Seventeen parties have signed the inclusion pact VIP-IT. Their goal: to help more visually impaired people (VIP) get a job in ICT. According to them, this sector is ideally suited for this and the demand for personnel is great. After an accessible retraining program, the blind and visually impaired participants can immediately start working as software developers. The first five participants in VIP-IT will start in September.
The pact between employers, supporters and businesses is badly needed to increase the employment rate of visually impaired and blind people, say the signatories of VIP-IT. After all, 71 percent do not have paid work while VIPs want it. They encounter all kinds of problems in finding and keeping work, such as inaccessible assessments, workplaces and software. The Bartiméus Fund, Incluvisie and the Hogeschool van Amsterdam are the initiators of the inclusion pact VIP-IT that should put an end to all these problems.
According to the initiators, the ICT sector offers plenty of opportunities for people with visual impairments, for example as developers. Within the VIP-IT project, an existing retraining program to become a software developer is therefore made accessible to people who are visually impaired or blind. In addition, they are linked to an IT employer where they can start work immediately. The first five participants in VIP-IT will start in September.
