[nabs-l] vr counselors and job support

[David Andrews]

Rehab is like any other field.  Some people working in it are good, some 
people are terrible, and most are probably in the middle.  There are 
certainly some Rehab Counselors, that should get out of the field, for 
the benefit of their customers (smile.)  On the other hand, it seems to 
be acceptable on many blindness lists to make blanket condemnations of 
all Rehab Counselors.  I don't think this is justified, and will help us 
improve the field any.

David Andrews



On 5/14/2012 7:07 AM, Brian Gelatinous wrote:
> Agreed Josh and that's ashaim why do people go into that field if they 
> don't like helping others then?  If I pursue that degree I would help 
> all my clients as long as they were motivated!
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joshua Lester" 
> <jlester8462 at students.pccua.edu>
> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, May 14, 2012 5:46 AM
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] vr counselors and job support
>
>
> 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
>>> _____________________________________