Design and content validation by expert judgment of an instrument for the labor and productive characterization of the visually impaired population

Abstract

In Colombia, employment rates of the visually impaired population are below those of the general population, and their income also tends to be lower. The absence of adequate instruments to characterize and identify their needs makes orienting labor inclusion processes difficult. A study aimed at designing and validating the content of an instrument for the labor and productive characterization of this population is presented. Based on the experience of the Instituto Nacional para Ciegos (National Institute for the Blind), a first version was designed and submitted for content validation by three experts who assessed its clarity, coherence, relevance, and completeness and provided comments and suggestions. Two rounds of evaluation were carried out. The degree of consistency of the evaluations was estimated with the Fleiss Kappa Coefficient. Contributions were considered to adjust the instrument. A final version was obtained with 47 items in three dimensions: general, academic and employment, and productive information. The instrument’s design, validation and implementation combine the efforts of academia and the State to characterize the visually impaired population in different cities of the country and contribute to the reduction of employment and income gaps.