Partnership Opens Up Employment and Advancement Possibilities

CHICAGO, May 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- For six years, Chicago Lighthouse employee Kendra has answered calls and provided basic information to patients contacting UI Health, the University of Illinois Chicago's health system. Kendra, who is blind, excelled at her work and wanted to advance in her career. Unfortunately, outdated technology that was incompatible with the screen-reading software Kendra used to navigate digital services meant that on occasions when a caller wanted to schedule an appointment, Kendra had to pass the call off to a sighted colleague.

Earlier this year, Kendra, who has Master of Social Work from Dominican University, was promoted to Medical Scheduler for UI Health, thanks to a partnership between The Chicago Lighthouse, UI Health, and Epic, the company behind the most widely-used and comprehensive health records software. Over several months, the three organizations worked together to optimize Epic for users who are blind or visually impaired. As a long-time client of The Chicago Lighthouse's social service enterprise Call Centers, UI Health executives wanted to be sure the social service organization's employees who are blind or visually impaired could seamlessly transition to Epic, which the health system had selected for its new platform. The upgrade, which rolled out earlier this year, will help people who are blind or visually impaired throughout the world.

"With the implementation of Epic's enhanced usability, I am happy to see my career develop and take off," says Kendra, who is now training other users with visual impairments on how to use the software. "With more opportunities for career advancement, I can better support myself and family, and put my advanced degrees and education to better use."

Only 44% of people with visual impairments are employed in the United States, compared with 79% of the general population, according to the American Foundation for the Blind.¹ By working with The Chicago Lighthouse's Digital Accessible Experience consultants – I.T. professionals who are themselves blind and certified in digital accessibility – Epic and UI Health are working to provide employment opportunities to people with visual impairments and developing diverse and inclusive workforces.

 "For years, people with low vision have had limited advancement opportunities as medical schedulers, not because of a lack of ambition or capability, but because the scheduling platforms are not compatible across the wide variety of available adaptive technologies," said Janet P. Szlyk, Ph.D., President and CEO of The Chicago Lighthouse. "Thanks to this partnership, people who are blind, visually impaired, or who have other difficulties navigating visual interfaces can now build careers as medical schedulers, trainers, and supervisors within The Chicago Lighthouse and elsewhere."

Thursday, May 20, is the Global Accessibility Awareness Day. To promote digital access and inclusion, The Chicago Lighthouse is hosting several events highlighting importance of accessibility (including webinars with DAX consultants and a conversation with GAAD Founder Joe Devon) and why businesses and other organizations can make their digital properties more accessible. More information is available at  www.chicagolighthouse.org/gaad.

For more information, contact: Aaron Baar at The Chicago Lighthouse 312-997-3662 or [email protected].

About The Chicago Lighthouse
Serving the blind, visually impaired, disabled, and Veteran communities through innovative education, rehabilitation, employment, assistive technology, and other programs, The Chicago Lighthouse is one of the nation's most comprehensive social service organizations. For additional information, visit www.chicagolighthouse.org.

¹ https://www.afb.org/research-and-initiatives/employment/reviewing-disability-employment-research-people-blind-visually

SOURCE The Chicago Lighthouse