News10/26/2005EEOC Explains Rights of Visually Impaired Workers

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has published questions and answers on the application of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to people in the workplace who are blind or who have vision impairments.

The latest Q&A document is the fifth in a series of fact sheets issued by the EEOC for persons with disabilities, and/or focusing on the ADA and specific disability issues. It is the second ADA document made available by the Commission in the past two weeks, in observance of National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

Among the issues the new Q&A document addresses are:

When a vision impairment is a "disability" within the meaning of the ADA;

What questions employers may ask job applicants or employees about their vision impairments and when employers may conduct medical examinations that test vision;

What accommodations people who are blind or visually disabled may need to apply for a job, to perform a job's essential functions, or to enjoy equal benefits and privileges of employment, such as the ability to take advantage of training and other opportunities for advancement; and
How employers should handle safety concerns they may have about applicants or employees with vision impairments.