[humanser] JOBS

Fri Jan 2 02:21:38 UTC 2009

Ronit,
Your journey has been arduous but this arrival must be a relief. To have 
waited, anticipated and expected only to be denied must have been 
disappointing and even more aggravating to learn that the underhanded, 
verbal denial absolve them of the real responsibilities of their role and 
deed. I am ecstatic that you had solid, secure connections who could 
recognize your aptitude and capacity and the endorsement paid off. I am 
really excited for you and wish you the best in your new endeavor. Your 
passion for genetic counseling and the strength and commitment you shared 
when you presented at a Human Services Division meeting still strikes me. 
Your dedication and professionalism make you a prime candidate and a 
valuable asset to any parent or family who may be facing the questions and 
considerations accompanied by the information that is imparted through your 
interaction. Your work is meaningful and your presence in the role is big! 
Thanks for sharing the successful outcome.  I have yet to hire a reader 
outside of school so, I have little insight in that regard but, I know some 
on the list who have extensive experience in this area and will have good 
tips and ideas. All the best in 2009 and beyond in your new position.
Warmly,
Mary

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ronit Ovadia" <rovadia82 at gmail.com>
To: "Human Services Mailing List" <humanser at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, January 01, 2009 5:04 PM
Subject: Re: [humanser] JOBS

> Hi Mary, JD and all,
> Thanks for all your congratulations. Since many of you have asked, I'll 
> summarize how my year went and how it ended with me getting a job. Be 
> forewarned, this will be a rather long message. :)
>
> I started my job search last December and went on several interviews 
> between January and June. Many places I never even heard back from, and a 
> few I got rejection letters. The major place I applied to during this 
> period was Genzyme, a company which creates genetic tests for prenatal 
> patients but also hires genetic counselors so they can contract them out 
> to private doctors' offices. In the Los Angeles area where I am located, 
> they have the monopoly of jobs. Almost all hospitals and doctors' offices 
> use Genzyme so I was really hoping I could work there. I applied in March, 
> and got called in for two interviews in May. I didn't hear anything for a 
> few months and then in July, I was asked to come in to visit a clinic and 
> meet a few more counselors. I felt this interview was positive and went 
> well. I explained how I do things as a blind person and as a blind genetic 
> counselor and they seemed to be impressed, so I was hopeful. Then in 
> October, I got called in to have an interview where I'd be meeting with 
> the genetic counseling manager whom I'd already met and an HR 
> representative. The meeting was to discuss accommodations that I would use 
> to complete my job successfully. I didn't ask them for anything, I just 
> explained how I do things and again, I felt it went well. I had an answer 
> for every question they put to me and I felt like I portrayed myself in a 
> very positive way. I didn't hear anything for another couple months and 
> then finally, after I'd followed up with them by email several times, a 
> phone call was scheduled with me. I was hoping this would maybe be a job 
> offer. Instead, it was the HR representative from the east coast who I had 
> not met and the genetic counseling manager on the phone. They told me that 
> I was not selected for the job and the reason was because it was 
> determined that due to my blindness and how I complete tasks as a blind 
> person, I would not be able to keep up in a busy clinic. This, as you can 
> imagine, was very shocking to me and I had no idea what to say or how to 
> respond on the spot. I was not prepared for such a blunt rejection. They 
> basically told me that this position was closed to me in the future 
> because of the way that I do things as a blind person. It's totally 
> illegal but unfortunately I have nothing in writing. I contacted the 
> national office about this and was told the same thing, that since nothing 
> is in writing, we wouldn't get very far if we tried to fight it. So I 
> decided to not fight this battle. But it was very crushing and I got even 
> more discouraged after this happened, which was in early December.
>
> Throughout all this time, I have been in contact with several genetic 
> counselors who I job shadowed during college and had told them that if 
> there was ever a job opening that they should let me know. One genetic 
> counselor who I had been in contact with got back to me after a long while 
> and said that there was a position open with her group and that she'd try 
> to set up an interview for me. She did set up an interview for me and the 
> week before Christmas, I went and met the doctor. I thought the interview 
> had not gone so well because the doctor was concerned that I did not speak 
> Spanish, even though she said that it seemed like I had figured things out 
> as far as my blindness. I was so discouraged that I thought for sure this 
> would not go anywhere. A few days later, she emailed me to offer me a 
> private contractor job. This means that I would be paid per case that I do 
> for her. She likes to hire her counselors this way so they don't complain 
> about being overworked. I was willing to take anything at this point so of 
> course I said yes. It's not the ideal position, and I still don't have 
> many more details but hopefully I will soon. I know that I will be 
> traveling to at least two different clinics and must carry all my computer 
> equipment with me. This is not the ideal situation as you probably all 
> know, since it's hard to keep a consistent setup when nothing is 
> permanent. I hopefully will make it work though. I will also probably be 
> needing to hire a reader, which I have never really done before on my own 
> without the help of a disability office or dean of students office. If any 
> of you have tips on the best ways to go about this, I'd love to hear them. 
> The charts are not electronic, although I do think parts of them will be. 
> I'm just planning on hiring a reader and even if I don't make a lot of 
> money from this first job, it's experience, and that's what I really need 
> to get my foot in the door. I will be seeing prenatal patients who are 
> contemplating genetic testing or who have had an abnormal result on a 
> prenatal test and I will be explaining those results and options to these 
> patients. So it's a lot of education but also a lot of psychosocial 
> counseling since all these patients will be quite anxious.
>
> So that's my job in a nutshell and how my year went. As I get more 
> details, I'll be sure to update the list. I"m waiting for the doctor to 
> get back to me as far as a start date and I'm hoping I'll have a bit of 
> time to hire a reader before I start.
>
> The job search is not an easy road and I was strongly considering 
> switching paths even though that's not what I wanted but I knew I had to 
> get a job doing something and I was getting quite discouraged. I don't 
> think I necessarily have any words of wisdom, I Think I just got lucky and 
> the connection I had with the genetic counselor probably helped too. But 
> it's so difficult to get in to the medical field as a blind person.
>
> Happy new year everyone!
> Ronit
>
>
>
> JD Townsend wrote:
>> Hi Ronit & All:
>>
>> How exciting -- excellent news!
>>
>> Please tell us about your long job search and, especially, your 
>> successful conclusion.
>>
>> Inquiring counselors want to know.
>>
>> JD Townsend, LCSW
>> Daytona Beach, Florida, Earth, Sol System
>> Helping the light dependent to see. 
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