Disentangling the Impact of Assistive Interfacing Technology on Work Engagement of Visually Impaired Employees

Assistive Interfacing Technology (AIT) has been widely embraced by people with visual impairment in workplace. This study investigates the effect of AIT function usage on the work engagement of people with visual impairment through the mediating mechanisms of IT self-efficacy and stigma consciousness. Analyzing data collected from a survey of 118 employees with visual impairment who utilize AIT in workplace, we reveal that usage of select AIT functions exert differential impact on IT self-efficacy and stigma consciousness of employees with visual impairment. We further discover that IT self-efficacy positively affects work engagement while the opposite holds true for stigma consciousness. This study tends to contribute to extant literature on assistive technology by demarcating among distinct functions of AIT and examining their effects on work engagement of employees with visual impairment. It also advances understanding of the relationship between AIT function usage and work engagement by unraveling its underlying mechanism.