Employment Support

Selecting and purchasing technical aids

by Evelyne MOREAU







1. Presentation of the CECEIF-DV

The CECEIF-DV, the Assessment Centre of the Ile de France Council of Expertise for the Visually Impaired was created towards end 1998 at the initiative of the Paul GUINOT Association with regional funding from the AGEFIPH, which wanted to set up some consulting and expertise structures to provide an opinion on the technical aspects of applications for the funding of adapted equipment.

The CECEIF-DV team is composed of :
- one ergonomist
- one I.T. engineer
- one expert in technical aids.

The CECEIF-DV operates only in the Ile de France region for the following public :

- Students in ordinary higher education establishments or on sandwich courses,
- High school pupils in ordinary schools or who are reaching the end of their studies in specialist schools,
- Job seekers,
- People undertaking professional training,
- People working in a self-employed capacity, such as physiotherapists

The missions are specified in an annual Contract for action :

- Mission of Technical Advice :
Takes place before an application for financial aid for specialist equipment is submitted to the AGEFIPH from the disabled individual or from the network of organisations working on the integration of the disabled (CAP EMPLOI, training centres, etc.)

- Expertise Mission :
Consists of providing technical advice to the AGEFIPH on the applicants' chosen options, the purpose being to analyse whether the selected hardware and/or software meets the real needs of the applicant.

- Development of workstations mission :
As the ID-ERGONOMIE service provider we work for companies as well as self-employed or salaried physiotherapists.

We conduct a study of the workstation to highlight:
- the needs of the company and of the visually impaired employee,

- the tasks to be performed and the person's technical skills,

- the difficulties related to the visual impairment,

- the adapted equipment needed by the employee.

In some cases we conduct in situ tests to see whether the company's tools are compatible with the specific adaptations. We then inform the Company (company physician, human resources department, technical departments, line managers)of our findings in a report sent to the AGEFIPH. We then validate the options by comparing quotations from one or more suppliers. A copy of the report is also sent to the employee for validation.

A liaison form (prepared by use) and the copy of the final report are systematically furnished to ID-ERGONOMIE.

- "Ancillary" missions :
Technology watch :
This enables the CECEIF-DV to provide specific information to persons consulting the department, to give them advice and take into account the technological evolutions (innovation, new releases or updates, products for the General Public) in collaboration with the different technical aid suppliers.

This mission takes various forms, such as :

- product testing and evaluation,

- presence at demonstrations proposed by the suppliers,

- self-training on adapted tools,

- participation in joint projects with other expert centres and associations (ISAIP training, BrailleNet, etc.),

- remote downloading of specialised and standard tools,

- installation of methodological tools internal to the CECEIF-DV (evaluation grids, database, etc.).



Occasional requests :
These come to us from all horizons and may concern the usual kind of work performed by the CECEIF-DV. Occasional requests come in various forms :

- requests for information on visual impairment (associations, CAP EMPLOI, steps required to seek financial aid, companies, etc.),

- the possibilities offered by adapted tools,

- existing training courses, specialised or not (remedial, ordinary milieu, etc.),

- exhibitions, conferences, seminars, etc.


Evaluation mission :
During the first year of operation of the CECEIF-DV we devised a generalised evaluation methodology for each type of adapted equipment (grids, technical protocols, protocols for use) which was then validated by a scientific and technical committee.

Given the scope of the consultancy and expertise missions and the fact that the concern of the AGEFIPH is national and not regional, the evaluation mission ended the following year.

That mission forms an integral part of the Technology Watch and comprises 2 types of action :

- to verify the functions and their accessibility in terms of use,

- to test the specialised equipment based on scenarios and generalised evaluation grids,

- to verify the inter-compatibility of the adapted tools.

The specialist tools we use can only be obtained free of charge from the suppliers. Their extensive collaboration is greatly appreciated as the CECEIF-DV has no funding from the AGEFIPH for equipment purchases.

This contractual agreement means that we have no assets to depreciate and secondly that we always test the very latest versions of the different items of equipment.




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2. Technical Aids

As regards the blind, we distinguish between two very different categories : the recent blind (who cannot read Braille), and those who are blind from birth and can read Braille. There are technical aids suited to the needs of both. There is equipment using Braille: tactile keyboards or brailed terminals and synthetic voice software.

We also find Braille plus vocal systems which assist non-sighted persons, making it comfortable for them to use computerised equipment and affording them greater autonomy at work.

Concerning the visually impaired, a wider variety of specific tools are available to the poor-sighted to meet the needs of the different pathologies and their visual capabilities : character magnifying software, vocal or non-vocal software, tele-magnifiers, hand-held magnifying glasses, electronic magnifiers, telescopic and microscopic systems, negative or positive large character keyboards, large cathode or TFT screens, etc. The analysis of needs and the evaluation of visual abilities must be examined in depth and in accordance with the desires and the comfort of each individual.

One essential aspect of the procedure is to put in place a network of complementary partners : ophthalmologist, orthoptist, optician, rehabilitation specialist, psychologist, walking instructor, suppliers and the employment agency CAP EMPLOI.




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2.1.Access to employment

The equipment selected by the CECEIF-DV for a job-seeker is based on :

- knowledge of the standard tools,

- knowledge of the adapted tools,

- the desires of the individual, both in terms of technical aids and suppliers,

- the type of pathology ( for the poor-sighted )

- the type of training the person has followed,

- the chosen profession,

- the possibility of funding by the AGEFIPH and other sponsors.

As can be seen, the choice of equipment is not limited to technical considerations but takes into account the overall person, that is : their education and background, professional career and psychological state (for the recently visually impaired), their motivation and aspirations and possibly their difficulties, whether of a technical nature or not.
The CECEIF-DV, being familiar with the company because of the adaptations made to the workstation, recommends the appropriate equipment in an open technical configuration (as close as possible to the standard applications).

Some tests however should be performed by the jobseeker themselves in the real situation over a longer period.

Which causes us to reflect on the relevance of a rental or loan system for adapted hardware and/or software, so that companies can give every chance possible to their disabled people.

Indeed, companies cannot invest in expensive equipment for a disabled person during their trial period and the AGEFIPH will not grant funding for a company to arrange and adapt the workstation with a definite assurance that the person will be definitively appointed to the job ; therefore, since 2000, the AGEFIPH has granted funding direct to the individual jobseekers, thereby enabling them to go to the company for testing using their own equipment.




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2.2 Maintaining disabled employment

Several types of requests are received :

- a change in or extension of the specialised equipment,

- modification of the company's own tool,

- workstation evolution,

- a job change (in the case of a person with recent visual impairment),

- problems related to the work posture,

- problems related to the lighting of the premises.

The study of the workstation initially looks at the company's request then re-formulates it to look at the workstation overall :

- posture adopted,

- tool used,

- general lighting,

- arrangements for the workstation overall, i.e. as integrated into the general work situation,

- the distribution of tasks within the work community : i.e. to ensure that the visually impaired person is able to use his skills to best advantage,

- accessibility of the premises, in order to promote personal autonomy (access to all locations). On this last point, the analysis allows us to evaluate a need for re-habilitation in locomotive skills.

When deciding workstation arrangements in a company, we often have to conduct technical tests (mostly for persons using Braille), in order to measure the compatibility of the adapted equipment to the specific tools used in the company. In this case, we involve the suppliers and our I.T. expert.

The final choice of supplier is left to the company or employee, according to a criterion of recognition or continuity. Otherwise, we attach to the report the list of suppliers who can meet the needs identified during our study.




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Conclusion

To finish this presentation of the CECEIF-DV, it is important to point out that we have followed training at the APAM on all matters concerning poor vision : the different pathologies, the tools, the difficulties facing the visually impaired.

From experience, in our opinion it is absolutely essential that all new recruits in the field of visual impairment should receive training both on the adapted tools and on the different pathologies. Indeed, this initial work facilitates the understanding of the difficulties that may be encountered by people with visual impairment.



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