The street works and utilities sector has already proved itself to be one of the most forward-thinking parts of the infrastructure industry when it comes to disability inclusion. At the HAUC(UK) Convention tomorrow — 23rd April 2026 — Seema Flower of Blind Ambition will be on the stage at Emirates Old Trafford addressing the issue of accessibility in street works directly. The industry is listening. Now it has the chance to go further.
Because there is a harder question than how we make street works safer for disabled pedestrians — and it’s this: why aren’t more disabled people, and specifically blind and partially sighted people, working in this sector in the first place?
75% Are Not in Employment — Not for Lack of Ability
75% of blind and partially sighted people of working age are not in employment. That number is not the result of a lack of talent, drive or ambition. It is the result of a lack of opportunity — of assumptions that have never been tested, barriers that have never been removed, and a recruitment landscape that too often closes doors before it considers who might walk through them.
The street works and utilities sector, with its track record on accessibility and inclusion, is exactly the kind of industry that can be part of changing that.
What Technology Has Made Possible
The conversation about what jobs blind and partially sighted people can do has shifted dramatically in recent years — and it continues to shift. Assistive technology, screen readers, AI-powered tools and adaptive software have expanded the range of roles accessible to visually impaired people in ways that even five years ago would have seemed impossible.
Today, blind and partially sighted people work successfully in roles including: project management and coordination, scheduling and planning, stakeholder and community engagement, customer communications and complaints handling, policy, compliance and quality assurance, data analysis and reporting, training and HR, and senior leadership.
The assumption that a visually impaired candidate cannot contribute meaningfully to a street works or utilities organisation is rarely based on a careful review of what the role actually requires. When it is reviewed properly, the assumption is almost always wrong.
What Blind and Partially Sighted Employees Bring
The resilience required to navigate a world not designed for you does not disappear at the office door. It shows up every day, in every task, in every interaction.
Blind and partially sighted employees bring exceptional problem-solving under constraint, highly developed communication skills, the tenacity that comes from overcoming structural barriers daily, and a perspective on customer experience, accessibility and community impact that no amount of training can replicate from the outside.
These qualities matter in an industry whose daily work affects the lives of millions of people on the street. Having disabled people in the workforce does not just improve diversity metrics. It improves the quality of the decisions being made.
Access to Work Removes the Financial Barrier
One of the most persistent myths about employing disabled people is that it will be expensive. The Government’s Access to Work scheme is specifically designed to address this — and most employers in the sector don’t know it exists, or don’t fully understand what it covers.
Access to Work can fund specialist equipment and assistive technology, support workers and job coaches, travel to work where public transport is not accessible, workplace adaptations, and mental health and wellbeing support. It is available from day one of employment. The employer does not pay for it. The employee applies directly to the Department for Work and Pensions, and the support is funded by the Government.
For many roles — particularly office-based, administrative, coordination or customer-facing positions — the only adjustment required costs nothing at all.
The Industry Can Be Part of the Solution
Blind Ambition Recruitment has been created specifically to connect employers in construction, utilities, highways and infrastructure with talented blind and partially sighted candidates — and to give employers the information and confidence to hire well.
The platform exists because talented people exist. What is missing is opportunity. If your organisation can offer a role that a visually impaired person can do — and with modern technology, that list is longer than you might think — we want to help you fill it.
“I don’t just teach accessibility — I show people how to make it work in the real world. And that starts with organisations being willing to see who’s already in the room — and who should be.”
— Seema Flower, Founder and Managing Director, Blind Ambition
Post a Job. Drive Change.
If you’re at HAUC(UK) tomorrow, come and find Seema on the exhibition floor after her 11:00am session and have a conversation about what inclusive recruitment looks like in your organisation. If you’re not at the convention, visit recruitment.blindambition.co.uk to post a role or find out more. You can also contact us directly at recruitment-ops@blindambition.co.uk.
The street works industry has already shown the way on accessibility. Now it can show the way on employment too.
About Blind Ambition Recruitment
Blind Ambition Recruitment is the specialist employment platform from Blind Ambition, led by Seema Flower, who is registered blind. We connect employers across construction, utilities, highways, retail, healthcare and professional services with talented blind and partially sighted candidates. We also support employers with practical guidance on Access to Work, reasonable adjustments and inclusive onboarding — so knowledge is never a barrier to hiring well.
