Evaluating the Accessibility of the Job Search and Interview Process for People who are Blind and Visually Impaired
William Grussenmeyer, Jesel Garcia, Eelke Folmer, Fang Jiang · 2017 · Proceedings of the 14th International Web for All Conference (W4A) · doi:10.1145/3058555.3058570
Summary
This study investigates the accessibility barriers that people who are blind and visually impaired encounter throughout the job search and interview process in the United States, where the unemployment rate for this population stands at approximately 70%. The researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with eight participants who are blind or have low vision, covering eleven distinct steps of the job search process — from resume creation and networking through job applications, interviews, and employee onboarding. The study used phone and Skype interviews lasting approximately 45 minutes each, combining open-ended qualitative questions with Likert scale difficulty ratings for each step. Participants represented a range of visual impairments including complete blindness, light perception, and low vision, with ages ranging from 28 to 65 and careers spanning software engineering, mathematics, IT management, and food service. The research builds on earlier work by the Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT), which found that 46% of respondents with various disabilities found online job applications difficult to impossible to complete. This study extends that work by focusing specifically on blind and visually impaired users and covering the entire employment pipeline rather than just e-recruiting tools. Using open and axial coding to analyze interview data, the researchers identified recurring themes and developed six practical guidelines for employers.
Key findings
The most difficult steps in the job search process were onboarding (average difficulty 3.9/5.0), job applications (3.8/5.0), finding job openings (3.5/5.0), and the interview itself (3.5/5.0). Participants reported high anxiety about accommodations, averaging 3.3 on a 4-point concern scale, suggesting that accommodation uncertainty may deter qualified candidates from applying. Online job applications presented significant barriers including unclear instructions, non-magnifiable forms, inaccessible drop-down menus, and signature fields requiring mouse input. Half the participants struggled with Microsoft Word for resume formatting, with one switching entirely to LaTeX. Career fairs were nearly inaccessible due to noise, crowds, and lack of accessible booth maps. During interviews, employers sometimes provided inappropriate accommodations — for example, offering a human reader instead of a large-print test for a high-level mathematics exam, or providing braille materials to someone with low vision who does not read braille. The onboarding process was consistently problematic, with inaccessible HR web portals, mouse-dependent e-signature systems, and inaccessible government forms. Notably, participants in tech fields who needed to demonstrate coding skills faced inaccessible code editors and web-based testing platforms where screen readers could not convey code indentation.
Relevance
This paper exposes how deeply inaccessible the employment pipeline remains for blind and visually impaired people, with barriers at virtually every stage. The six employer guidelines it produces are immediately actionable: educate recruiters about visual disability accommodations, recognize that low vision and blindness require different accommodations, make code tests accessible (particularly indentation), be transparent about available accommodations in job postings, ensure onboarding portals are accessible, and test all application systems with screen readers and magnifiers. For web developers building HR platforms, job boards, or onboarding systems, this paper provides concrete evidence of where accessibility failures occur. The finding that accommodation concerns alone may discourage applications highlights the value of proactively communicating accessibility support. Though limited by a small sample size skewed toward tech workers, the qualitative depth reveals problems that surveys alone would miss.
Tags: blindness · low vision · employment accessibility · job search · onboarding · screen readers · web accessibility · qualitative research
Standards referenced: ADA