[nabentre] accessible work from home

[Leslie Fairall]

I understand why the idea of working from home is very attractive to blind 
people. You don't have to worry about a possibly long job search and 
explain to employers that you can do the job just as well as a sighted 
person. Transportation is less of an obstacle, especially in rural areas.

There are two ways of working from home:

1. Working for an employer who allows you to telework for several days a 
week
2. Starting your own business

Right now I'm using the first option. However, I did not start out with 
the privilege of working from home. You have to be in a certain type of 
position where your location is immaterial to your job performance. 
Information technology is one good example, but there are certainly other 
positions that meet this category. On the other side, working as a 
counselor or instructor isn't as conducive to a work from home situation 
and may not be permitted by most employers.

The second option is starting your own business. In my opinion, it's one 
of the hardest things to do. In most (if not all) cases, it does take some 
outlay of cash for startup costs. You need to know what you want to do and 
have a business plan, even if it's just in your head. Your business may 
also take some time to get off the ground. Sometimes I hear blind people 
say they are looking for a business opportunity that takes no work. In my 
opinion, that doesn't exist. You have to be willing to put in the time and 
effort required in order for a business to succeed, even if it is from the 
comfort of your own home.

As I said earlier, I'm utilizing option #1 approach to work from home 
right now, but that's not what I really want. Since I have a 40-hour job, 
I'm working on option #2 in baby steps and in the middle of completing the 
first step. There's definitely a lot of work ahead of me, but it will be 
worth it in the end.