[nabs-l] mall or customer service jobs

Mon Oct 24 04:11:49 UTC 2011

Hi Ashley,
I'm sure a blind person could be a dishwasher. But have any of us
actually done it? The problem is that many blind youth don't even
apply for these kinds of jobs because they get the message that none
of the jobs their friends are getting are accessible and that they
should just take the jobs offered them by their VR counselors or
summer programs they attend. I didn't have a VR counselor until the
end of college but I also suffered from similar thinking.
Best,
Arielle

On 10/23/11, Ashley Bramlett <bookwormahb at earthlink.net> wrote:
> But Chris,
> A car for the blind will be more expensive than a regular car; and be out of
> the price range of most blind people. Lets get entry level jobs before
> trying to drive.
>
> Ashley
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Chris Nusbaum
> Sent: Sunday, October 23, 2011 11:30 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] mall or customer service jobs
>
> Hi Carly,
>
> The only thing I will disagree with you on is the Blind Driver
> Challenge.  Yes, the Federation is big on keeping what works, but
> we are also big on increasing the independence of blind people in
> whatever way we can and utilizing whatever technology/resources
> are available to us, especially after the opening of the Jernigan
> Institute.  Currently, we have to rely on a sighted person
> (either in the form of a hired driver, a friend/family member, or
> a public transportation driver) to drive us to wherever we
> need/want to go all the time.  But wouldn't we increase our own
> independence greatly if we were able to drive a car
> independently, just as sighted people do? Wouldn't it be
> liberating to, as a sighted person can do, be able to get in a
> car and drive to wherever we want to go independently, without
> having to schedule a pick-up and take time out of a sighted
> person's life to have them drive us somewhere? Yes, the current
> system works, but this is the key question here: why not? If the
> technology is currently available that would allow a blind person
> to drive a car independently, and a major engineering department
> of a major university (namely the Robotics and Mechanisms Lab, or
> RoMeLa, at Virginia Tech) believes it can be done and is
> currently working with us to make the challenge a reality, why
> not take advantage of that technology and that belief in the
> feasibility of our dream? Why not change the system so we're even
> more independent? Why can't we drive a car? This concept is why
> the newsletter of the Jernigan Institute is entitled
> "Imagineering our Future" (key word, imagineering, which is a
> compound term invented by Disney, which combines the words
> "imagine" and "engineering") and the fundraising arm of the
> Federation is called the NFB Imagination Fund.  Both of these
> titles symbolize a concept that is at the core of the Federation
> philosophy; imagination.  Not only do we want to get rid of the
> failed systems of the past, but once we find a system that still
> leaves us somewhat dependent on sighted assistance, we still ask
> ourselves: how can we make this system better so that we may be
> even more independent in whatever area it is? This is the driving
> force behind the Blind Driver Challenge and of the Jernigan
> Institute, and of the Federation as a whole, as I see it.  My
> friend Nathan tells me that Mark Riccobono is on this list, but
> I've never seen him post to it.  So Mark, if you have any
> thoughts on mine and Carly's comments on the Blind Driver
> Challenge and the Jernigan Institute, please share them with us,
> as you are an expert on the subjects in question.  Anyone else is
> also free to leave their thoughts!
>
> Chris
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Carly <carlymih at earthlink.net
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Date sent: Sun, 23 Oct 2011 16:53:32 -0700
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] mall or customer service jobs
>
>
> Good afternoon, Ariell,
>
>          For me, it seemed a symbol of ways in which our
> community is
> so sharply divided, the blind driver's challenge.  What blind
> person
> that you've heard of let alone have personal acquaintance of will
> choose to waist an only income which is most likely born of SSI,
> benefits, anyway on a friggen CAR?
> I always understood the Federation to be sort of big on, if it's
> working, why change it?
> But essentially, I am in agreement.  How are sexy flash bulbs
> going to
> say anything about us when someone need only peruse our ,
> employment
> statistics, which  next to those of our so-called, counterparts?
> are
> so depressed and notice that the stats are so pathetic, primarily
> I
> imagine because we are hard pressed to a crew meaningful
> experience
> though we have ample   training and more than sufficient,
> personal drive.
>
> the symbol of blind people "driving"to me, is striking.  As a
> blind
> person I wouldn't want to drive.  Let someone else do that.  just
> as it
> has always been.
> How can we demand equal treatment including a driver's license if
> we
> don['t even have meaningful experience with which to land a job?
> for today,
> Car I completely agree.  I really think that NFB should put more
> effort
> into making cash management and other entry-level jobs (i.e.
> food
> service, data entry etc.) accessible instead of focusing so much
> on
> the accessibility of the Kindle, the Target website, and airport
> kiosks.  Perhaps the biggest social problem we face as a group is
> unemployment, and the fact is that when we are starting out in
> the
> working world, most of us will have to start at the "bottom"
> before we
> can land those prestigious jobs as lawyers or doctors or
> engineers.
> That's the case for blind and sighted workers alike.  If we don't
> gain
> access to such beginner jobs, how will we ever be able to attain
> the
> basic employment experience that is so crucial for landing
> competitive
> full-time jobs-and more so in today's economy than ever before?
> How
> will we be able to reduce our dependence on SSI and other public
> assistance when we are in college?
> The Blind Driver Challenge, Youth Slam and other such programs
> are
> flashy and have great symbolism for us and our movement, but I
> question their practical utility.  I think that before we can
> really
> become capable of first-class citizenship we need to work on the
> most
> basic problems that affect us-lack of access to entry-level jobs,
> educational materials, public transportation, etc.  Making
> McDonald's
> jobs accessible might not win us as much press attention as the
> Blind
> Driver Challenge, but I'm pretty sure it would lower our
> unemployment
> rate-and give blind teenagers and others who are starting out
> that
> extra experience edge that will enable us to walk into job
> interviews
> later and say that we were able to handle the same kinds of
> beginning
> jobs as our sighted peers.  And only if we fix these
> long-standing
> employment issues can we take advantage of what Amazon and Target
> have
> to offer us.
> I'm curious what others think.
> Best,
> Arielle
>
> On 10/22/11, Hope Paulos <hope.paulos at gmail.com> wrote:
>   VR assitance occurred to me after sending the message.  Will
> try and find
> out by the end of next week
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "David Bouchard" <davidb521 at gmail.com
> To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'"
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Sent: Saturday, October 22, 2011 12:38 PM
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] mall or customer service jobs
>
>
> I'd be interested to know the cost, and yes, the brand and so
> forth.
> Perhaps if you were planning to work there long enough, the
> investment
> would be worth it, and if a job that required you to use such a
> device was
>
> your goal on the IPE, a reasonable Voc.  Rehab agency would
> purchase it.
> David
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Hope Paulos
> Sent: Saturday, October 22, 2011 11:30 AM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] mall or customer service jobs
>
> Hello all.  I know of a person who ran a snack bar and had an
> accessible
> cashregister with credit card  processing capabilities.  The
> only problem
> is
> they are more expensive and not every cashregister talks.  So in
> order for
> an
> employer to hire us, they'd have to pay more money for the
> adaptive
> equipment.  I can try and find out the name and brand  of the
> register  if
> anyone is interested.
> Hope Paulos
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "David Bouchard" <davidb521 at gmail.com
> To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'"
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Sent: Saturday, October 22, 2011 12:25 PM
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] mall or customer service jobs
>
>
> Hello.
> Are there not accessible cash registers which allow credit card
> processing? If not, then that should be worked on, as that would
> open up
> more jobs for blind workers.  As for identifying currency, some
> sort of
> efficient bill identifier is a must in my opinion.  The honor
> system
> wouldn't be viable in the workplace.
> David Bouchard
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Ashley Bramlett
> Sent: Saturday, October 22, 2011 10:49 AM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] mall or customer service jobs
>
> Vejas,
> Yes in NFB activities its different.  But when you are dealing
> with the
> general public in the stores, it's a different story
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: vejas
> Sent: Friday, October 21, 2011 8:10 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] mall or customer service jobs
>
> I guess the honors system would have to work, although with an
> identifier you would know if they are telling the truth or not.
> Usually, however, our community--NFB--has been very honest with
> us, as they know our situation.
> Vejas
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Date sent: Fri, 21 Oct 2011 16:57:02 -0600
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] mall or customer service jobs
>
> I'd be curious to know if anyone blind has worked as a cashier
> before.
> It would be do-able technically, but the employer would need to
> be
> willing to take some risks as far as assuming customers are
> giving the
> right bills.  Like at NABS events we have blind cashbox workers
> who can
> take payments and give change, but we use the honor system
> because
> most of us cannot visually verify the currency being given to
> us.
> Something like the IBill might work, but I don't know how long
> it
> takes to process each image.
> Best,
> Arielle
>
> On 10/21/11, Ashley Bramlett <bookwormahb at earthlink.net> wrote:
> Ah, no.  You need to see the bills; we don't have accessible
> currency and see
> the screen.
> You can't see the credit card or someone's signature.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Humberto Avila
> Sent: Friday, October 21, 2011 6:25 PM
> To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] mall or customer service jobs
>
> Hello.
> I did not know a blind person could not be a cashier at a store.
> Since it
> involves math, and just be able to punch a few buttons to get
> the quantity
> and change and ETC.  it is doable.  All a blind person has to do
> is learn the
> layout of the controls or dial pad they use at the store to get
> receipts,
> cash, and be able to learn how to help the customer pay his
> purchases.  It
> does not involve a lot of visuals, probably unless, yes there
> are
> touchscreens everywhere where the cashier has to operate the
> controls.  But
> otherwise, learning how to add, subtract and do the math
> correctly to be
> able to give the right change, the right cash, ETC.  is all is
> needed to be a
> blind cashier.  If I am wrong please correct.
>
> Cheers,
> Humberto
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Ashley Bramlett
> Sent: Friday, October 21, 2011 2:37 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] mall or customer service jobs
>
> Sales associates show people around the store and you have to
> see
> merchandise and read labels.  There people who walk around
> looking for
> customers.  Like every store has help wanted signs for them and
> cashiers; we
> can't do that.
>
> I think a guest services job would be doable because you answer
> customer/visitor questions; it's all oral.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Arielle Silverman
> Sent: Friday, October 21, 2011 12:09 AM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] mall or customer service jobs
>
> Hi Ashley,
> What's a sales associate? Why can't you do that job?
> I haven't done ticket sales or guest services but both of those
> jobs sound
> like they would be totally accessible.
> Best,
> Arielle
>
> On 10/18/11, Ashley Bramlett <bookwormahb at earthlink.net> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I've graduated from a university a few years ago.  I'd like a
> job in
> communications, outreach, or even being an administrative
> assistant.
> But not many employers are hiring.
>
> To make a little money, I wanted a part time job.  I cannot be a
> server, pizza driver, or sales associate in the mall.  Those are
> jobs
> that are flexible and part time.
>
>
> So I got to thinking other jobs I could do with accomodations.
> I
> thought of customer service representative or working the mall
> at
> guest services where you sit and answer questions from the
> public.
>
> So has anyone had these types of jobs? Was the computer software
> very
> accessible?
> For guest services, there is no computer involved, so it's a
> matter of
> finding that job opening.
>
> What about selling tickets such as for the ice arena? Movie
> theater?
> or maybe box office?
>
> I'd be interested in knowing what you all have done.
> Babysitting is
> part time, but I don't have the confidence to watch kids being
> the
> sole supervisor of them.
>
> Thanks.
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