[humanser] Drivers license requirement for employment

Sat Dec 28 21:33:16 UTC 2013

Hi all,

Yes, Commissions for the Blind often hire drivers for their blind
counselors.  Also, I think some of you are a little confused between
the interviewer being concerned about you'll get to work and the
infamous driver's license requirement.  Generally, the requirement
doesn't mean you have to be able to drive to work.  It means that,
truely or falsely, the company claims that driving clients is an
essential function of the job.  When this is the case, hiring a driver
wouldn't work because employees can't use their own cars to drive
clients.  Therefore, blind people hiring drivers wouldn't be an
option.  Why would a perspective employer let you hire a driver to
drive their clients around when he/she could simply not hire you?

Serena

On 12/27/13, Ashley Bramlett <bookwormahb at earthlink.net> wrote:
> but, I thought if it was a state job as in the mass commision for the blind
> that they would provide a driver.
> I know if you’re a counselor with the Virginia dept for the blind and vision
> impaired, DBVI, they provide drivers.
> Maybe if there are openings in other regional offices, this is a
> possibility. I do not think the regional office near me has openings, but
> someplace like richmond might.
>
> Ashley
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Sandy
> Sent: Friday, December 27, 2013 6:31 PM
> To: Human Services Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [humanser] Drivers license requirement for employment
>
> I also do own a small home that I am slowly downsizing from my family who
> lived years in it and have passed.
>
> Jonathan, I believe the Mass. Commission wants driver's license.  At one
> time, I had a blind counselor who was driven to clients' home by a sighted
> woman.  The blindness agency in CT, as far as I know, still uses some
> drivers.  Anyway, we seem to need to work around this driver license
> requirement in a bunch of job placements.
>
>
> Sandy
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "Darla Rogers" <djrogers0628 at gmail.com>
> Sent: Friday, December 27, 2013 12:04 AM
> To: "'Human Services Mailing List'" <humanser at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [humanser] Drivers license requirement for employment
>
>> Hi Jonathan,
>>
>> Well, I won't be a shoulder here, but I have had to move more than I
>> liked to accept a position, and the NFB members I have met here are pretty
>> awesome folks.
>> The Massachusetts Commission for the Blind was advertising jobs
>> awhile back, too, and if I didn't own my own home, might have considered
>> it.
>> Darla
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: humanser [mailto:humanser-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jonathan
>> Alpert
>> Sent: Thursday, December 26, 2013 11:01 PM
>> To: 'Human Services Mailing List'
>> Subject: Re: [humanser] Drivers license requirement for employment
>>
>> Dear Darla:
>> I greatly appreciate your assist, however, I live in the Boston MA area
>> and
>> don't know anyone in the KC area. If I did, I would consider it. Thank you
>> for your help.
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: humanser [mailto:humanser-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Darla
>> Rogers
>> Sent: Thursday, December 26, 2013 11:34 PM
>> To: 'Human Services Mailing List'
>> Subject: Re: [humanser] Drivers license requirement for employment
>>
>> Dear Jonathan,
>>
>> Missouri (Kansas City) has 2 VR counselor positions open with
>> Rehabilitation Services for the Blind; you have your masters, and you
>> don't
>> need to be CRC certified to apply.
>> If you are at all interested, drop me a line at
>>
>> djrogers0628 at gmail.com
>>
>> with your Email address, and I'll forward you the notice.
>> Darla
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: humanser [mailto:humanser-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jonathan
>> Alpert
>> Sent: Thursday, December 26, 2013 8:58 PM
>> To: 'Human Services Mailing List'
>> Subject: Re: [humanser] Drivers license requirement for employment
>>
>> Hi Ashley
>>
>> I have a Master's degree in mental health counseling and a CAGS as well. I
>> have 10 years of experience and yet, I can not find fulltime employment.
>>
>> I currently work for a large agency and they require a driver's license. I
>> find this to be true for a great number of agencies.
>> I currently work for a group home within the agency. I cannot give out
>> medications as I would not be able to identify them.  I also am not able
>> to
>> do much with a printed paper, whether it is a doctor's note or just a
>> general form.
>>
>> In resent months, I have entertained the idea of trying  to try my hands
>> in
>> a different field but I have no idea what I would do. It's just very
>> frustrating.
>>
>> Jonathan
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: humanser [mailto:humanser-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ashley
>> Bramlett
>> Sent: Thursday, December 26, 2013 5:28 PM
>> To: Human Services Mailing List
>> Subject: Re: [humanser] Drivers license requirement for employment
>>
>> Hi Jonathan,
>> What is your education in? I hope you find employment.
>> Its discouraging to hear those with masters out of work. Perhaps, you are
>> one of them?
>> Its hard now a days, too much cut backs.
>> I'd encourage you to network. Join a professional association and go to
>> conferences of your field.
>> Hope something comes up for you.
>>
>> Ashley
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Jonathan Alpert
>> Sent: Thursday, December 26, 2013 2:16 PM
>> To: 'Human Services Mailing List'
>> Subject: Re: [humanser] Drivers license requirement for employment
>>
>> I have had much difficulty in obtaining fulltime employment despite all my
>> education and experience. I started to write a negative response , but
>> don't
>> want to discurrage anyone.
>>
>> Jonathan
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: humanser [mailto:humanser-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of justin
>> williams
>> Sent: Thursday, December 26, 2013 1:41 PM
>> To: 'Human Services Mailing List'
>> Subject: Re: [humanser] Drivers license requirement for employment
>>
>> I agree with that.  This is not trying to tell anyone else how to conduct
>> their job interview, but you have to make the employer comfortable with
>> you,
>> and sometimes, that is explaining to thme how a job can be done using
>> assistive technology.  You don't have to reveal the whole thing, and make
>> it
>> a grand show, but describing the tools of blindness pertaining to the job
>> is
>> something that an interviewee should do as a basic overview.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: humanser [mailto:humanser-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Sandy
>> Sent: Thursday, December 26, 2013 12:54 PM
>> To: Human Services Mailing List; Carly Mihalakis
>> Subject: Re: [humanser] Drivers license requirement for employment
>>
>> Carlee,
>>
>> I understand your point.  In my opinion, when I go for an interview and
>> the
>> employer knows nothing about my blindness, I am sure he/she is going to
>> wonder how paperwork and so on will get done.  I think that telling the
>> employer one's abilities, if you use cognitive theory, etc. is important.
>> Secondary to that, I believe it is okay for me to give information as to
>> how
>> certain parts of the job can be handled by me.  Blindness is not the same
>> type of characteristic as hair color, for example.
>>
>>
>> Sandy
>>
>> --------------------------------------------------
>> From: "Carly Mihalakis" <carlymih at comcast.net>
>> Sent: Wednesday, December 25, 2013 4:58 AM
>> To: "Sandy" <sandraburgess at msn.com>; "Human Services Mailing List"
>> <humanser at nfbnet.org>; "Human Services Mailing List" <humanser at nfbnet.org>
>> Subject: Re: [humanser] Drivers license requirement for employment
>>
>>> Good morning,
>>>
>>> It would seem to me that, inflicting a shocked state on to someone who
>>> interacts with you most likely will reduce conditions to that which
>>> many blind people resent, being seeing only for blindness and not for
>>> the flaming and colorful people, we often are.
>>> I believe in blindness being so mythic amongst sighted cultures that,
>>> among the things of which we are without is a presumed entitlement of
>>> anonymity, blindness forever being a presence I came to know in
>>> deviance class, a master status or the single characteristic beyond
>>> anything else by which you are identified I.E Black president, gay
>> teacher, deaf Ms.
>>> America among many others. It could be a sort of game.
>>>
>>> So, I do digress, it seems honest just to tell a potential employer
>>> this identifying characteristic of your's. After all, would you have a
>>> problem disclosing that you might be a blond, a redhead or Chinese?
>>> for today, Car
>>>
>>> .
>>>
>>>
>>>>Sandy
>>>>
>>>>--------------------------------------------------
>>>>From: "JD Townsend" <43210 at Bellsouth.net>
>>>>Sent: Tuesday, October 15, 2013 10:29 PM
>>>>To: "Human Services Mailing List" <humanser at nfbnet.org>
>>>>Subject: Re: [humanser] Drivers license requirement for employment
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>Sadly some folks are prejudice on the outset.  I took a 2 hour trip
>>>>>for an interview once and the interviewer told me at the door that
>>>>>the job was too intense for me, without even letting me speak;  seems
>>>>>my white cane said all she wanted to know.
>>>>>
>>>>>I learned after many interviews that I had to compete not as a blind
>>>>>applicant, but as the best applicant.  Some people tell an
>>>>>interviewer on the outset that they are blind or visually impaired,
>>>>>but I have never seen the wisdom in this.  I find that the initial
>>>>>hand-shake and the walk down long corridors to the interview room,
>>>>>finding my seat and addressing the real issues of the job have served
>>>>>me well.  When I have taken this attitude, ignoring my blindness as
>>>>>an issue, the interviews have gone much better.  I tell the
>>>>>interviewer that I dislike paperwork, but that I sleep much better
>>>>>when it is up to date;  should they ask me how I do it I say that I
>>>>>have PC add-ons that have served me well in the past and that it
>>>>>should
>> not be a problem with whatever system they are using.
>>>>>Should they ask about transportation I tell them that I got here on
>>>>>my own and on time and that I should have no problem.  It isn't my
>>>>>job to explain about adaptive equipment or transportation, just that
>>>>>I can do the job, then I re-focus on my strengths as a clinical
>>>>>social worker and how I might fit my skills into serving the agency.
>>>>>
>>>>>If we allow disability or adaptations to become a focus of an
>>>>>interview instead of our skills and work ethic we have no chance for
>> employment.
>>>>>
>>>>>Just my opinion, sorry for the lecture.
>>>>>
>>>>>JD
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>_______________________________________________
>>>>>humanser mailing list
>>>>>humanser at nfbnet.org
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>>>>
>>>>_______________________________________________
>>>>humanser mailing list
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>>>
>>>
>>
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