[nabs-l] Stop Blaming the Economy

Sun Nov 17 01:23:31 UTC 2013

First, let me get my key positions out of the way with very little
song-and-dance...
1. I understand the economy is in the dumps, however, this does not mean
there are ZERO jobs available. In fact, I frequently encounter a large
number of businesses in my area alone (Denver and surrounding cities) that
are, in fact, hiring. There are, of course, more and more people who have
been laid off in previous years who will be competing for these jobs along
with the recent college grads with significantly less work experience. The
fact of the matter is that jobs are hard to get, but perhaps not so hard to
find, and when people say "stop blaming the economy", they are more likely
trying to say that knowledge of the state of the economy is not sufficient
reason to simply not look for a job - ACTIVELY! If you really want a job,
you have to beat the pavement. You have to fill out lots of applications
and make lots of phone calls and in-person visits to places that are
hiring, every single day, until you've either run out of options or have
that job. It's probably not going to be your dream job. You might be
serving ice cream in the mall with a bunch of high schoolers for a year,
but you'll be getting work experience and earning money, and if that is
important to you, that's what you'll need to do. If you're content
collecting SSI, or if you're holding out for some more ideal job that may
or may not exist, I don't have a problem with that. That's your choice. I
just personally don't enjoy listening to a small few peers (probably not on
list) who will not even take the first steps in trying to find a job and
will say it's because the economy is bad.

2. Regarding job accommodations, it has generally been my experience that
if you are offering up a solution to an access problem that will not cost
your employer a dime, they're willing to work with you. For example, I
worked for a research institute for a short time, and needed to perform,
all of my work tasks on a computer. When I suggested that I use my own
laptop at work so that the employer wouldn't have to acquire or install any
new software on their own, and would in fact have a computer of their own
completely unoccupied and available for another's use, they were thrilled.
I know a few sighted software developers who use their own laptops at work,
too. Security isn't as huge an issue as you might think. There are enough
contractual agreements between employers and employees to keep everyone
protected, and where those fail, firewalls and other technological security
measures step in. A much bigger issue for any employee is going to be the
cost of hiring you, and if there is any way at all that you can clearly
minimize that cost from the start, you'll be better off.

3. Finally, I could be wrong, but I'm not sure I've heard anyone discuss
self-employment as an option for a lot of us who are qualified for hire but
can't seem to find a job for what ever reason. I wont say it's easy to
start a business, but it isn't so difficult that you need to be some kind
of super genius or business expert to do it, and this I can say from
experience. Sometimes, to be successful, you have to travel the road less
taken. If you have a skill, a talent, a special interest or hobby that
you're happy to put a lot of time into, chances are very good that here's a
way to monazite it and turn a profit. Programming is great for this,
because software costs virtually nothing to make, and only requires time
and effort as start-up capital. Teaching is another skill that can be
turned into a self-employment opportunity. I have a friend who makes his
entire living as a private tutor, and lives very comfortably with no need
for SSI or any similar benefits. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. I
feel like if we're going to discuss blindness and employment, we need to
give the idea of self-employment a fair amount of time in our minds and in
our discussions because while it is not the standard 9 to 5 we typically
associate with the American Dream, it is certainly a viable path to the
same, if not greater, success in this world.

On Sat, Nov 16, 2013 at 12:36 PM, wmodnl wmodnl <wmodnl at hotmail.com> wrote:

> I think, the other side to the argument is:
> Regardless of the economy, we always appear as a liability not an asset to
> companies large and small.  Companies will always blame the economy, or our
> "costs" before hiring us.  It is the fact of corporate America.  They think
> with the pocket, not the fact that, we are probably harder loyal workers
> compared to most "normal" people.  The average individual can not deal
> with, or handle seeing someone who is "different" in an office setting.
>
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> > On Nov 14, 2013, at 9:54 PM, "Littlefield, Tyler" <tyler at tysdomain.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > Joe:
> > Minh's point was just this:
> >
> > There are a ton of people right now (it's not really uncommon to see
> college graduates living with their parents) without jobs. all of them are
> qualified and all of them would love a job. While you're keeping your
> skills sharp, so are they. Now, when it comes down to the hiring process,
> who do you think employers are going to hire? Are they going to hire the
> blind guy who they are uncertain about, who they may need to spend money on
> accomidating, or are they going to hire the next perfectly abel person in
> line? They can pay lower wages and people will still take the jobs, and
> guess what? If they don't, the next person will. The economy is bad right
> now, which means it's bad for everyone--you, me, uncle sam and most small
> businesses. Why shell out extra hundreds of dollars that may be required on
> accomidations when you can have someone that does the same job and costs
> you less? You sound like you're in a bit of denial here, but it's the facts
> of life. No, Minh never said we are less able. She was just pointing out
> some of the logical reasons behind your point. you can deny all you want,
> but it doesn't change the facts of life. As to your jab about her
> mantality, she's probably one of the most active blind people I've met, so
> I don't think that's the case here. It may be different for you to point
> that finger if she sat at home and did nothing.
> >> On 11/14/2013 9:32 PM, Joe wrote:
> >> Tyler,
> >>
> >> I'm not sure what reality check you're hoping I'll receive. If it's
> >> unemployment you're wishing on me, anything is possible, but even with a
> >> position in the federal government I have kept a part-time business
> running,
> >> because although government jobs are said to be secure, nothing is
> >> guaranteed. The shutdown didn't bother me because I still had income to
> fall
> >> back on. If I lose my job tomorrow, I will have six months of savings to
> >> actively seek the next best position. Why? Because I have kept my
> skills up
> >> to date, because I have kept a fair professional network intact, and
> because
> >> I understand the ability to create positions for myself through the
> >> consulting capacity that a lot of Americans pursued after the economic
> >> decline several years ago. I say that in hopes people will be angered
> enough
> >> to try new strategies to find their next job. Remember it's usually the
> >> first one that's the toughest to obtain. If an idiot like me can
> steadily
> >> increase his income, you can do it better.
> >>
> >> It's easy to say there are more people looking for jobs than there are
> jobs
> >> to fill. Unfortunately that oversimplifies the argument into one of
> quantity
> >> without fully looking at quality. The people who get chosen are the
> ones who
> >> make the cut, and that's true no matter the condition of the economy.
> The
> >> concern should not be the sheer number of people competing for the jobs
> you
> >> wish you had. It's what you've been doing to separate yourself from
> those
> >> numbers.
> >>
> >> Ashley,
> >>
> >> Right on about volunteering. I completed a year of AmeriCorps. During
> that
> >> year I pushed myself into areas outside of my responsibilities and
> learned a
> >> valuable skill that played a key role in landing my first real job.
> Anything
> >> you can do to fill your resume is viewed positively.
> >>
> >> Minh,
> >>
> >> I don't agree with Tyler's points, but I can see where he's coming from.
> >> Yet, it's exactly your mentality I can't process. This notion that we as
> >> blind people will always be at a disadvantage when compared to people
> who
> >> need no accommodations drives me crazy, because it assumes no matter
> what we
> >> do, we will always be viewed as second class citizens when compared to
> our
> >> sighted peers. An employer is not thinking about the state of the
> economy
> >> when she is looking to hire someone to fill a role. All she cares about
> is
> >> finding the right person to do the job she needs completed. We're going
> to
> >> need accommodations no matter the economy, so either we are
> competitive, or
> >> we are not. I don't buy the logic that somehow the dim economy makes
> things
> >> significantly worse for us.
> >>
> >> Joe
> >>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
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> >
> > --
> > Take care,
> > Ty
> > http://tds-solutions.net
> > He that will not reason is a bigot; he that cannot reason is a fool; he
> that dares not reason is a slave.
> >
> >
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