[Blindtlk] Interesting Note on Signatures

[Gary Wunder]

I wish your counselor had assigned a rehab teacher to help you.  
Perhaps you can try filing a case just for this purpose.  It 
should fall under adjustment to blindness rather than VR.



 ----- Original Message -----
From: "Graves, Diane" <dgraves at icrc.IN.gov
To: "'Blind Talk Mailing List'" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Wed, 20 Apr 2011 08:43:41 -0400
Subject: [Blindtlk] Interesting Note on Signatures


Good Morning All,

In light of our recent discussion on the importance of signing 
documents legibly,  I just thought you might be interested in my 
recent interactions with Voc.  Rehab regarding the issue.  As I 
mentioned, I have a case currently open with them because I 
needed to get some work related assistive technology upgraded.  
So,, following our discussion I decided to ask my counselor if, 
given the fact that I had a case open, I could get someone to 
work with me on addressing my deficit.

Now let me preface by saying that the last thing I intend or want 
to do is give this particular counselor a bad name.  With regard 
to the work-related items, this is absolutely the best and most 
efficient service that I have ever received from VR in any of the 
3 states in which I have had services.  He was great.  I didn't 
get all of the technology that I would have liked, but I got the 
things I needed, and I got them quickly.  I couldn't believe it.  
It was amazing.

However, when I asked about the signature I was told that, 
anything that VR provided had to be necessary in order to get or 
retain a job.  He said a legible signature didn't fall under this 
category, and so VR couldn't provide this training.  He said 
that, in order to receive such training I would have to have a 
statement from my employer indicating that my job was in jeopardy 
if I didn't learn to sign my name correctly.

Well, of course, this is not the case.  Not only has my signature 
never been questioned, but I rarely have to sign my name on the 
job, save for the occasional performance reviews, benefits forms, 
acknowledgement of policy changes and so forth.  So my Job 
certainly isn't in jeopardy
[cid:image002.gif at 01CBFF34.944DF3B0] It just amazed me that, not 
only did he not seem to think this skill was worth addressing, 
but it took a while to even get him to understand exactly what I 
was asking for.

While I think this policy is very misguided, and am not even sure 
that it is accurate, at least from a national perspective, I'm 
not going to fight it..  I guess I have gotten along for 48 years 
without a problem, so I don't anticipate any to come.  I need to  
choose my battles, I guess.  It was just really difficult for me 
to understand their stance, and it has made me wonder how many 
other blind people have been denied the adjustment skills that 
they need.

Diane Graves
Civil Rights Specialist
Indiana Civil Rights Commission
Alternative Dispute Resolutions Unit
317-232-2647

"It is service that measures success."
George Washington Carver

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