[nabs-l] vr counselors and job support

Mon May 14 09:46:31 UTC 2012

Yeah, but some of them deserve to lose their jobs!
Just saying!
Blessings, Joshua

On 5/13/12, Brian Hatgelakas <brian.hatgelakas at verizon.net> wrote:
> These VR Counselors will never experience a "job loss" because their
> government jobs have it great!  with benifits good pay and government
> holidays off!
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Ashley Bramlett" <bookwormahb at earthlink.net>
> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Sunday, May 13, 2012 5:50 PM
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] vr counselors and job support
>
>
> Hi Josh,
> No, this is an employee of the agency; its  a job placement specialist, not
> a center.
> My question is what do these people do? From the one blind client I spoke
> with, he said the specialist didn't do much of anything but told him to
> look
> online for job ads.
> I'll revise my sentence  from my first email.
>
> After  I just told her I looked and few entry level jobs there and to put
> down an internship where my foot will be in the door in the government
> that
> may lead somewhere is insulting.
> Not clear here what insulted me.
>
> After I just told her I looked and found few entry level jobs I qualified
> for, I told her I  had an internship coming where I could get my foot in
> the
> door in the government and this internship may lead to more permanent work,
> her comment about finding a real job insulted me.
>
> I'll add its like all she cares about getting clients jobs, not good
> careers, to heck with what they want to do, just get them jobs and close
> their cases.
> Not a good attitude.  Also, many college grads are doing just what I am--
> getting internships to hopefully lead to full time work. There was an
> article in the New york times about this.  Inexperienced young people
> cannot
> find work.  What world do vr counselors live in?
> Well not the real world where people are struggling and worried about lay
> off and people are losing homes or working three part time jobs to pay for
> the essentials of life.
> I'm trying to say its tough for anyone, and being
> blind makes it a little harder. A vr counselor should support you by giving
> you the skills to look for work and help you network, not throwing you to
> some so called specialist who probably just finds any job and if you take
> it
> they can close your case. No, I'll be bold and stand up to them and go for
> the job that fits my skills.
>
> Ashley
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Joshua Lester
> Sent: Sunday, May 13, 2012 5:22 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] vr counselors and job support
>
> LWSB was a job placement center.
> You'd go, and they'd train you for the IRS programs.
> If you work with VR, you'll know, they'll try to send you to LWSB, or
> a center like it!
> Blessings, Joshua
>
> On 5/13/12, Ashley Bramlett <bookwormahb at earthlink.net> wrote:
>> Hi all,
>>
>> Well, I couldn’t think of a good subject line for this complex issue.
>>
>> I’ll say that I graduated in 2009 with a general BA degree in liberal
>> studies; kind of where you make your won program to complete a degree; I
>> picked  my concentrations of social sciences and communication. Then
>> after
>> some training at our state center, I pursued a writing certificate at
>> Nova,
>> northern Virginia community college.  I’m finishing that next semester.
>> I
>> wanted to add more to my resume and take classes specific to writing, so
>> this was a good investment for me.  My career goal is broad; in this
>> economy
>> you cannot be too picky, whether you are blind or not.
>> I desire to work in something to help people. I’m thinking outreach,
>> communication, customer service, or development.  I want to work with a
>> team
>> of people in an office.
>>
>> That is some background.  Now as we all know getting a job is tough with
>> the
>> down economy and most jobs are gotten via networking anyway.
>> I networked via a disability mentoring day for customs and border patrol;
>>
>> I
>> was refered for a unpaid internship in section 508 compliance after
>> following up with the disability program manager. I intend to get this
>> internship once going through their rigorrous background check.
>>
>> Well, I’m frustrated with my vr counselor.  I tell her I’m looking for
>> work
>> and explain barriers like lack of experience; visual tasks in entry level
>> jobs that include filing, sorting mail, data entry etc, etc.
>> She schedules a meeting with me to talk over my case and I wonder if she
>> is
>> forcing a service on me for which it will do no good.
>>
>> I then tell her about my internship to end the call. “well, you are good
>> at
>> finding internships, but lets look for a real job.” How insulting! After
>> I
>> just told her I looked and few entry level jobs there and to put down an
>> internship where my foot will be in the door in the government  that may
>> lead somewhere is insulting.
>>
>> Have anyone of you worked with or  known people who worked with job
>> placement specialists?  This counselor wants to refer me
>> to one. I am skeptical he can help me unless he actually takes me out to
>> go
>> in person to employers, its called cold calls. I asked her what he’d do
>> for
>> me and she was real vague.
>> “He’ll send you job leads.” she said.  She said something about job
>> announcements.
>>
>> I’ll get more info in the meeting. But I just am not sure I should work
>> with
>> him. I mean it sounds on the surface like a waste of time.  I’d rather
>> have
>> vr work with me on things like a good cover letter, interview skills,
>> professional dos and don’ts, stuff like that. So, I’m wondering if any of
>> you had this service and how it went.
>>
>> Ashley
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