[humanser] Tips for preparing for field placement

[JD Townsend]

Hello Angelina,


I have supervised student internships for a wide variety of students, 
including blind folks.  I only rejected one blind person - in our interview 
he stated that he had left an engineering degree program for something 
easier and had no "feel" for our field.

As a blind man I do have, perhaps, less bias than others;  however, what I 
look for are:

Sincere interest in the field;
A good smile and a sense of humor;
Reliability and trustworthiness;  and
Excellent blindness skills.


The latter include good social skills, knowledgeable use of adaptive 
equipment (practical, everyday use of devices), and, especially, 
flexibility.


I have had my interviews myself and have had blind student interns who felt 
that their internships were wasted time as they were only observers, not 
allowed to do productive work.  Emphasize your ability to do the work of the 
agency, be that doing assessments or running groups.  Your abilities in 
forming relationships, writing skills, and assertiveness will put you in 
good stead.

And, I suggest that you read some of the writings of Dr Kenneth Jernigan 
from the NFB website as it was through these publications that I learned the 
philosophy of the NFB.  That philosophy got me my first job following my MSW 
degree and has not failed me in over 30 years of professional employment.



JD Townsend LCSW
Helping the light dependent to see.
Daytona Beach, Earth, Sol System