"My Brother Is a School Principal, Earns About $80,000 Per Year... But When the Kids See Me, 'Wow, Uncle, You Have 1500 Followers on TikTok!'": A Study of Blind TikTokers' Alternative Professional Development Experiences

TL;DR

This study explores how visually impaired individuals use TikTok for professional development, revealing an inclusive, flexible, and personalized alternative to traditional career growth methods, with implications for fostering equity.

Contribution

It introduces an in-depth analysis of BlindTokers' experiences, highlighting digital skills and proposing design strategies for more inclusive professional opportunities.

Findings

BlindTokers pursue diverse goals and strategies.

TikTok serves as an inclusive platform for professional growth.

The approach is more flexible and personalized than traditional models.

Abstract

One's profession is an essential part of modern life. Traditionally, professional development has been criticized for excluding people with disabilities. People with visual impairments, for example, face disproportionately low employment rates, highlighting persistent gaps in professional opportunities. Recently, there has been growing research on social media platforms as spaces for more equitable career development approaches. In this paper, we present an interview study on the professional development experiences of 60 people with visual impairments on TikTok (also known as "BlindTokers"). We report BlindTokers' goals, strategies, and challenges, supported by detailed examples and in-depth analysis. Based on the findings, we identify that BlindTokers' practices reveal an alternative professional development approach that is more flexible, inclusive, personalized, and diversified than traditional models. Our study also extends professional development research by foregrounding emerging digital skills and proposing design implications to foster more equitable and inclusive professional opportunities.