[blindLaw] Interviewing whilevisually impaired

Sanho Steele-Louchart sanho817 at gmail.com
Fri Mar 10 08:35:24 UTC 2023 

Danny and Rob,

You can't imagine how harmful and disrespectful it is to espouse such
beliefs on a public forum. At the very least you have no idea how many
trans people read your message yesterday or will run across it in
archives in the future. Please note sections IV of the NFB's Code of
Conduct, which states:

". . . we do not condone the use of demeaning, derogatory, or
discriminatory language, action, or any other form of expression
intended to marginalize an individual or group. The National
Federation of the Blind does not tolerate discrimination on the basis
of. .  . gender identity and expression, sexual orientation. . ."

The National Federation of the Blind stands against transphobia within
the blindness community, and that includes on this list.

Sanho

Sanho Steele-Louchart, Chair
National Federation of the Blind LGBT+ Group



On 3/9/23, Rob Hudson via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> True enough. DEI only counts when it's the favored groups.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Danny Mack via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
> To: "'Blind Law Mailing List'" <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: dlmlaw at sbcglobal.net
> Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2023 20:24:08 -0600
> Subject: Re: [blindLaw] Interviewing whilevisually impaired
>
>> Diversion, equity and inclusion isn't a concept of policy. Rather, it is
>> an
>> agenda to promote the lgbtq lifestyle. It is intended to include men who
>> think they are women. It was never about inclusion of the blind.
>>
>> dan
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: BlindLaw <blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Rob Hudson via
>> BlindLaw
>> Sent: Thursday, March 9, 2023 6:01 PM
>> To: Blind Law Mailing List <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: Rob Hudson <rob_hudson_3182 at gmx.com>
>> Subject: Re: [blindLaw] Interviewing whilevisually impaired
>>
>> It's sad that with all the screaming about diversity, equity and
>> inclusion,
>> we are still lef tfar, far behind.
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: Paul Harpur via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
>> To: Blind Law Mailing List <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: Paul Harpur <paulharpur at gmail.com>
>> Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2023 09:39:56 +1000
>> Subject: Re: [blindLaw] Interviewing whilevisually impaired
>>
>> > If you are blind the law firm, government or NGO will probably want to
>> know how you operate.  so I ask for a separate interview to discuss the
>> how
>> I operate being blind.  so I take the disability out of the interview
>> 100%
>> by putting it into a separate interview process.  it gives me the
>> advantage
>> of meeting people, sometimes before the other interview.  thatis really
>> neat
>> incidentally.  you get to meet the ITS person, perhaps a lawyer or
>> partner
>> or director.  you get a relaxed opportunity.  then in the work interview
>> you
>> have some of the relationships you can build upon.
>> hiding is understandable, but the problem is you get the firms that may
>> not
>> hire someone with a disability.
>> If you can, get contact with partners before applying.  grad jobs are
>> harder
>> obviously, but that is still viable.
>> also talk to your profs about thier contacts during the degree.
>>
>>
>> On 3/10/23, Jen Barrow via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> > I in theory agree with the wisdom of not disclosing blindness prior to
>> > an interview. But, just a note to add that the considerations may
>> > shift when applying for positions in the nonprofit legal sector. In
>> > practice, I have ended up disclosing either disability generally or
>> > blindness specifically in many of my cover letters for public interest
>> > positions. It's of course an individualized assessment based on each
>> > job
>> announcement.
>> >
>> > -Jen
>> >
>> >
>> > -----Original Message-----
>> > From: BlindLaw <blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Angie Matney
>> > via BlindLaw
>> > Sent: Thursday, March 9, 2023 12:41 PM
>> > To: Blind Law Mailing List <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
>> > Cc: Angie Matney <angie.matney at gmail.com>
>> > Subject: Re: [blindLaw] Interviewing whilevisually impaired
>> >
>> > I have generally had better luck  when I chose not to disclose my
>> > blindness prior to my first interview. This was the approach I took
>> > when interviewing with my two previous firms. Things were different
>> > with my current position because several colleagues from my prior firm
>> > lateraled to my current firm before I did, so people knew about my
>> > blindness from the get-go. I generally ask interviewers if they are
>> > interested in the technology I use. Sometimes, they ask for more
>> > information, though resulting discussions are generally pretty
>> > high-level.  Other times, they say that my experience demonstrates I
>> > can do the job. I would disclose blindness prior to the first
>> > interview if I thought doing so would be advantageous, but I probably
>> would not do so in most cases. Interesting to read the different
>> prospectives of others.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Sent from my iPhone
>> >
>> >> On Mar 9, 2023, at 12:20 PM, Aser Tolentino via BlindLaw
>> >> <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> >>
>> >> ?Good morning,
>> >> I think it s a fine line to walk when it comes to addressing the
>> >> subject and will very depending on the circumstances. If the
>> >> conversation goes in that direction naturally, demonstrating your
>> >> comfort with adapting to new systems can go a long way toward
>> >> addressing any reservations, however inappropriate they may be. The
>> >> priority first and foremost is to show off what you as a person bring
>> >> to the table. For some interviewers, I ve found that a conversation
>> >> about assistive technology turns into a dialogue about diverse
>> >> perspectives, or an opportunity to discuss how technology can improve
>> >> on
>> productivity more generally,and sometimes it never comes up.
>> >>
>> >>> On Mar 9, 2023, at 8:58 AM, James Fetter via BlindLaw
>> >>> <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> >>>
>> >>> ?I think it s fine to disclose pre-interview. And while I agree that
>> >>> the focus of the interview should be on your credentials and ability
>> >>> to do the job, it s always a good idea to signal openness to
>> >>> discussing accommodations and how you might handle various
>> >>> situations. The interviewer won t know anything about accessibility
>> >>> of firm software, but if you blow them away, they ll find a way to
>> >>> make
>> things work.
>> >>>
>> >>> Sent from my iPhone
>> >>>
>> >>>>> On Mar 9, 2023, at 10:14 AM, Rod Alcidonis via BlindLaw
>> >>>>> <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> >>>>
>> >>>> ?Hi Sara:
>> >>>>
>> >>>> Other than sharing briefly with the interviewer that you are
>> >>>> visually impaired to avoid uncomfortable camera situations, in my
>> >>>> view, the interview is not the time to discuss any of those issues.
>> >>>> You need to convey that you are able to perform the job with or
>> >>>> without reasonable accommodations. The examples you share in your
>> >>>> responses should be evident of your ability to perform the
>> responsibilities of the position.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> If you are just entering the workforce, you may need to practice
>> >>>> with a trusted colleague to get you to perform at that level, but I
>> >>>> personally do not believe it will be to your benefit to turn your
>> >>>> interview into a blindness assistive technology education.
>> >>>>
>> >>>>
>> >>>> Rod,
>> >>>>
>> >>>>
>> >>>>
>> >>>>
>> >>>> Rod Alcidonis
>> >>>>
>> >>>>
>> >>>>
>> >>>> -----Original Message-----
>> >>>> From: BlindLaw <blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Sarah
>> >>>> Badillo via BlindLaw
>> >>>> Sent: Thursday, March 9, 2023 9:18 AM
>> >>>> To: blindlaw at nfbnet.org
>> >>>> Cc: Sarah Badillo <sbadillo100 at gmail.com>
>> >>>> Subject: [blindLaw] Interviewing whilevisually impaired
>> >>>>
>> >>>> Hello, I was wondering if anyone had any tips on job interviews
>> >>>> while visually impaired. I know that with each job interview, it s
>> >>>> necessary to explain your visual impairment, and there may be a
>> >>>> shock to the interviewer upon discovering this fact. When and how
>> >>>> do you think is the best time and method to broach the subject with
>> >>>> them. I think the biggest question for them is whether the
>> >>>> applicant can perform as an attorney, whether they can handel a
>> >>>> large volume of cases and for us, whether the software they use
>> >>>> will be accessible with jaws. Any advice would bee appreciated.
>> >>>> Thanks
>> in advance.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> Sent from my iPhone
>> >>>> _______________________________________________
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>> >>>>
>> >>>>
>> >>>> _______________________________________________
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>> >>>
>> >>>
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