Two teen girls, one African American and the other White, making a heart-shape over their faces

FOCUS ON YOUR FUTURE!

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FREE LOS ANGELES EVENT

OCTOBER 15, 2022 9AM-5PM

CAL STATE LA LOT 5

While aging is the most common reason for the deterioration of sight, research suggests that an estimated 1.62-million Americans younger than age 40, have lost their visual acuity or are blind. DID YOU KNOW? There is a higher risk of vision loss among Hispanic and Black individuals, compared with their White peers. (source) Our free community vision fair is an important step in preventing unnecessary vision loss. Join us at Cal State Los Angeles and learn how to better FOCUS ON YOUR FUTURE!

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VISION LOSS IN AMERICA

Low vision is the leading cause of disability in the United States. Consider these facts:

7.5-MILLION

Americans are living with uncorrectable vision loss, including more than 1-million who are living with blindness.

16-MILLION

Americans have undiagnosed vision impairments.

80%

of visual impairment are considered preventable through access to basic health resources such as vision care, glasses and education.

2050

The number of Blind, low vision and Visually Impaired (BVI) people is expected to DOUBLE by 2050.

20%

of ALL of American school-age children have undiagnosed vision conditions which negatively impact them academically.

85%

of k-12 BVI students attend public schools but really need the help of itinerant special education teachers to thrive.

only 10%

of BVI students are learning to read or code in braille, which is a critical literacy and directly linked to employability.

Green chalk board with E=MC squared. Image by Artturi Jalli

70%

of blind + visually impaired students are AT LEAST one grade level behind in STEM subjects. 20% are five grade levels behind.

44 of 50

American states report shortages of special educators with 40-50% of new recruits leaving the field within 5 years.

37%

of blind, low vision and vision-impaired k-12 students historically graduate from high school. High school dropouts are almost three times as likely to be unemployed than college graduates.

African american guy squinting while looking at mobile phone screen at home, copy space, b

AT
EQUITY

Assistive Tech (AT) has access and usage barriers that unfairly disadvantaging poorer BVI people. This digital divide is a human rights issue.

8-in-10

people with disabilities struggle to find work. If disabled workers experienced the same employment rate as those without a disability, nearly 14-million more disabled people would have been employed last year.

Sign with the word "NO" on it, buried in dirt. Image by Jakayla Toney

IMPLICIT BIAS

is the most common barrier to the employment of people with (visual) disabilities.

Sign on street with the words "FOR HIRE" on it. Image by Clem Onojeghuo

67%

of employers can not identify how BVI persons perform any typical job task.

TOP 10

Vision loss and blindness are among the top 10 disabilities in the United States, causing substantial social, economic and psychological effects, including increased morbidity, increased mortality and decreased quality of life.

77-MILLION

American minority adults have low health literacy, putting their families in jeopardy for vision loss.

5x MORE OFTEN

Glaucoma occurs about 5-times more often in African Americans, and blindness is about 6-times more common as compared to other races.

66%

LatinX have a 66% higher risk of developing diabetes (which can lead to vision loss) than their white peers.

80%

of Asian Americans are affected by Myopia (nearsightedness).

RAPID GROWTH

Job outlook for eye-health related career fields is projected to grow, including non-clinical careers, yet too few minorities consider these options.