[humanser] Accessible Technology Delay in Internship and Emplyment

[Ericka J. Short]

I know the exact frustration!  Most internships have not been too willing to 
adapt even if it didn't cost them anything.  The Salvation Army was 
wonderful to me this past spring.  They were willing to download the free 
version of Zoomtext so I could do my work.  They also tried to make the 
computer usable for me before it was downloaded.  I was extremely lucky to 
have supportive staff there.  Have you spoken to the IT department yourself? 
Did you explain your situation?  Sometimes I don't think they realize we are 
there for only a short time and are there to learn, not take up space.  When 
I was an activity assistant at a nursing home (this was before computerized 
paperwork systems) I had trouble getting the staff to allow my paperwork to 
be copied a little larger so I could do  charting.  We had no space for a 
cctv in the office.  I had to pull in my state division of  voc. rehab 
counselor to get something done.  I hope you do not have to go this far, but 
perhaps a meeting with you, your faculty advisor and supervisor can make 
things move faster.

Keep us posted on how things go.  I am sure many of us can relate!

Ericka

Original Message----- 
From: Alyssa Munsell
Sent: Monday, October 07, 2013 8:31 PM
To: humanser at nfbnet.org
Subject: [humanser] Accessible Technology Delay in Internship and Emplyment

Hello Human Services Division!



I am currently doing an internship at a residential home for adults with
mental illness, and most of the client records are on the agency's
computers. It is strict agency policy that any kind of software must be
installed by the IT Department. I need to have JAWS and Zoomtext installed
onto at least one of the computers in order for me to be able to use it. I
have been requesting for IT to install these programs, which I have the
disks and license for, for the past 2 weeks, and they have been
extraordinarily slow in doing so.



This situation has made me concerned about how I am going to handle this
kind of accessible technology delay in the future with employers because I
need the technology in order to perform the work. Since I am only interning
at the agency I'm currently at, there isn't a productivity expectation. This
would obviously not be the case in a paid work setting.



How have you all handled this iny our experiences? Any feedback would be
greatly appreciated.



Thanks so much!



Alyssa

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