The Bureau of Labor Statistics issued its report recently, and it’s clear that would-be American workers are still in distress. If, however, you find a 7.7 percent unemployment rate disturbing, try multiplying that figure by ten. For adults with impaired vision, the unemployment rate is between 70 and 80 percent — 10 times the national rate. If the general populace faced such circumstances, our economy would collapse.

More than 16 million working-age Americans are living with vision loss; three-quarters of them are currently out of work, dependent on government assistance. The positive social and economic impact of putting those people to work would be profound. Businesses and government can open the door to employment for people with impaired vision.