) and 5 % agriculture (7 %).
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3. Education system for visually impaired persons in Finland
3.1 Primary education
The main principle through the education system in Finland is integration. There are about 500 visually impaired persons integrated in normal school classes. In the special schools there are now about 50 pupils in low grade. Most of them have multi-handicaps.
The special schools are resource centers for knowledge and help also to the pupils in normal schools. Many pupils in integraded school system stay once a year in special schools for a support period lasting about a week. During these periods they have quidance in such skills and knowledge, which canīt be learned in normal schools.
The visually impaired pupils get their textbooks and other material in tape recordings, braille or in electronic form. Many visually impaired pupils have nowadays school assistants to help them. FFVI gives education counselling and quidance for special questions concerning studies to visually impaired persons.
3.2 Secondary level vocational education
In upper secondary schools there are now about 50 visually impaired persons. Some of them in gymnasium and some in commercial studies or practical nurse studies. There is one special vocational school in Finland, the Arla Institute, which organises education mainly for visually impaired persons who have got their handicap as adults. It is possible to train there special skills such as braille and note-taking and different skills for everyday life. There is vocational education into social and health care (practical nurse and masseurs), commercial and administration sectors including data processing and office work. In handicraft it is possible to specialize in weaving, basket- and furniture work or upholstery. There are also education to piano tuning. There are about 180 students in the Arla Institute. Yearly about 50 students pass the exams.
When education is regarded as vocational rehabilitation it is free to the student in special schools and students in other schools can get rehabilitation grant for the time they are at school.
In the higher level education there are about 60 visually impaired students studying at universities and science high schools and about 10 in vocational colleges. In universities the most popular fields to visually impaired students are humanistic sciences, social and pedagogic sciences, theology, data processing, law and music. In vocational colleges visually impaired students take commercial and administrational, social and health care and data processing educational programmes.
3.3 Vocational further training
According to the principle of life-long learning training should be placed appropriately in different phases of life. It is no longer adequate to get education only once in your life when your are young, on the contrary you need repeatedly education in this modern society and progressing world.
Approximately 400 - 500 persons participate yearly in vocational further training for visually impaired persons in Finland. These courses train for vocational, social and entrepreneur skills. Examinations in vocational further training are made up as competence based examinations, which are preceded by considerably shorter training periods than is the case in corresponding examinations for young.
The Arla Institute organises also vocational further education in the same lines as basic education. There are short courses of a few days in data processing (261 participants in 1998) and individually adjusted education (110 participants in 1998) that last from some weeks to about one year. The Arla Institute organises also the education for peer supporters and for rehabilitation instructors. Futher tarining is also available for masseurs and handicraft workers.
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4. Employment system in Finland
The government is responsible for organizing employment services in Finland. The local labour offices operating under the Ministry of Labour produce vocational quidance and employment services. Both unemployed people and employers are defined as clients of labour offices. The unemployed people have to be available for labour market as "cabable for work".
The employment of handicapped workers in open labour market in Finland is not based on quata system as in many other countries in Europe. It is instead based on periodic employment subsidies that labour offices can use to pay employers, who hire handicapped workers.
The social sector in municipalities is responsible for employment of people who have "disabilities for work". This takes place outside the open labour market. The way of employment is usually the traditional sheltered work, which is divided into sheltered work as part of care for the seriously handicapped persons and productional work for persons, who have better capabilities to work. In the traditional sheltered work there are about 7 000 handicapped persons in Finland.
4.1. Employment services
The government maintains labour office services in every municipality. The services are divided into vocational quidance and employment services. The labour offices are also responsible for decisions regarding unemployment payments. In the larger offices employment services are divided into sectors like building, trade, industry, services etc. There is a special unit for handicapped persons. All services in labour office are free of charge.
4.2. Special employment services for impaired persons
The special employment cousellors are responsible for services for handicapped persons. People, who have "relevantly discovered illness, disability or injury" can be graded as handicapped according to the law. Usually the labour offices require a medical certificate of health and functional capabilities.
4.3 Assessment for working capacity and rehabilitation needs
The special employment consultants for handicapped persons have more means for employment and also for evaluation of working capasity than the rest of the departments in labour offices. Handicapped persons can for example be refered for consultation such as rehabilitation examination or evaluation of working capasity. The evaluations of working capasity are made in many rehabilitation institutes and clinics. These evaluations of visually impaired people are made for instance in the rehabilitation center of the Finnish Federation of Visually Impaired
4.4. Supported employment
The main forms of employment support for handicapped persons are work try-outs and employment subsidies for employers. The goal of work try-out is to find out if the planned work is suitable for the person and to evaluate his/her resources and persistence in the particular work. During the work try-out also the employer has a possibility to evaluate the handicapped personīs suitability for work. The work try-out can last a maximum of 6 months. Work try-out is not a labour agreement, but the handicapped person is graded unemployed during the period. The labour office is responsible for payments, daily allowances and travelling costs during the work try-out, which makes the work try-out a cheep way of employment of new personel for the employer. Any working place can be a work try-out place.
After the work try-out, or also without it, a labour office can support employment of the handicapped person by paying employment subsidies to the employer. If it is the state owned working place, the support is 100 %. If it is some other working place, a labour office pays a support of 2.500 - 4.500 FIM monthly. The employerīs duty is to pay normal wages for the work. Employment subsidy can be paid for a maximum of 2 years period.
When a handicapped person starts an own enterprise or becomes self-employed, he can get a start-up grant of 2.500 - 4.500 FIM per month from the labour office. The maximum time for start-up grant is 15 months. The start-up grant is ment to make a quarantee in the early stages of entrepreneurship.
4.5. Technical aids
If a handicapped person needs technical aids in his work, for instance a visually impaired person needs a closed circuit TV, he can get those financed by the National Social Insurance Institution. The needs assessment of technical aids is in most cases done by the Finnish Federation of Visually Impaired.
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5. Combining work and pension
The Finnish legislation allowes people to earn some in additition to pension without risking the pension allowances. Income limits for allowed earnings varies in different pension schemas. Being able to work in addition to pension has a special value in employing visually impaired persons.
5.1. Different forms of pension
Age limit for a retirement pension in Finland is usually 65 years. During the retirement pension it is allowed to earn without income limits. The income tax is however higher with increasing incomes. Full disability pension is about 60 % of the salary. It is allowed to earn 40 % of the salary that made the base for pension. If the pension salary has been for instance 10.000 FIM per month , the full disability pension is about 6.000 FIM and the allowed additional earnings can be about 4.000 FIM per month.
If the working capacity of a person has not weakened so much that it leads to full disability pension, a person can get partial disability pension, which is a half of a full pension. A person who is in partial disability pension can earn in addititon 60 % of the salary that made the base for pension. If the monthly salary is 10.000 FIM, the partial disability pension is 3.000 FIM. Beside of that he/she can earn 7.000 FIM per month. In practice a person in partial disability pension can shorten a working day for instance by 2 hours or work three days a week and have 2 days off.
Partial disability pension has proved to be a good alternative for visually impaired persons. The shorter working days leave more time to take care for instance about oneīs own condition and health.
5.2. Pension for the blind
In Finland a person's pension consists of a basic pension and a pension based on incomes and working years. For young people work does not cumulate pension, which is why they can get only the basic pension, about 3.000 FIM a month.
The basic pension can be granted for two reasons. First is the so called common disability to work, which can be based on for instance weakened sight or psychical handicap. A blind person or one unable to move make up the second group of reasons for basic pension. Pensioners of first and second group are in different positions regarding to their rigths of earning. A blind person can earn without income limits and still get pension at the same time.
The other group of handicapped have the same income limits than disability pensioners that is 40 % of the salary that makes the basis for pension. This is equivalent to monthly earnings of about 1.400 FIM.
Pension that is paid because of blindness offers an alternative for a great deal of visually impaired persons, in which the basis of incomes comes from the basic pension and in addition they can make extra incomes by for example making handicrafts and/or working as masseurs.
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6. Support of impaired persons in their work
The Finnish society trys to support disabled persons to make them able to work mainly for avoiding pension costs. There has always to be made an evaluation about possibilities of rehabilition before the decision of pension is made.
6.1. Occupational health care
Employers have statutory obligation to arrange occupational health services to employees. Approximately half of the expenses will be reimbursed by the National Social Insurance Institution. When a person starts his/her working career, it is the duty of the occupational health care to make medical examination of suitability for work. The occupational health care is also obliged to monitor the disabled personīs working capacity and the employer must finance technical aids which are necessary for the handicapped in his/her work. The largest working places have their own occupational health care. Smaller working places buy the services from private service providers or from health centres.
6.2. Medical rehabilitation
It is the duty of municipalities to arrange health care and medical rehabilitation for the inhabitants. They have to arrange immidiate rehabilitation in connection of care of illness, including also technical aids needed in everyday life. For visually impaired persons these technical aids can among other things be spectacles, magnifying glasses, closed circuit TVs, personal computers and so on. Medical rehabilitation includes also rehabilitation of skills and adjustment training.
6.3. Vocational rehabilitation
The important part of supporting visually impaired persons in staying in work is to protect their working capacity by wide-range of rehabilitation means. Support for both physical condition and psychological endurance is encluded in rehabilitation. The maximum duration for reimbursement of rehabilitation to support the maintenance of working ability is 35 days, which is often devided to several short rehabilitation periods. Physical condition is trained for instance by physical exercises and physiotherapy. Psycological well-being is supported by lectures, conversations and group work. During the rehabilition periods technical aids for work are tested, need for changes in working environment and need for other support measures are evaluated. All the necessary measures to improve disabled personīs working conditions are carried out.
The responsibility of vocational rehabilitation in Finland is placed both to the private employment pension institutes and to the National Social Insurance Institute. In employment pension institutes rehabilitation is optional, and the goal for it is to enable people to continue to work. The criteria for reimbursement of vocational rehabilitation by the National Social Insurance Institute is "the substantial weakening of ability to work and essential dimishing of incomes". If these criteria are fulfilled, the National Social Insurance has to organize the rehabilitation. A person has in that case a subjective right to rehabilitation.
The measures of vocational training by the National Social Insurance can be for instance
1) Evaluation of revealing working capacity and possibilities to vocational rehabilitation
2) Basic-, further- and re-education
3) Technical aids for training and work
4) Monetary support for those setting up an entrepreneurship
The monetary support of entrepreneurs is aimt to persons, who start an enterprise or become self-employed. The aim is to support burchasing the neccesary machines and equipment and to make necessary alterations of the working place caused by the handicap. The maximum amount of support is 100.000 FIM. The deductible part is 20 %. This support does not have to be paid back. Visually impaired masseurs and handicraft workers often apply for the support when they set up the business.
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7. Employment of older persons with visual impairment
7.1. Goals of the Finnish Federation of Visually Impaired
The Finnish Federation of Visually Impaired is the interest body for visually impaired persons, but also the producer of many services. Basic services provided are for instance rehabilitation and employment services.
The goal of employment services in FFVI is to improve employment of visually impaired persons and to support the ability to stay employed.
7.2. Counselling services
Counselling services support the ability to stay employed and become employed. The primary goal is to enable visually impaired to become and stay employed in the open labour market. Means for this are to adapt the job into the persons visual capasity, to provide with technical aids to facilitate work, to improve illumination at working place, to inform the employer and other workers about the visual impairment and limitations caused by it and to plan supplementary training and retraining.
A special target group are young people who are in need of vocational quidance and counselling. The amount of persons in vocational quidance is about 500 per year.
7.3. Counselling for private entrepreneurs
Those who start private entrepreneurship can get counselling and quidance about how to start the enterprise, like how to acquire for permissions and how to arrange financing and how to keep the enterprise functioning.
There are two special employment systems for visually impaired people in Finland. One is for visually impaired masseurs and the other for visually impaired handicraft workers. Both of these employment systems take up about 500 persons. Many of them work in addition to their pension. Both groups have their own entrepreneur counsellers. For all other entrepreneurs there is a third counseller, who is specialized also in tax- and pension questions.
There are only a few visually impaired persons working in the traditional sheltered work in Finland due to the visually impaired persons' special employment systems.
7.4. Industrial business (SOKEVA)
The Finnish Federation of Visually Impaired owns SOKEVA, a company, which manufactures for example equipment and brushes for painting branch. SOKEVAīs market share of sales of equipment for painting branch in Finland is about 25%.
In addition SOKEVA operates as supplier of raw material and as a preprosessor and intermediator for partly manufactured products to visually impaired handicraft workers. SOKEVA markets products of handicraft workers through Annansilmät, a commercial shop chain.
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8. Building the basic skills for working life of visually impaired
8.1. Lifelong learning
The principle of lifelong learning conserns the whole education system and the whole population. Continuing learning must be a part of human lifestyle and the education of young people should quide them how to study also later in life.
In the policy for vocational education and training it is supposed that education is flexible, offers possibilities to further studies and prepares for lifelong learning. Even the legislation of vocational education in Finland emphasizes continuous development of vocational skills and support to lifelong learning.
The conception of a good learning process has changed to be learner centered. Every learner's own experiences and patterns of thinking make the basis for his/her learning. This changes also the teacherīs role; now a teacher has to be a tutor and a quide in a learning process. Studying consists no more of transfering knowledge, but creates abilities in problem solving, searching of information, teamwork and self quidance.
A personal study plan is made for every student. Learning begins from each studentīs qualifications, skills and goals. Different methods of learning like independent studies, cooperative projects and exploitation of information technology for example in form of virtual courses has increased rapidly.
The vision of knowledge and skills that are necessary in the future working life has formed the ground for an evaluation model of learning process. The main areas of evaluation are attitude towards work, interaction and social skills, capabilities to work independently and systematically and technical skills. This model is used in planning and evaluation of learning. By paying attention to improving the knowledge and skills that are necessary in work, we improve also the wellbeing of employees and help to build positive attitudes towards lifelong learning.
8.2 Special competences of visually impaired
The capabilities to study are always evaluated when a visually impaired person is applying for a study post. If there are shortages in basic skills of a visually impaired, he/she can start courses that train in these skills. He/she can study braille, mobility, use of technical aids like computers or different techniques to make notes.
Good computer and information technology skills make the basis for communication and professional development for visually impaired persons. The ability to study is not only having the right techniques. Equally important is the mental wellbeing, self- esteem and courage of a visually impaired person in planning and implementing the study plan. An individual physical exercise and health promotion plan is included in a personal study plan. These aim to build the ground for physical and mental wellbeing.
An individual study plan is a part of comprehensive rehabilitation planning, which takes into account each person's strenghs when aiming to professional development. The study plan has to exploit early enough in the course of studies the possibilities that lie in training of skills in the real working environment. Participating in projects and working in teams are excellent learning opportunities. Challenging and solving problems of real working life lifts up self-esteem and gives courage for independent working. Social skills, beginning from cleanness and clothing and proceeding to manners on solemn occasions, make equal participation possible.
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9. Changes in working life
9.1 Changes in work force and age demografics
The large age groups in Finland are now about in the age of 50. Because the younger age groups are much smaller in numbers, there will be a fast growth of aging of the population in Finland. By the year 2030 the Finnish population is among the oldest in Europe.
Unemployment reached itīs top figures in the beginning of 1990īs, going up to over 20 % of the population in working age. In the spring of 1999 the percentage of unemployed of the working force in Finland was 11.
The Finnish population is well educated. The level of education is among the highest in Europe. Although the educational level and the figures for unemployment are high for the moment, there is a belief that because of the low retirement age (median age of 57 years) and the age structure of the population there will be deficit in work force in the coming years. This gives increasing competetiveness for handicapped persons, including those with visual impairment, in working life.
9.2 Changes of attitudes in working life
During the 1990īs the attitudes in working life have become all the thougher in Finland. The enterprises seek higher and higher competetiveness. Employers demand growing input from their work force. These changes have worsened the possibilities of handicapped persons to qualify for the work force.
At the same time we can see growing willingness in some enterprises to hire handicapped people. Possibilities for partial employment are also growing. Increasing flexibility in labour market will probably also open new possibilities for those with impairments.
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10. Research and development
10.1 Information technology
Information Technology Consulting Development Project of the Visually Impaired Persons (IT project) was accepted within the HORIZON programme on July 1997 and it will continue until the end of 1999. The aim of the IT project in Finland is to create a nation-wide network of visually impaired data processing consultants. The starting point of the project was to employ visually impaired computer skilled professionals and to rationalize information technology services offered to the visually impaired.
During the project period, two groups, a total of 10 - 15 computer skilled professionals will be trained to be consultants. The training programme has been developed in the Arla Institute and except for the computer skills, it also includes studies in business, rehabilitation legislation and teaching methods. A practical training period is also a part of the programme. Already during the training period the project helps the participants to employ themselves in the future. Even more important than the support from the IT project is every consultantīs own activities to gain work. The project does not employ but helps the participants to employ themselves. Partner countries in IT project are the Netherlands, Germany and Italy. The main themes of meetings of the network are job mediation, vocational rehabilitation and training and special devices for the visually impaired.
10.2 Among equals
The Finnish Federation of Visually Impaired has trained in total 21 visually impaired persons to give peer support during three courses. The first group was trained about 10 years ago. Training by the Arla Institute has been carried out by using many learning methods.
The aim is to create a network of visually impaired persons covering the whole country, who are able to give peer support and quidance in activities of daily living. Through the years this basic idea of the contents of work of the peer supporters has remained the same, but in addition to that many of the trained persons have also given lectures for instance in the social and health care institutes. They lecture about visual impairments, restrictitions and ways to manage for a visually impaired person, demonstrate technical aids, advice how to quide etc.
The most important task of a peer supporter is to quide another visually impaired person. Those who are trained have all been visually impaired for a long time and they have gained the skills a visually impaired person needs to be able to manage in every day life. With their own experiences the peer supporters can show example when quiding those, who try to find out ways to manage with weakened sight. Peer supporters participate and work side by side with mobility or low vision instructors in rehabilitation courses organised by hospitals, church or the Finnish Federation of Visually Impaired. They can attend activities organised by regional associations of visually impaired, in which they can for instance demonstrate different technical aids.
Peer supporters work on free-lance basis. The work is reimbursed partly by municipalities and FFVI has got support also from the Finnish Slotmachine Association to pay the peer supporters for their work. The allowance is also used for training and further education of the peer supporters.
10.3 Early rehabilitation
In the spring of 1999 a research project was started by the FFVI. In this project 800 office workers in the military forces will be interviewed and examined to find out of all visual difficulties they have in their work, the possibilities to solve the problems and even to find out if there are any cases of hidden visual impairment in the work force. Also the working environment will be evaluated to find out problems of lighting strenght and glare.
10.4 Sales promotion on telephone
The Finnisf Federation of Visually Impaired has started sales promotion on telephone. Nine visually impaired are now selling handicrafts, christmas cards and notebooks. The groups will be enlarged to twenty persons. They make living on the business and give work at the same time to visually impaired handicraft workers.
10.5 Handicraft
Handicrafts are a traditional working field for visually impaired. It is still a competetive form work for visually impaired to make extra earnings. Product development to gain new items to market is the main emphasis of the role of FFVI.
Handicraft workers often work in their homes around the country. They need repeatedly training to make new items and they can have problems with tools. FFVI is building a network of peer handicraftmen who can support the workers. This support is also psychologically important.
10.6 Small business
The main goal is to support employment of special groups that they were able to run oneīs own business in such a way, that the business offers either full-time work or is a significant part of incomes.
At the same time as those visually impaired who want to go to small business they are offered also comprehensive support to make working as a businessman possible. There is wide range of capabilities necessary to be able to function as a full member of society.
The individual goals are
- widening the small business activities
- developing a model for support services
- developing skills in running one`s own business
- controll of the life situation as a whole
The indirect goals are
- widening the employment opportunities and developing training possibilities
10.7 The ergonomy of low vision office workers
Information technology (IT) creates plenty of opportunities also to visually impaired people. They can use IT to read newspapers, to scan written material and process it, to enlarge text size with magnification programs and exploit large screens. They can also use IT to translate written text to braille or synthetic speech. Information technology work is the fourth most common profession of visually impaired people in Finland and the amount of workers in this field is rapidly increasing.
FFVI has had a two year project to examine the work ergonomy of visually impaired IT workers. Ten persons were interviewed to find out their working habits, to look at size and type of font, data screen size, data programs, optical and other aids they used, to examine the working distance, lighting conditions, glare, tables and chairs they used and possibilities to adjust the conditions. Their working was videotaped. Refraction, accommodation and ability to converge were measured, eye movements, co-operation of the eyes and need for magnification were controlled, contrast sensitivity, field of vision, sense of color, need for light and the glare caused by lighting were tested. Also reading ability using printed material, screen and synthetic speech, if persons were using it at the work, were tested.
After all tests an accurate working distance was planned, even glare had to be suppressed and the lighting conditions had to be optimised. For eight persons were new spectacles made to maximise sight accuracy on data screen. Earlier they had used spectacles that were made for reading printed material or to look at distance. Two persons needed bifocal lenses and three special tinting because of glare. Six of these people had aphacia and were not able to accommodate.
The reading speed of all tested persons was faster on paper than on screen. Those who read more slowly than one third of the speed of a normal sighted person were helped by using also speech synthethiser. The test results with synthetic speech was 2-20 times faster than without synthethiser and by using it they were able to relax and have a better working ergonomy. Five of the tested had had their screen either too high or too low. For them were new adjustable tables planned and even stands for the screens and chairs with good support for the hands and the back. Some people needed more and some less light than their working environment offered and some had a need for glare protection.
We found that there is no simple solution to a good ergonomy. Every time there must be an individual fitting and there must also be a possibility for a person to have variant ways to work.
10.8 Anticipating the future working life of visually impaired
The purpose of the project is to create an anticipation system, in which there is an intention to get continuously information about changes taking place in working environments, work tasks and learning environments and especially about demands that deal with blind and seriously visually impaired workers. An essential part of the project is also to anticipate the need of new technical aids necessary to control the information technology in future.
With the anticipating system we hope that we are able to continuously renew our vision of the demands of future working life and find out solutions to help the blind and seriously visually impaired persons.
Information is collected in this project mainly from following areas:
1. Demands on working life now and in future
2. Information technology necessary in work and virtual environment in the future
3. Development of technical aids
4. Development of new skills for working life that can be used in school-, study- and rehabilitation phases
Analysis and conclusions are made based on evaluations of these.
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11. Conclusions
11.1 Combining pension and work
Serious visual impairment leads often to significant handicaps in many areas of life. Especially for those, who get their visual impairment later in life, and who are active in working life, it is often diffucult to hold their position in working life or become employed once again. It requires so remarkable efforts to learn even the basic skills a visually impaired person needs, that there often is no more human resources left to vocational rehabilitation. If the earlier job has entitled the visually impaired person to get a reasonable pension, the threshold to go to vocational rehabilitation is most often high.
For these reasons solutions, which enable a visually impaired person to get pension or partial pension in combination with earnings, are often good incentives and offer the visually impaired person a rich life and give him increasing financial security. In Finland this possibility, which gives a seriously visually impaired person an opportunity to work in some degree along with a pension has proven to be a valuable alternative.
Comparing employment figures of the total population with those of visually impaired persons show that visually impaired persons are employed almost as often as the rest of population, if the group of visually impaired persons who work along with their pension are taken into account. The solution is positive from the social political point of view and solutions that include many different possibilities of income sources at the same time should be favored and alternatives combining work and pension should be encreased.
11.2 Living in information society
Personal computers and soft ware specially planned for visually impaired together with speech synthethiser, braille displays and scanners have opened a new world for visually impaired persons, where they can master the information in a much more advanced way.. With the new technology possibilities to use information has substantially improved. Especially young visually impaired persons have turned the possibility to reality. Development of new computer programmes also contains risks for visually impaired people. Soft ware based on window user programmes has turned out to be difficult for visually impaired persons. This shows that also in this field the rights of visually impaired persons should be defended so that they donīt fall outside the development in information society.
Additional equipment and extra computer programmes for visually impaired are often expensive. Support from social security system has to be developed so that visually impaired persons get the right to information by allowing them to obtain necessary equipment and programmes. An especially great challenge in the coming years will be to gain also to older visually impaired persons the opportunities that the information society offers.
11.3 Good life of visually impaired
Work is a significant part of life of western people. In the Finnish society itīs significance is, if possible, even more emphasized. That part of population which is left outside working life feel that it has been displaced. Options of good life are made up by enabling a person to be part of working force.
It requires continuously new preventive actions, early rehabilitation and repeated rehabilitation periods for visually impaired persons, which help them to be up dated with the possibilities of new technology and in this way enable them to stay in working life. Visually impaired persons need also psychological support. Occupational health service is in a key position to follow up and support visually impaired persons to stay in working life.
11.4 Co-operative firms
The Finnish experiences of co-operative firms, which function like social enterprises are good. They employ visually impaired persons into handicraft and increasingly also into peer support of information technology. The co-operatives can offer the necessary support to entrepreneurs in administrational, commercial and tax problems. Co-operative firms have proven to be a good way of support and they should be developed and also started in new areas of entrepreneurship to give the support for visually impaired persons.
11.5 Counselling services
The counselling services which are available also at the working places for visually impaired has proved to be very significant. Compared with other handicap groups, who donīt have similar services, it is a priviledge and a real improvement in supporting visually impaired persons to stay in working life.
Those visually impaired persons, who have problems in working life because of their handicap, have a possibility to make straight contact to counselling personel in FFVI. After an interview on phone a person can be invited to rehabilitation examination in FFVI or the counselling personel make a visit to the working place of the visually impaired person, during which his working tasks, working conditions and demands that the visual impairment set to the working environment are evaluated. Based on this evaluation the employer and fellow workers are quided to understand visual impairness and this personīs possibilities and limitations to manage to do his working tasks. This activity has proven to be a great psychological support to working places and it has greatly improved the ability of visually impaired people to stay in work compaired with the earlier situation. This kind of services should further be strenghtened and co-operation with occupational health care should be developed.
11.6 Early rehabilitation
The Finnish experiences have proved that many visually impaired persons or persons with serous sight problems don't tell about their difficulties in working places. Even the occupational health care can be uninformed about the difficulties, which are connected to the sight. This exposes visually impaired persons to accidents and causes mental stress to the employee when he/she tries to manage in his/her working tasks, which require sharp sight.
All actions, which could help to find out sight problems in working places earlier than happens today would also help people with sight problems to stay in working life longer. The occupational health care should be able to encourage the visually impaired person to early contacts so that couselling for visually impaired persons is started in much earlier phase of problems. To get this change in action would require information campaigns, better methods for the occupational health care to get into contact with the early problems of vision and quaranteed security for the employee to stay in work despite of the sight problems.
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