PEOPLE in Basingstoke who are visually impaired are being given the chance to gain employment through a new charity project.

The Pathway to Employment scheme, established by Open Sight Hampshire, provides coaching and practical support to people who have limited sight and who are finding it difficult to get a job.

An estimated 9,000 visually impaired people of working age live in Hampshire, but of these only around 25 per cent are currently in employment.

So far, 15 people have joined the scheme, three of which have already found paid employment, two have become self-employed and others are volunteering as a way of gaining experience.

The project offers one-to one support and includes helping develop participants’ skills to search for the right job, write an application form as well as interview techniques and presentation skills.

One person who has already benefited from working with Open Sight Hampshire is Zoe Legg from Basingstoke. Zoe’s central vision is affected so she only has limited peripheral vision, which affects every aspect of her daily life.

Despite this, she is a keen artist and is working on becoming self-employed and selling her work through online selling websites, as well as her own website and craft fairs.

Zoe said: “I have found it hard to get employment. I used to work in electronics and as a cleaner - up to the point when I began to make mistakes. I’ve had other jobs but realised with my visual impairment, I couldn’t keep up.

“It has been helpful having a personal coach – it’s given me back my self-belief and made me realise that I am capable of integrating back into society and have as much worth as anyone else. In the beginning selling my art was a pipe dream but now it is now becoming a reality – I have my own studio, I have been doing lots of research and I am looking into developing my own website. Just because you lose your vision does not mean that you should not be able to get back into the workplace.

“I do think that companies could do more to help/support people who are visually impaired. We have a lot to give, a lot value and talent. Employers shouldn’t be afraid to employ people who are blind.”

Jane Beesley, of Open Sight Hampshire, said: “Losing your sight can be a big blow to someone’s confidence and tasks like searching for a job can become very daunting. The feedback we’ve had so far has been extremely positive. All our participants say that they have been able to grow in confidence and develop new skills. We hope that we can help many more people get closer to employment as our project continues.”

More information about the Pathways to Employment project can be found at http://www.opensight.org.uk/new-pathway-employment