[nabs-l] blind cashiers/burger flippers

Fri Nov 16 00:55:24 UTC 2012

Hi Kurt,
First, congratulations on getting this far with the McDonald's job
prospect. I know it might seem a little weird to be congratulated for
a job at McDonald's, but these jobs are some of the easiest for our
sighted peers to get and yet some of the hardest for us blind folks to
get, both because of accessibility challenges and because we are often
steered away from these kinds of jobs. I am not sure if other blind
folks have worked at common fast-food chains in the past, but your
working there will set a good precedent for other blind college
students and teens who want to earn funds and gain legitimate work
experience.
I do not know much about the accessibility of credit card machines.
Perhaps someone in the blind merchants' division in your NFB affiliate
would be a good contact for that? I imagine that you could learn how
to swipe somebody's card even if the machine is inaccessible, but if
it has a touch screen, you may not be able to confirm the card swipe
or confirm the customer's signature. I'd think customers could handle
that part themselves, but I don't know if employees at McDonald's
might worry that customers could somehow get away with not paying if
you don't have access to the machine's display. Depending on how the
screen is configured, you might be able to put a little tactile dot or
sticker on the "OK" button. It sounds challenging but doable.
As for cooking, if the manager is a family friend and/or someone you
think could let go of his doubts, then you could invite him over for a
homecooked meal and cook for him using a grill, deep fryer or whatever
you might be using at McDonald's. However, just keep in mind that
being watched by somebody you want to impress could put you off your
game a little bit. In fact, in social-psychological research people
tend to do worse at difficult tasks when they are being watched, but
better at easy tasks. So if you want to impress him, you should
probably do it in your own kitchen where you have the advantage of
familiarity, and make something you have made before. Hopefully he
will make the leap that if you can cook on the stove, fryer or grill
at home without any issues, then you can also handle the industrial
kitchens at McDonald's. If you did any exotic cooking adventures
during your training center stint, like deep-frying something for a
crowd, it doesn't hurt to point that out to him as well.
Also there are tools you can buy for pretty cheap to make flipping
things on the grill or stove easier, like a double spatula or a
locking holder you can put a burger into on the grill. These are not
specifically made for blind people, but in my experience they do make
it much easier to flip things with limited tactile information. For
example, with the locking holders you can flip the whole thing by the
handle (which doesn't get hot) instead of trying to feel the burger
with a spatula or using your hand. I don't know if you can purchase
something like this and bring it with you to your shifts, but offering
to take the initiative to buy things that would make your job easier
and safer might impress them too.
Best,
Arielle

On 11/15/12, Kirt Manwaring <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com> wrote:
> Brandon,
>   I totally agree with you that it's safe, extremely safe, to be a
> blind cook if you know what you're doing.  However, I'm slightly
> baffled as to what you think might be unsafe about running a cash
> register"  Enlighten me?
>
> On 11/15/12, Brandon Keith Biggs <brandonkeithbiggs at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hello,
>> Cooking is safer than working the cash registers in my opinion.
>> I've never used the machine's McDonalds uses, but if you asked to have a
>> tour after closing time so you can feel the cookers and learn how they
>> work,
>>
>> I'm sure you could figure out how to use them.
>> Just make fudge or something while your friend is over. If he knows
>> anything
>>
>> about cooking, he should know that not much is more dangerous than
>> working
>> with boiling Carmel.
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Brandon Keith Biggs
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Kirt Manwaring
>> Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2012 8:38 AM
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> Subject: [nabs-l] blind cashiers/burger flippers
>>
>> Hey, gang,
>>   I know this e-mail might sound a bit odd, but here goes.  There's a
>> good chance I'll be working at my local Macdonalds very shortly.  The
>> owner (who is a fairly close family friend) is understandably, but I
>> think unnecessarily, afraid of me potentially using any equipment that
>> hasn't been specifically adapted for blind people.  I'll have to
>> convince him I can really flip hamburgers and use a grill, but I think
>> he's one of the people who will "get it" after a little education.
>> Now, here are my questions to you.
>>   Have any of you handled cash registers and credit card machines
>> before and, if so, what kinds of techniques have you used to deal with
>> credit cards?  I'm not really worried about organizing cash, but I'm
>> thinking a regular, run-of-the-mill credit card machine might be a
>> little tricky...not impossible, mind, but tricky.  Have any of you
>> used any "accessible" credit card machines in already established
>> restaurants?
>>   Also...if any of you have any tips on how I can best convince my
>> managers that I really can cook safely, even in a back room industrial
>> kitchen like Macdonalds, that'd be appreciated.  I have no doubt I can
>> do it; what I don't know how to do, I'll be able to learn.  Still, I'm
>> thinking convincing the people I work with that I'll be safe is
>> another beast entirely.  Thoughts?
>>   Best,
>> Kirt
>>
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