• About this study
• Findings

Circumstances of people with sight loss | Findings

Secondary analysis of Understanding Society and The Life Opportunities Survey

People with sight loss are less likely to have a job

After controlling for different age and sex profiles, they are twice as likely as people without any impairment to be unemployed and looking for work. The recession was likely to have had a disproportionate impact on this group.

 

Affording the basic necessities is harder for people with sight loss

They are less likely than people without any impairment to be able to afford an annual holiday, eat fish or meat every other day, and keep their home warm in winter.

 

Half of people with sight loss experience access difficulties outside the home

And not only that: a fifth experience access problems even within their own home.

 

Accessing health and other services can be problematic

People with sight loss were three times more likely to have difficulty accessing health care services than those without impairment. Other services also posed a problem.

 

Hate crime and disability discrimination remain issues for people with sight loss

People with sight loss were twice as likely as people with another type of impairment to have experienced discrimination because of their disability. They were also three times more likely than people with no impairment to have been the victim of a hate crime.