“Pretty Much an Advocate as Well”: Investigating the Experiences of Self-Employed Individuals with Visual Impairments

Abstract

For individuals with visual impairments, self-employment offers the opportunity to customize work experiences specific to both their needs and abilities, and to design a work environment that takes flexibility and accommodations into account. In this paper, we describe an investigation to understand the experiences of fourteen self-employed individuals in the United States who identify as visually impaired to determine the role technology plays when either setting up and running a small business or when working as an independent contractor. Findings highlight experiences with the accessibility of tools used to aid business-related operations, challenges using these tools for purposes of compliance, issues relating to trust in third parties, and concerns for their business regarding disclosure of disability. This has led to discussions regarding the importance of agency, access to tailored education and training, and ways to support advocacy. Insights from our work offer benefits to researchers and designers interested in supporting self-employed individuals with visual impairments.