[humanser] Challenges with VR services

Wed Oct 7 05:08:33 UTC 2015

Hi Ericka,

those are all great jobs. I'm sure you know you need higher level education 
than just a BA though.
I hope you can afford grad school or get vr to pay.
I heard others' stories here about rehab troubles. Same here in my state. 
You have to justify everything and if you are already employed, they don't 
seem interested in helping you advance to another job or change jobs. That 
situation is not describing me, but I know people who vr turned away as they 
were already employed. Sad but true.

The good news is that you can get scholarships and grants for something like 
studying for your TVI masters and license.

Whatever you pick, good luck. And yes, transportation is such a barrier. 
Even in a metro area like mine, certain places the buses do not run and 
without that, no way to get to jobs. If you think paratransit will go out 
there, nope.
Paratransit only goes 3/4 a mile past the fixed  route bus system.

You have a lot of good ideas. I hope something works out.
And, if you have tech questions or questions about public speaking, feel 
free to ask. Write me off list if you want at bookwormahb at earthlink.net.
I have low vision but usually use braille and screen readers. But I do see a 
little and have central vision. So I probably can give you ideas and tips 
for work using low vision techniques. I usually do not use them myself since 
my nystagmus gets in the way of focussing, but I do understand them having 
used vision some.

For speeches, you can handle it. Just practice a lot and you can write a 
handout, you do not have to use powerpoint unless the people inviting you to 
do it require it. If you cannot read notecards, you can use speech. You can 
record your notes on a recorder such as a vr stream and listen to them and 
then pause the recording and then unpause to hear the next note. If you know 
any braille, writing short phrases in uncontracted braille on notecards 
should be enough to jog  your memory.
If you really want or feel the need to use a visual aid to keep your 
audience's attention, you can use pictures or prepare an old fashioned 
poster. The poster can just have a bulleted list of facts and some pictures 
with captions. Since you have more vision then me, I assume you can see the 
pictures to identify them. Simply point to the appropriate visual as you 
begin to speak about it. If you cannot identify the pictures visually, then 
numbering them in large print should work. You just remember or write down 
what the numbers corespond to. Like number 1  is a cow and 2 is a lion, etc.

I've done both for classes in public speaking and other classes when I 
presented.
It works fine. You really can have a captivating speech without powerpoint.

I hope you can get more training, but meanwhile, go do those speeches! You 
have lots of knowledge and you obviously can type out clear messages, so you 
should be able to do some speeches.

Ashley

-----Original Message----- 
From: Ericka via humanser
Sent: Tuesday, October 06, 2015 8:07 PM
To: Human Services Division Mailing List
Cc: Ericka
Subject: Re: [humanser] Challenges with VR services

I am looking at TVI, rehab teaching, or school social worker. I see these 
three as good options to get certification in because they will allow me to 
use my teaching and my social work skills . Besides, they can be used in a 
multitude of settings and with a multitude of age groups. I'm not really 
fond of teenagers but as I get older they get more interesting to me. I 
guess I'm finally looking old compared to them! I was never that kid that 
felt comfortable in my age group.  I like the little kids and the older 
adults instead. I think I talk more excepted because they either didn't see 
the disabilities or understood the disability and appreciated the fact that 
I could relate.

A bit ahead of you my dear! Already done the spiritual inventory and have 
played around with ending. The things that are out here I can't get to via 
the transportation opportunities I have. There were some really neat things 
I would have applied for in Illinois. I'm all about being creative to get to 
your interviews and job but there just wasn't anything. I really neat job in 
Racine, The county above us did not hire me though I went to the interview. 
It was a social worker in a senior living facility that was church oriented. 
Day today I could get up there and back, but as far as emergencies I could 
not get from town to town as there ,are no buses and the pay was not good 
enough to take cabs as often as probably would be needed. It's just as well 
because I need to really beef up on braille skills and Computer/technology. 
Let's just say I've never done a PowerPoint before and the last time I did a 
presentation I had memorized my part because I couldn't read things even if 
I read off the giant index cards sold.  I don't feel like I can give 
presentations properly and confidently in this technological society. 
Someone's just writing it down and speaking doesn't seem to have the same 
punch. if I could refer to notes in braille it wouldn't matter if it was on 
notecards or not. As you know our site doesn't matter but I contact with 
people does. I have been asked to give some speeches in the last couple of 
months and I felt so incompetent. Doing research for the presentations and 
giving the presentations seemed more overwhelming than standing in front of 
people, giving the speech itself.

Ericka Short
"Friends are like flowers in the garden of life"

Sent from my iPhone

> On Oct 6, 2015, at 3:53 PM, Lisa Irving via humanser <humanser at nfbnet.org> 
> wrote:
>
> Ericka,
>
>
> Wow! You are very well-rounded. I would think that should make you highly 
> employable. You might consider playing around with monster.com, indeed.com 
> (I think's right), and other job posting sites just to get a feel for 
> careers. Consider writing your ideal job position. Consider taking job 
> interest inventories. If you are involved in a religious organization you 
> may wish to consider taking a gifts of the spirit inventory or class. Ask 
> your closest friends about your strengths and growth areas.
>
> Lisa
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: humanser [mailto:humanser-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ericka 
> via humanser
> Sent: Tuesday, October 06, 2015 1:22 PM
> To: Human Services Division Mailing List
> Cc: Ericka
> Subject: Re: [humanser] Challenges with VR services
>
> Let me think on this. Can you come up with some other paths for me as 
> well? I have early childhood/learning disabilities education but never 
> really was able to teach in that capacity. I have a gerontology 
> certificate and a BA in social work. Unlike you, most of my things I have 
> done where volunteer unless they were part time or work-study/shadowing 
> type. I'm certain that my seizures are not helping me in the hiring 
> process any either. I've never disclosed until after the fact because most 
> of the time my seizures are so under control it's not an issue.
>
> Ericka Short
> "Friends are like flowers in the garden of life"
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Oct 6, 2015, at 3:06 PM, Lisa Irving via humanser 
>> <humanser at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>> Ericka,
>>
>> In the state of California Activity Directors are only required to 
>> complete 32 hours of training. My first two jobs were as an Activity 
>> Director; my degree was in recreation with a concentration in Therapeutic 
>> Recreation. At the time I was nationally certified.
>>
>> I see what you're saying about an undergraduate social work position. 
>> What career suggestions can you share with me?
>>
>> Thank you.
>>
>> Lisa Irving
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: humanser [mailto:humanser-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ericka 
>> via humanser
>> Sent: Tuesday, October 06, 2015 12:51 PM
>> To: Human Services Division Mailing List
>> Cc: Ericka
>> Subject: Re: [humanser] Challenges with VR services
>>
>> Unless someone else can come up with something, I don't think there is an 
>> entry-level social work job in the field you were looking at. The only 
>> social work related job entry-level that I have been able to obtain with 
>> a bachelors in social work was an activity assistant part time at a 
>> nearby nursing home. I have a non-certification teaching degree in 
>> special ad as well. You'd think I would be employable to somebody. Here 
>> are a big portion of the problem is transportation and the second is a 
>> saturated environment
>>
>> Ericka Short
>> "Friends are like flowers in the garden of life"
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>>> On Oct 1, 2015, at 7:54 PM, Marisol Carmona via humanser 
>>> <humanser at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>
>>> Hello,
>>>
>>> I tried applying for VR services in order to have some tuition 
>>> assistance during my master’s program, which I will start fall of 2016. 
>>> However, they denied me because by pursuing a social work degree, it is 
>>> expected that I would not be advancing in my career, particularly in 
>>> terms of salary. I am currently employed, but plan on quitting my job to 
>>> focus entirely on school work. I shared with them this fact and they 
>>> said that I would be eligible for VR services if I am unemployed, but I 
>>> possibly could be asked to show proof that I cannot get a job with my 
>>> undergraduate degree in psychology. I explained that there are no jobs 
>>> that I’m aware of where I could work as a social worker without a master’s 
>>> level degree, to which they responded that I could probably be hired as 
>>> an entry level employee.
>>> Has anyone had a similar challenge? Your input is greatly appreciated!
>>>
>>> Marisol
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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