[BlindTlk] The Unemployment Rate of The Blind

Mon Jan 14 21:35:16 UTC 2019

A caution about any scripts written by people who used to work for the
screen reader corporation.  If all that's available is binaries and the
source code isn't available you may as well see if you can find another
job.  The reason is when jaws version gets updated, the source code is
going to have to be rebuilt to get you a working binary that will work
with the updated version of jaws.  I ran into that situation with oracle
forms when I was working and the jaws update that was required to be
installed on the machine I used made the binaries unuseable.  All
FreedomScientific has for Oracle Forms is the binaries, the person who
wrote the source code took it with him when his employment got
terminated.

On Mon, 14 Jan 2019, Judy Jones via BlindTlk wrote:

> Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2019 16:07:12
> From: Judy Jones via BlindTlk <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
> To: 'Blind Talk Mailing List' <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Judy Jones <sonshines59 at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [BlindTlk] The Unemployment Rate of The Blind
>
> It might be very true their software would not be accessible, but on the otherhand, the reasons they had might not be valid either.
>
> When I was job hunting before I got the job from which I retired, I was interviewed by the small business owner, and he wanted to hire me, but I was told by my VR counselor that the software I would need was not accessible to Jaws.  Later I found out that someone had written sscripts for it, and that it, in fact, was accessible.  The counselor at that time didn't offer to bring in the AT state technologist, and I didn't know to ask for that assistance.
>
> The job I ended up with was a much better job, but I would have enjoyed working for that business.
>
> It's important to ensure that people aren't making these unilateral decisions based on lack of knowledge, and that something is truly not doable, and not just an opinion.
>
> Judy
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: BlindTlk [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Roanna Bacchus via BlindTlk
> Sent: Monday, January 14, 2019 12:12 PM
> To: Judy Jones via BlindTlk
> Cc: Roanna Bacchus
> Subject: Re: [BlindTlk] The Unemployment Rate of The Blind
>
> Hi Judy thanks for your message. I have been job hunting for three years. In 2017 I applied fol eight jobs and got rejected from every one of them. I applied to be a Communications Specialist with the Seminole County Sherriff's office. They determined that even with the use of Jaws I could not do the job.
>
> On Jan 14, 2019 3:03 PM, Judy Jones via BlindTlk <blindtlk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> >
> > Yes, this has been proven years ago, and it is a day by day education process.  The reason this is, that there are so few blind in comparison to other minority or disability groups, so we're some of the least understood.  This has always been the case.  Over the years, I have seen great strides in some areas, and technology has certainly helped this, but we still have a long way to go.
> >
> > Back in the day, we didn't have to worry about competitive technology.  For example, any blind person who had learned touch typing could use a typewriter and correcting tape to fix mistakes.
> >
> > Blind mechanics could do their job without having to deal with a computer diagnostic screen they might not have access to.
> >
> > We didn't have quiet cars, e-scooters, or obstructive vehicle-share issues or pop-up bus stops to deal with.
> >
> > On the other hand, back then, the only way to get at printed material was to have it brailled, read, or recorded, once recordings were possible.
> >
> > So, I think, now, in some ways, it is easier for blind people to make it, in other ways, harder.  The big plus now, is that we have all kinds of information available to us, just as our sighted counterparts, but we still are trying to figure out competitive ways of getting at and using this information, whether it's classroom access, or job site access.
> >
> > What concerns me is that over the years, unemployment among the blind hasn't seemed to go down, so the problem hasn't really been solved yet, in spite of our efforts.
> >
> > The way I look at it, though, is, there is always going to be that first day of discovery, whether small or great, that will further aid us in successful employment.
> >
> > Judy
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: BlindTlk [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Roanna Bacchus via BlindTlk
> > Sent: Monday, January 14, 2019 11:35 AM
> > To: blindtlk at nfbnet.org
> > Cc: Roanna Bacchus
> > Subject: [BlindTlk] The Unemployment Rate of The Blind
> >
> > Dear Members,
> >
> > Today I was reading a report about the employment outcome for the blind and the Vocational Rehabilitation system. Factors such as assistive technology, braille, Orientation and mobility, and independent living all contribute to the blind being able to attain employment. Vocational Rehabilitation counselors work tirelessly to provide employment opportunities for their clients. Employment Placement Specialists also provide job opportunities for blind clients who receive Vocational Rehabilitation services. I think that the low expectations of others have contributed to the low unemployment rate of the blind. What are your thoughts on this topic?
> >
> > Roanna Bacchus
> > _______________________________________________
> > BlindTlk mailing list
> > BlindTlk at nfbnet.org
> > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk_nfbnet.org
> > To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for BlindTlk:
> > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindtlk_nfbnet.org/sonshines59%40gmail.com
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > BlindTlk mailing list
> > BlindTlk at nfbnet.org
> > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk_nfbnet.org
> > To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for BlindTlk:
> > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindtlk_nfbnet.org/rbacchus228%40gmail.com
> _______________________________________________
> BlindTlk mailing list
> BlindTlk at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for BlindTlk:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindtlk_nfbnet.org/sonshines59%40gmail.com
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> BlindTlk mailing list
> BlindTlk at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for BlindTlk:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindtlk_nfbnet.org/jdashiel%40panix.com
>

-- 