|
According
to a report released this month by the Royal National Institute
of the Blind (RNIB), nine out of ten employers in the north may
be breaking the law by discriminating against blind people.
The
RNIB believe that three quarters of visually impaired people of
working age are jobless as a result of employers' attitudes.
 |
| Amar
Latif |
Amar
Latif is someone who defies all the statistics. He has found that
the best way to quash the stereotypes is to excel at the job.
When
he was applying for jobs Amar quickly realised employers had no
idea what benefits a blind member of staff could bring.
So
he made it his business to enlighten them at interview and was snapped
up by BT almost straight out of university and now works as a senior
financial analyst in Leeds.
Last
year he was made Superstar Employee of the year at the company,
based on his professional performance. Many of his clients are won
over by his creative flair and never actually realise he's blind.
A government
scheme called Access to Work provides funding for specialist equipment
and support in the workplace where needed. Robin Taylor is Amar's
support worker and he's shocked by the number of blind people out
of work
Carla
Fowler from BBC Look North went along to meet Amar and find out
more about the pressures facing visually impaired people in the
workplace.
|
