[humanser] Drivers license requirement for employment

Sun Dec 29 00:09:49 UTC 2013

Serena,

I have read job annoncements stating part of the job is using one's car to 
drive clients. I guess a lot of agencies don't have money for their own 
vehicles.  In Massachusetts, DCF social workers transport clients in their 
personal cars, while in CT company cars are provided.

Sandy
--------------------------------------------------
From: "Serena Cucco" <serena.c.cucco at gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, December 28, 2013 4:33 PM
To: "Human Services Mailing List" <humanser at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [humanser] Drivers license requirement for employment

> 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
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>_______________________________________________
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>>>>>
>>>>>_______________________________________________
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>>>>
>>>
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>>
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>
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