ABSTRACT
This chapter presents eight stories told by six visually impaired women and two visually impaired men who have followed commercial and manual occupations. Sheila and Susan worked in banks and building societies and were made redundant when telephony was centralised. Richard, Jane and Mary worked as shorthand typists and were all trained at specialist colleges. Jane left work early due to ill health and Mary and Richard retired early when shorthand typing became obsolete with the introduction of computers. Yvonne and Annette worked in factories, and did various other manual occupations, while Steve, who lost his sight in adulthood, was employed in sheltered workshops where he became heavily involved in union affairs. Yvonne, Annette, Sheila and Steve all received rehabilitation at RNIB establishments.
