Living conditions of blind people and people who suffer from severe visual impairment

Denmark has been a party to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities since 2009, and in line with this Convention, the overall goal of Danish disability policies is to ensure all Danish citizens equal opportunities, irrespective of any disabilities. This study describes the extent to which this aim has been achieved for blind people and people who suffer from severe visual impairment.

Based on citizens’ own experiences, the study provides a broad insight into the living conditions and participation in society for adults (aged 16 to 64 years) who are blind or who suffer from severe visual impairment. The report describes different factors related to training/education, employment, self-support , case work, discrimination, participation, quality of life and health for this group, compared with people with no physical or mental disabilities, and compared with people with other major physical disabilities.

The study shows that blind people and people who suffer from severe visual impairment generally perform worse than people with no disabilities. For example, their level of education is considerably lower and their labour market attachment is weaker than for the general population, and the study finds no signs of a positive development. Overall, the study provides a solid foundation for continued research into specific differences in living conditions for blind people and people who suffer from severe visual impairment compared with other groups of society.