Jobs for Blind and Visually Impaired People: A Career Guide

Blind and visually impaired people work in nearly every field: software and accessibility testing, customer service, office work, teaching, law, counseling, music, food service and their own businesses. What usually decides whether a job works is not the title but the setup: a screen reader, a braille display, braille labels, magnification, or an accommodation such as telework or a reader for print. In the US, 53.5% of adults aged 21 to 64 with a visual disability had a job in 2024, compared with 81.7% of those without a disability, according to Cornell University's Disability Status Report.

Below: real jobs by field and the tools behind them, what the employment numbers say, how braille is used at work, your right to accommodations, and the US programs that help you find work. Sources were checked on October 28, 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.

Key points

• The tools make the job. Screen readers, magnification, braille materials and braille labels come up again and again in the EEOC's own examples of workplace accommodations.
• The gap is real, but smaller than the myth. Cornell puts employment at 53.5% for working-age adults with a visual disability in 2024. The "70% unemployed" figure mixes up being unemployed with not looking for work, says the NRTC on Blindness and Low Vision.
• Employers with 15 or more employees have to provide reasonable accommodations under the ADA unless it causes undue hardship, and you don't need any "magic words" to ask (EEOC).
• Braille shows up at work. In a 2024 NRTC study of 304 employed legally blind people, about two-thirds used braille on the job, and over half used a braille display or notetaker.
• Public programs help you get there. Your state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agency prepares people for work, Ticket to Work is free for SSDI or SSI recipients aged 18 to 64, and the Job Accommodation Network gives free, confidential advice on accommodations.

Jobs by field at a glance

What the employment numbers say

Three official sources measure work and disability in the US. They count slightly different groups, so the numbers differ:

Cornell's report, by William Erickson, Camille Lee and Sarah von Schrader at the Yang-Tan Institute, uses the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. "Visual disability" there means being blind or having serious difficulty seeing even with glasses. Full-time, year-round work was less common: 38.4% of people with a visual disability, against 63.7% of people without a disability. Among those who did work full time all year, median annual earnings were $50,800, against $61,900 for workers without a disability (Cornell).

The BLS figure covers every type of disability and everyone 16 and older, retirees included, so it isn't comparable with the other two, and it doesn't separate vision (BLS).

The "70% unemployed" myth

You'll still read that 70% of blind people are unemployed. A 2009 report by the National Federation of the Blind said "over 70 percent of blind adults are unemployed." The National Research and Training Center (NRTC) on Blindness and Low Vision at Mississippi State calls that figure a myth: it mixes up being unemployed, which only counts people who are working or looking for work, with not being in the labor force (NRTC). By its fact sheet from 2023 data, 8.1% of people with visual impairments in the labor force were unemployed, against 4.2% of the general population, while 43.1% were not in the labor force at all, against 20.4% (NRTC fact sheet).

Jobs by field, and the tools behind them

The EEOC's guidance on visual disabilities at work uses examples from ordinary jobs: a retail salesperson who gets braille copies of onboarding documents, a line cook with braille labels on the oven controls, a finance consultant who brings a guide dog to work, an editor given software that magnifies and speaks text (EEOC). The fields below follow the same idea: what the work involves, and what you use to do it.

Technology and accessibility testing

If you use a screen reader every day, you already know how websites and apps fail the people who rely on one. Accessibility testing turns that knowledge into work: checking software against accessibility standards such as the federal Section 508 standards. The Department of Homeland Security runs a Section 508 Trusted Tester certification: web-based, self-paced courses, then a certification exam on which you need 85% or more, all within 180 days (DHS). DHS's pages don't say whether the course itself works smoothly with a screen reader, so ask before you enroll.

Software development is the other path. In one EEOC example, a software engineer gets full-time telework as an accommodation. The tools are the ones described in our guide to screen readers, often with a braille display for reading code character by character.

Customer service and contact centers

Phone-and-computer jobs run on a screen reader or magnification. The EEOC's examples include a customer service representative given a larger monitor or magnification, and a call center employee who gets a tactile evacuation map, detectable floor warnings and brighter lighting. Contact center services are one of the business lines of the federal AbilityOne program, which creates jobs for people who are blind or have significant disabilities through federal contracts (AbilityOne).

Office work, editing and administration

Reading, writing and editing are text work, and text is what screen readers, magnifiers and braille displays handle. In the EEOC's examples, an editor at a publishing company is offered software that magnifies and speaks text instead of a full-time reader, and a paralegal gets a larger high-contrast monitor. There's a professional group for this field too: the National Association of Blind Office Professionals (NTAC).

Teaching

Blind teachers have their own group, the National Association of Blind Teachers (NTAC). In one EEOC example, an applicant for a school principal job has an obvious vision impairment, and the employer may ask whether an accommodation is needed for the job's reading tasks. That's the practical question in most teaching jobs: how you'll read student work, handouts and files, whether through accessible digital files, braille or a reader.

Law

Haben Girma, who is deafblind, was the first deafblind student at Harvard Law School and graduated in 2013. She received her readings in digital form and listened to them or read them on a braille display. After graduating, she received a Skadden Fellowship to work at Disability Rights Advocates in Berkeley (Harvard Law School). Her story is in famous blind people. The American Blind Lawyers Association is listed among national professional groups (NTAC).

Counseling, rehabilitation and human services

ACB Human Services Professionals is a group for people working in this field (NTAC). In an article on APH's CareerConnect, the author describes using braille at a vocational rehabilitation job to tag case files and prepare presentation notes (APH CareerConnect).

Music and performing arts

The NFB Performing Arts Division and Friends in Art of ACB are two groups for blind performers and artists (NTAC). Many musicians read scores in braille music, and transcribing it is a job in itself: the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) at the Library of Congress certifies braille music transcribers (NLS).

Massage therapy

Some training programs are designed for blind students. The National Blind Massage Therapists Association runs a Train-to-Hire program for blind and visually impaired young adults: instruction, coaching and mentoring, assistive technology, a three-month internship and a two-year paid apprenticeship, with up to four students per session. It started in Northern New Jersey (NBMTA). Elsewhere, ask your state VR agency about massage training near you.

Braille transcription and proofreading

Braille transcribers turn print into braille; proofreaders check it. The NLS contracts the National Federation of the Blind to run its certification programs, with courses in literary, math and music transcribing and proofreading, and the Library of Congress issues the certificates (NLS). How the course works, how long it takes and where the paid jobs are is in our guide on how to become a braille transcriber.

Food service, vending and your own business

The Randolph-Sheppard program provides paid work and self-support for people who are blind as operators of vending facilities, such as cafeterias, snack bars and vending machines, on federal property, and in most states it has spread to state, county, city and private buildings. State licensing agencies recruit, train, license and place the operators. In fiscal year 2023, 1,428 blind vendors ran 1,780 facilities, with average vendor earnings of $103,085.50 (RSA). In kitchens, the EEOC's line cook example uses braille labels on the oven controls. Independent Visually Impaired Enterprisers is a group for blind business owners (NTAC).

Federal government jobs

Schedule A lets federal agencies hire people with severe disabilities without the usual competitive process, and the Office of Personnel Management names blindness as an example. You need documentation of the disability before you're hired, from a licensed medical professional, a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist, or a government agency that provides disability benefits. After two years of satisfactory service, you may be able to convert to permanent status (OPM).

The tools behind most of these jobs

The EEOC's list of accommodations for people with visual disabilities reads like a job toolkit:

• Screen readers speak what's on the screen or send it to a braille display. JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver and the others are compared in screen readers for the blind.
• Refreshable braille displays show a line of text in braille that you read with your fingers. Prices, and how to borrow one in the US, are in refreshable braille displays.
• Magnification: screen magnification software and low-vision magnifiers, for people with some usable sight.
• Optical character recognition turns printed pages into text a screen reader can read.
• Phone apps that read print, identify money and describe what's around you. See apps for blind people.
• Braille labels for files, equipment and supplies. See braille labels.
• Human help: qualified readers, sighted guides, and sighted assistance through screen sharing.

Braille at work

Braille is still a work tool. An NRTC study by Michele McDonnall and colleagues surveyed 304 employed legally blind people: about two-thirds used braille at work, and over half used refreshable braille technology, meaning braille displays or notetakers. They used it more for taking notes in meetings than for spreadsheets or presentations, and many had bought the devices themselves, especially notetakers (NRTC summary of McDonnall et al., 2024). The APH CareerConnect author above uses braille for case file labels, presentation notes, phone messages and reminders.

Does braille help you get a job? Two sources report a link, and both describe an association rather than proof:

• A review of 22 studies published between 1990 and 2018, by Emily Lund and Jennifer Cmar, found that reading braille, compared with reading only print, was positively associated with employment, as was a higher level of education. Being legally blind and having a second disability were negatively associated (NRTC summary).
• The NFB's 2009 report on braille literacy said a survey of 500 respondents by its Jernigan Institute found a correlation between reading braille and a higher education level, a higher likelihood of employment and a higher income (NFB).

So braille readers are employed more often, but these studies don't show that learning braille by itself gets anyone hired. People who read braille may also differ in education, age or when they lost their sight.

Your right to accommodations under the ADA

The EEOC's guidance on visual disabilities, issued in July 2023, sets out the basics (EEOC):

• Who it covers: private employers with 15 or more employees, and state and local governments. Some state laws also cover smaller employers.
• What employers must do: provide reasonable accommodations unless that would cause undue hardship, which the EEOC defines as "significant difficulty or expense."
• How to ask: there are no "magic words." You tell your employer you need a change at work because of an impairment, and you can ask at any time. A family member, friend or health professional can also make the request for you.
• Before a job offer: the employer may not ask about your medical condition. You don't have to disclose your vision unless you need an accommodation for the application itself. The employer can ask whether you can do the job's functions with or without accommodation.

For help planning a request, the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) offers "free, expert, and confidential guidance on workplace accommodations," and is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor (JAN). For a question about your own case, talk to JAN, your VR counselor or a lawyer.

Where to get help finding work in the US

Your state vocational rehabilitation agency

State vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies, funded through federal grants, help people with disabilities "prepare for and engage in competitive integrated employment," and offer pre-employment transition services to students. Some states have a separate VR agency just for people who are blind (RSA). The Rehabilitation Services Administration keeps a list of state VR agencies.

Ticket to Work

Ticket to Work is a Social Security program for people aged 18 through 64 who receive SSDI, SSI or both because of a disability. Participation is "free and voluntary." Through Employment Networks and state VR agencies, you can get career counseling, job placement and training, and support once you're working (Ticket to Work).

AbilityOne and National Industries for the Blind

National Industries for the Blind works with nearly 100 nonprofit agencies in 34 states and DC, and says it employed 5,142 people who are blind in fiscal year 2024, in manufacturing and professional services (NIB). It is one of the central nonprofit agencies of AbilityOne, whose service lines include contact centers, document management and warehousing.

Career resources and professional groups

• APH CareerConnect covers career exploration, finding a job, interviewing and keeping a job, with an online Job Seekers Toolkit and stories of blind and low-vision people at work (APH).
• Hadley has a Working with Vision Loss series with two short video workshops, "Staying on the Job" and "Talking With Your Employer," and you can open a no-cost account (Hadley).
• Professional groups let you talk with blind people already doing the job. The NRTC's national list includes the National Association of Blind Teachers, the American Blind Lawyers Association, ACB Human Services Professionals, ACB Governmental Employees, the National Association of Blind Office Professionals, the Blind Professional Journalists Group and the Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America (NTAC).

Learning braille as an adult

If you lost your sight as an adult, or want braille back for notes and labels at work, learning braille as an adult covers what changes when you start later and how to fit practice into a working week.

Braillito, our app, teaches the braille cells in lessons with exercises you play, with lives, levels and a daily streak: 59 lessons in 8 worlds in English. It also has a translator, a dictionary and a cell builder. Braillito is a subscription with no free version; depending on the plan, it starts with a free trial or a discounted first period, if it's your first subscription (is Braillito free?). Get Braillito.

Where to start

• Call your state VR agency. It's the main public program for job training and placement, and some states have one just for people who are blind.
• If you get SSDI or SSI, ask about Ticket to Work. You can use it with your VR agency or an Employment Network.
• List the tasks of the job you want, then the tool for each one. Reading mail, filling forms, using the company's software: the answer is usually a screen reader, a braille display, an app or a reader.
• Talk to someone who does the job. Professional groups and CareerConnect's stories are the quickest way to hear how a blind teacher, lawyer or developer actually works.
• Ask for accommodations in plain words. You don't need special phrasing, and JAN can help you work out what to ask for.

Frequently asked questions

What jobs do blind people do?

Almost every kind: software engineering and accessibility testing, customer service, office work and editing, teaching, law, counseling and rehabilitation, music, massage therapy, braille transcription, food service and running their own businesses. The EEOC's guidance includes examples from retail, kitchens, publishing, call centers and paralegal work, each with the accommodation that made the job work.

What is the employment rate for blind people?

In the US, 53.5% of adults aged 21 to 64 with a visual disability were employed in 2024, against 81.7% of people without a disability, according to Cornell's Disability Status Report. The NRTC on Blindness and Low Vision puts it at 52.3% for ages 18 to 64, using 2023 data.

Is it true that 70% of blind people are unemployed?

No. The NRTC on Blindness and Low Vision calls it a myth that mixes up being unemployed with not being in the labor force. Using 2023 data, it found that 8.1% of people with visual impairments who were in the labor force were unemployed, against 4.2% of the general population.

Can blind people work from home?

Yes, many jobs can be done remotely with a screen reader or braille display. The EEOC lists additional telework among reasonable accommodations, and one of its examples is a software engineer who gets full-time telework.

Do I have to tell an employer that I'm blind?

According to the EEOC, applicants don't have to disclose a vision impairment unless they need an accommodation for the application process, and employers may not ask about medical conditions before a conditional job offer. If you need an accommodation at work, you have to let the employer know, but you don't need any particular words.

What is Ticket to Work?

A free, voluntary Social Security program for people aged 18 through 64 who receive SSDI or SSI because of a disability. It connects you with Employment Networks and state VR agencies for career counseling, job placement, training and ongoing support.

Does knowing braille help you get a job?

Studies find that braille readers are more likely to be employed: a review of 22 studies by Lund and Cmar found reading braille positively associated with employment, and an NFB survey of 500 people found a correlation with employment and income. These are associations, not proof that braille alone leads to a job. At work, about two-thirds of the employed legally blind people in a 2024 NRTC study used braille.