[humanser] The NFB Where The Blind Work Needs Human Services Job Descriptions

[Shannon Cook]

Hi,

Below is my response.

1.       Shannon Cook
Commission for the Blind
Counselor for the Senior Blind
Work address:
1430 Confederate Ave.
PO Box 2467
Columbia, SC 29202
(803) 898-8809
scook at sccb.sc.gov


2.  My job involves doing in-home training with seniors who are losing their vision to the point that it interferes with daily activities.  I work with them to aid in communication, kitchen, personal hygiene, housekeeping, sewing, and medication management.  I refer them to our low vision clinic and for mobility training.  I cannot do those myself; because, it requires special certification.  If a consumer is interested in computer training, I refer them for that too.  Usually I have anywhere from 2-3 visits in home and they see the low vision specialist as well.

3.  I was born with congenital Cataracts and developed Glaucoma at the age of 3.  I now have acuity of counting fingers.  I use a long white cane.  For my job, the agency provides a driver.  I take a laptop with JAWS.  I have made all of my forms into an accessible format on the computer that I can tab through to complete in the consumer's home.  There are only about 3 forms that have to be signed in hard copy.  Since I cannot tell where the line is, I have a family member or my driver instruct the consumer where to sign.  A lot of what I do is to talk with the client to ease their mind about what blindness is and is not.  There are a few other instances, like marking appliances with bump dots, that I use sighted assistance for.  Otherwise, I am able to conduct the rest of the work myself.  I give the consumer aids to help them regain their independence at home.

4.  A bachelor's degree was required.  I have a Master of Social Work degree that I obtained 10 years ago.  There were no other special requirements.  The Master's degree accounted for the years of experience asked for, but it was not a requirement.

5.  The Commission for the Blind was able to provide me with the adaptive software and some other technology needed.

Shannon Cook, MSW
Older Blind Counselor
SC Commission for the Blind
(803) 898-8809  Office
(803) 898-8867  Fax
PO Box 2467
Columbia, SC 29202

-----Original Message-----
From: humanser-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:humanser-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Robert Newman
Sent: Saturday, August 22, 2009 7:47 AM
To: human services list
Subject: [humanser] The NFB Where The Blind Work Needs Human Services Job Descriptions

The NFB Where The Blind Work Needs Human Services Job Descriptions

We need descriptions of all types of jobs considered to be within Human
Services (social worker, social worker assistant, counselor, etc.) and how
you do them. Your description will be added to the NFB's "Where The Blind
work," a new and ever growing resource of career descriptions and how the
blind compete within them. A great resource to assist youth to plan for
future employment and for the adult who is looking to change jobs and/or
careers.

Your description must follow the below five question format:
When completed please email them to me at newmanrl at cox.net

 (A * indicates a required field):

1. * Name, * Industry in which you work, * Job title, Address 1, Address 2,
City, State, Zip Code, Phone number, E-mail,

* 2. Please explain to us what any worker would do on this job (specialized
blindness alternatives will appear below).

* 3. Please tell us the cause of your blindness. Then, let us know about the
alternative methods and/or techniques you use to perform your job.

* 4. Please let us know of any required special training, education,
certificates, experience, etc. needed for this job.

* 5. Please tell us about anyone or anything that aided you to be
successful.

(A joint project between the Jernigan Institute and the NFB Writers'
Division; for all people)

President NFB Writers' Division
Robert Leslie Newman
Email- newmanrl at cox.net
Division Website-
Http://www.nfb-writers-division.org

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