[Job-Discussions] Appropriate use of human guide in the worlplace

Wed Jun 7 14:02:23 UTC 2023

Kelsey:

I rarely answer posts on any of our jobs or employment lists, leaving this venue for the benefit of Federation members, allies, and the like. But your question has prompted me to answer you with my opinion. Of course, I am a member of the Federation, but I am also a member of our organizational staff, so I undertake to not consume space, in deference to our volunteer membership.

I think there would absolutely be nothing wrong with your taking an arm of a team member (assuming that they are agreeable) so that you don't get occasionally disoriented in a parking lot. I think you have a thoughtful manager who understands the value of physical exertion as a means of maintaining your productivity at work and your general health. If walking with somebody gets you the exercise you require; helps ultimately to acquaint you with the route, should you have to travel it alone; and facilitates informal conversation with your colleagues that could not occur, if you were walking alone; I think that these advantages may present you with some social opportunities to integrate yourself while at work.

We are all, of course, encouraged to be as independent as possible to preserve a positive public perception of blindness and simply to be self-sufficient, but I think we must accept people where they are in terms of orientation & Mobility. I have directional hearing issues from time-to-time, and I used to worry that my reliance on somebody to walk to a given destination with me might adversely impact the impression that I leave with the individual and others that see me, but I've learned to be sufficiently self-confident that I minimize this worry, if it is in fact secondary to the other advantages inherent in a particular project. IN summary, I think you should do what feels most productive and useful to you, when considering the entire exercise, and not worry overly much about public impressions that don't consider the nuances inherent in your decision. Again, please don't use this as a rationale for not learning the route, but if it helps you to engage with your colleagues, stay safe and oriented, and learn what you need to know, I'd make these my priority considerations. I urge you to dismiss those who would be unduly judgmental of your decision to walk alongside another colleague; I'm sure that your sighted colleagues do the same thing, for the same reasons, all the time, without having to subject themselves to a test of whether they are independent enough every day.

I hope this feedback provides you with some solace and support as you continue whatever practice feels most comfortable for you. Behaving with integrity, ultimately, is what it is all about.

With Kind Regards,

Daniel B. Frye, JD.
Director of Employment and Professional Development Programs
200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230
410-659-9314, extension 2393 | dfrye at nfb.org 
Mobile: 410-241-7006
Pronouns: he, him, his

The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation’s blind. Every day we work together to help blind people live the lives they want. 

-----Original Message-----
From: Job-Discussions <job-discussions-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Kelsey Nicolay via Job-Discussions
Sent: Wednesday, June 7, 2023 7:25 AM
To: job-discussions at nfbnet.org
Cc: Kelsey Nicolay <piano.girl0299 at gmail.com>
Subject: [Job-Discussions] Appropriate use of human guide in the worlplace

Hello,
I work in an office environment in which our manager highly encourages going for a walk outside at least once a day. Due to how the office complex is set up, there are not sidewalks the whole way around the building, so it is necessary to walk in a parking lot. The sound of teammanes’ voices are usually enough to maintain orientation, but the sound of traffic sometimes affects my ability to hear where they are, so I have veered off course. I don’t go sighted guide in the building. Have learned my way around, but would there be anything wrong with me taking an arm to help stay oriented when we go for our team walks outside? 

Sent from Kelsey Nicolay’s iPhone 
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