Glimpses
CNIB LAUNCHES
EMPLOYABILITY CAMPAIGN
The CNIB has launched an EmployAbility
campaign, calling on employers to look past
misconceptions about hiring people who are
blind or partially sighted.
Vision loss can happen to anyone, at any age
– and when it does, it can have a serious, negative
impact on employment potential. At half a
million and rapidly growing, Canadians who are
blind or partially sighted comprise a significant
portion of the nation's population. Of these,
over 100,000 are working age adults. The
employment rate among Canadians with vision
loss is strikingly low: 38 per cent versus 73 per
cent for people without a disability. And approximately half of Canadians who are blind or
partially sighted live on a low income of $20,000
a year or less.
According to a new Ipsos survey, 70 per cent of
Canadians say, if faced with two fully qualified
candidates, they would hire a sighted job candidate over a blind one. This inequity is rooted in
widely held misconceptions and stigmas about
the perceived abilities of people who are blind.
Barriers to employment are rooted in lack of experience working with an individual with vision
loss, as well as lack of understanding about how
someone with vision loss performs their job.
Today, working with a colleague who is blind
or partially sighted is really no different than
working with anyone else.
CNIB's EmployAbility campaign features a series
of public service announcements challenging
misconceptions about what it's like to work with
someone with vision loss. The PSAs, made possible by Government of Canada funding, feature
real people who are blind playing the roles,
not actors.
TRIBRID LENSES NOW AVAILABLE
IN NORTH AMERICA
PPG, Thai Optical Group and Global Optics Inc. have
introduced TRIBRID lenses in North America.
The companies announced on Sept. 13, 2016, the highperformance high-index lenses, available in semi-finished
single vision clear lenses, are compatible with digital
free-form processing and antireflective coatings.
“TRIBRID material is a unique, unprecedented approach
to high-index lenses and is ideal for eye care professionals
who want to offer a fully optimized visual experience to
patients with more demanding vision-correction needs,”
said Philip Wojcik, PPG general manager, optical monomers
and coatings. “We are excited to partner with Thai Optical
Group and Global Optics to bring this new high-index
lens technology to North America.”
APPLICATIONS FOR THE TRANSITIONS
OPTICAL 2016 STUDENTS OF
VISION SCHOLARSHIP BEING
ACCEPTED UNTIL DEC. 2
The Transitions Optical Inc. 2016 Students of Vision
Scholarship Program aims to support the next generation
of eyecare professionals through a partnership with the
Opticians Association of Canada (OAC).
Opticianry, optometry and paraoptometric students from
across Canada are all eligible to apply for the chance to win
the top prizes of $2,500, $1,500 and $500.
To enter, applicants must develop a project in the form of
an essay, presentation or video that demonstrates how, as
future eyecare professionals, they will educate patients
and research the best optical lens solutions to make sure
they are protected against harmful blue light and UV.
All submissions should be sent to StudentsofVision@
Transitions.com by December 2, 2016. The winners will
beannounced on December 16, 2016.
34 Optical Prism | November 2016