Group-based trajectory analysis of longitudinal employment patterns and predictors for adults with visual impairments

A substantial gap in employment rates has been documented between people with and without visual impairments, but most employment-related research for people with visual impairments has focused on employment at one time point. The purpose of this study was to examine longitudinal employment trajectories by visual impairment and investigate factors associated with trajectories for people with visual impairments. The data source was the 2014 Panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation. Participants were 816 adults with visual impairments and a matched comparison group of 816 adults without visual impairments. We used group-based trajectory modeling to estimate employment trajectories, identify predictors of trajectory group membership, and explore the impact of health on employment trajectories. Visual impairment was associated with a lower probability of membership in the Rising, Declining, and High employment trajectory groups compared to the Low group. Predictors of trajectory group membership included disability benefit receipt, non-visual disabilities, gender, race, age, and education. Fair or poor health was associated with decreases in all four trajectories over time. Visual impairment is a risk factor for not working across multiple years. Disability benefit receipt was the strongest predictor of trajectory group membership for this population.