Vision loss affects more than sight. It can influence confidence, independence, relationships, and overall well-being. Researchers at the National Research & Training Center on Blindness & Low Vision (NRTC) are examining how Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies address the mental health needs of people who are blind or have low vision.
Why This Matters
Adjusting to vision loss can be emotionally challenging, with many individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, or isolation. These concerns often go unrecognized and can impact employment outcomes. Despite this connection, little is known about how well VR agencies identify and respond to mental health needs of individuals with blindness or low vision.
What the Project Involves
This national study examines how VR agencies support mental health through multiple approaches:
- Policy and planning review: Analysis of state VR plans under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and agency policies and procedures to identify mental health services, partnerships, and staff guidance.
- Provider insights: A nationwide survey of VR counselors to assess policy implementation, available resources, collaboration efforts, and responses to consumer mental health needs.
- Outcomes analysis: Integration of RSA-911 data to explore how agency practices relate to employment outcomes, considering factors such as age, education, and agency type.
- Identification of promising practices: Interviews with agencies that have good mental health policies in place to understand effective strategies in practice.
Turning Research into Action
Findings from this project will inform VR policy and practice related to mental health, with the goal of improving employment outcomes for people who are blind or have low vision. Results will be shared through publications, presentations, trainings, and an online course for VR professionals. The team also plans to develop a public-facing YouTube resource, Mental Health and You, to support individuals in understanding the connection between mental health and vision loss.
Training and Technical Assistance
New Job Search Training Program for Adults
The Job Search Blueprint is the NRTC’s new job search training program designed to strengthen job search knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy, with the goal of improving employment outcomes for adults with blindness or low vision. It includes 20 hours of content and covers topics such as disability disclosure, resume development, job search skills, and improving self-presentation. The program is suitable for vocational rehabilitation agencies and other organizations that prepare adults for employment. It can be delivered as a standalone program or integrated into an existing job readiness program. We are now offering two new training resources related to this new curriculum!
New Workshop: Become a Job Search Blueprint Trainer
Our Job Search Blueprint Train-The-Trainer workshop helps vocational rehabilitation professionals learn the structure, purpose, and delivery of the Job Search Blueprint curriculum so they can implement it effectively in their practice. The interactive, online trainer workshop (conducted via Zoom videoconferencing software) is intended for professionals who provide direct services to adults with visual impairments. At least two individuals from the same organization must attend the workshop together.
After successfully completing the workshop, participants will receive a certificate of completion and gain access to the full Job Search Blueprint curriculum and materials at no cost.
We are offering two train-the-trainer workshops this summer, but the workshops are currently full. To be notified of future trainer workshop opportunities, or the opportunity to join one of the scheduled workshops should others cancel, please join the Job Search Blueprint Waitlist.
If you have questions about the curriculum or trainer workshop, please contact Stephanie Welch-Grenier at swelchgrenier@colled.msstate.edu or 662-325-2001.
Explore Our Latest Course
We have a new course related to this curriculum! The Job Search Blueprint: Development and Efficacy of a Job Search Skills Training for Adults with Visual Impairment.
Looking for effective ways to support job seekers who are blind or have low vision? This self-paced course explores the development, delivery, and evaluation of the Job Search Blueprint, an evidence-based training program designed to improve job search skills, confidence, and employment outcomes.
Learn how this innovative program was adapted for virtual delivery, review findings from a randomized controlled trial, and discover practical strategies for addressing common résumé and interview challenges. You'll gain research-informed tools you can apply immediately in rehabilitation counseling and employment services.
This course is available for 1 CRC, ACVREP, and NBPCB credit.
All courses are available through our learning management system.
New Training Opportunity Coming Soon
Get ready to build knowledge and confidence in supporting individuals who are blind or have low vision!
Essentials for Blindness Professionals: Foundations in Blindness and Low Vision Rehabilitation is an engaging, 3-part virtual training designed for VR staff new to the field. Through interactive sessions, you'll explore common eye conditions, learn to interpret eye reports, and discover practical strategies that promote independence and employment success.
Collaborate through peer discussion, gain real-world insights, and strengthen your person-centered approach to case planning.
Registration opens this August -- For updates and enrollment details, contact Stephanie Welch-Grenier at swelchgrenier@colled.msstate.edu
Other NRTC News
Welcome Lea Mohammadi!
Please join us in welcoming Lea Mohammadi to the NRTC as our new Communications Coordinator.
Lea brings a diverse background in communications, media production, accessibility, and technology, along with a passion for creating meaningful connections through strategic communication. In this role, Lea will help share the important work of the NRTC with audiences across the country.
Welcome Hayden Pilkinton!
The NRTC is excited to welcome Hayden Pilkinton to the team. As our new Research Associate, she supports NIDILRR-funded research activities and coordinates state projects. Hayden is passionate about making information clear, meaningful, and accessible to diverse audiences. While earning her Bachelor of Arts in English, she served as a contributing writer for The Reflector, and as Co-Editor-In-Chief of The Streetcar, Mississippi State University’s undergraduate creative arts journal.
Welcome TJ Roberts!
The NRTC is excited to welcome TJ Roberts, our new Program Coordinator for the OIB-TAC. As Program Coordinator, TJ manages logistics, project scheduling, copy-editing, and formats written products, and collects and compiles information. TJ has served in a variety of roles, with over 15 years of experience in program logistics and enhancing the participant experience. He has previous work experience in recreation, outdoor education, higher education, private elementary/middle school, and pastoral care.
Help Shape Be My Mentor
The NRTC is conducting a research study in collaboration with Be My Eyes to explore whether short, one-time sessions delivered through the Be My Eyes app could be useful for providing career support for people who are blind or have low vision.
If you’re a Be My Eyes user or volunteer, age 18+, living in the U.S. or Canada, we’d love your input. Take a short survey here.
This study has been reviewed by Mississippi State University's HRPP and granted an Exemption Determination (Study # IRB-25-476).
New Advisory Board Spotlight: Q&A
This quarter, we're pleased to feature Matt Wieseler, Senior Vice President of Strategic Programs at National Industries for the Blind (NIB) and a member of the NRTC Advisory Council. Matt brings expertise in workforce development, strategic planning, and emerging employment trends affecting individuals who are blind or have low vision. In this spotlight, he shares his perspective on the future of work, the importance of collaboration, and the opportunities technology is creating for greater workplace inclusion.
1. In your role as Senior Vice President of Strategic Programs at NIB, what emerging trends or opportunities do you believe will have the greatest impact on employment for people who are blind or have low vision in the coming years?
AI is already reshaping the workplace. It is affecting employment in a range of industries, both positively and negatively. While some jobs will be at risk of AI-influenced automation, new job types will be created. Technology will continue to create more remote-work opportunities, reducing the need to deal with transportation issues and broadening the availability of career opportunities. AI is also expected to improve accessibility within the current workplace.
In NIB’s federal government operating environment, the push for domestically-sourced products is changing how our manufacturing partners approach supply chain management. When manufacturing does come back to the U.S., it is likely going be more advanced than when it left, involving automation, robotics, and yes, AI.
Regardless of career type, technology knowledge and usage will be more prevalent across a wider range of industries and job types.
2. What role do collaboration and partnerships among researchers, service providers, employers, and advocacy organizations play in advancing employment opportunities?
Simply put, partnerships allow subject-matter-experts to do what they do best and share their expertise for the benefit of the collective group.
In the case of the NRTC Advisory Council, Council Members are able to share what we know individually about the range of issues affecting individuals who are blind or low vision in their day-to-day lives. This knowledge sharing allows for more robust research projects. In turn, our individual organizations can leverage the research outcomes from NRTC to support our individual missions and strategic directions, regardless of where employment fits in that mission. This creates a cycle of continuous improvement of the employment landscape for individuals who are blind or low vision.
"Advanced technologies like AI, automation, and advanced manufacturing create opportunities to level the employment playing field for individuals who are blind or have low vision."
3. From your perspective, what are some of the most important strategies organizations can implement to improve employment outcomes for people who are blind or have low vision?
Important strategies include:
Educate hiring managers on the capacity and capability of individuals who are blind, to dispel persistent myths around hiring people who are blind or have low vision.
Leverage and incorporate accessibility and assistive technology within and across the organization for the benefit of all employees.
Focus on what knowledge and skills the employee who is blind or low vision brings to the table, for the benefit of the hiring organization.
"Technology will continue to create more remote-work opportunities, reducing the need to deal with transportation issues and broadening the availability of career opportunities."
4. Looking ahead, what developments give you the most optimism about the future of employment and career advancement for people who are blind or have low vision?
Advanced technologies like AI and automation/advanced manufacturing create an opportunity to level the employment playing field for individuals who are blind or have low vision, through both initial employment and career advancement.
"Partnerships allow subject-matter-experts to do what they do best and share their expertise for the benefit of the collective group."
5. What is one lesson you've learned throughout your career that continues to guide your work today?
Every day presents new challenges and opportunities, learn what you can from them all. And be curious.
To learn more about Matt, NIB (National Industries for the Blind) and the all resources available there, please visit their website at nib.org.
Publications, Presentations, and Miscellanies
Publications
Boydstun, J., McDonnall, M. C., & Cmar, J. L. (2026). Equal opportunities? Post-school employment outcomes for young adults with and without visual impairment. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness. Advance online publication.
Cmar, J. L., & Antonelli, K. (2026). Randomized controlled trial of a job search intervention for adults who are blind or have low vision. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin. Advance online publication
McDonnall, M. C., Antonelli, K., Schultz, E., & Marett, E. G. (2026). Generational differences in attitudes and knowledge about workers who are blind or have low vision. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness. Advance online publication.
Cmar, J. L., Steverson, A., & Smith, M. J. (in press). Initial effectiveness of Virtual Interview Training for Transition-Age Youth with visual impairments. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness.
McDonnall, M. C., Antonelli, K., & Marett, E. G. (in press). Providing exposure and education about blindness and low vision: An in-person meeting versus an interactive video. Journal of Rehabilitation.
Upcoming Presentations
Ottowitz, J. & Farrow, K. (2026, August 1). Solving the Community Outreach Conundrum. Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired(AER) International Conference. Louisville, KY.
Farrow, K. & Ottowitz, J. (2026, August 1). Choose Your Own Adventure? Applying Adult Learning Theory to Guide Client Decisions. Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired(AER) International Conference. Louisville, KY.
Ottowitz, J. & Farrow, K. (2026, August 5). Playing With Dots. Beyond Boundaries: Employment, Recreation, and the Great Outdoors, AVRT, Burlington, VT.
Webinars
July 17 (2:00 pm CDT) – Sensory Development: Harnessing the Power of Non-Visual Senses for Everyday Living
Discover the transformative role of sensory development in daily life for people with visual impairment. Professionals will gain practical, immediately usable exercises and strategies to help older adults apply sensory techniques to a variety of everyday tasks and mobility.
Available for 1 ACVREP credit. To learn more and register, visit our event page.