[nabs-l] Internships

Chris Nusbaum dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com
Mon Aug 4 00:35:38 UTC 2014 

Sofia and Others,

I agree with Minh that blindness need not be something of which you are
ashamed. Certainly any denial of employment based solely on blindness
connotes belief in blindness misconceptions on the part of the employer.
However, I don't think it is necessary to make your blindness a dominant
part of conversation about employment either. While I am by no means ashamed
or afraid of my blindness, neither do I want an employer to hire me out of
pity based on my blindness. This is why I don't pull the "blind card"--as I
like to call it--initially when applying for a position, whether paid or
volunteer.

When I applied for the internship in which I currently work, I made no
mention of my blindness in my application or resume. I also asked the
guidance counselor who is in charge of internships at my high school not to
mention it to my potential boss prior to the interview. This was not to
downplay or hide my blindness; quite the contrary. I wanted my potential
employer to grant me the interview based on my merit, not on my blindness.
If I didn't talk about my blindness up front, I could ensure that she was
looking at my application and resume objectively, with blindness being of no
consequence to her decision. When the interview came, however, I was up
front about my blindness. I walked into the room with my cane, which
clarified to her that I am blind. There were certainly some questions about
how I could handle the work and what accommodations she would need to
provide, but I was able to put her mind at ease by explaining the
alternative techniques I use and referring back to my resume. I was hired
soon after, and it has gone very well so far. In my opinion, had I discussed
my blindness at the application stage, the interview would have probably
gone very differently. Just my thoughts.

Chris

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Sofia Gallo via
nabs-l
Sent: Sunday, August 03, 2014 6:30 PM
To: minh ha
Cc: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Internships

I dom't think my blindness is a big deal either but i was adviced by a
counselor not to say anything until i get accepted, which goes against my
instincts which is why i ask:)Sent from my iPhone

> On Aug 3, 2014, at 6:18 PM, minh ha <minh.ha927 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Um, no, the internship that I had last year the supervisor knew full 
> well I was totally blind since I showed up to the interview with my 
> guide dog. ... I was fully qualified for the position so they took me 
> on despite of reservations they might had about accommodations and 
> stuff like that. Personally, I don't think my blindness is a huge deal 
> so I'm not afraid of hiding it to the world.
> 
> Minh
> 
>> On 8/3/14, Sofia Gallo <sofiagallo13 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Thanks all!
>> 
>> It looks like I can instal my own version of Jaws on a company 
>> computer and reset it after or use my own laptop.
>> 
>> I imagine you didn't say anything about being blind or needing 
>> accommodations until afterbeing accepted to the internship? :)
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On Aug 3, 2014, at 12:31 PM, minh ha via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> I've had various internships over the years that required heavy use 
>>> of a computer for research, writing, etc. My employers always 
>>> allowed me to use my own computer and they just connected me to 
>>> their network so I could access pertinent information. Last year 
>>> during my sophomore year of college, I had an internship with a 
>>> social service non-profit and my state agency provided a jaws key 
>>> for me to put on 3 of the office computers. I was working with 
>>> confidential client information at the time so it was necessary for me
to use one of their computers.
>>> Definitely check into your state agency to see if they will provide 
>>> a jaws key for you to use temporarily during your internship. 
>>> Otherwise, I don't think it would be a huge deal for  you to use 
>>> your own laptop if your supervisor is ok with it.
>>> 
>>> Minh
>>> 
>>>> On 8/3/14, Cody Bair via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>> I have also had two summer jobs in colege. Since I had 3 
>>>> authorizations of Jaws I authorized the software on both of my work 
>>>> computers which worked excellent for me as their was no out of 
>>>> pocket cost for my employer and I had full use of Jaws.
>>>> 
>>>> Cody
>>>> 
>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>> 
>>>>> On Aug 2, 2014, at 11:56 PM, Arielle Silverman via nabs-l 
>>>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> Hi Sofia,
>>>>> Congrats on the internship!
>>>>> I had three different summer jobs in high school and college that 
>>>>> involved computers. Each timeI used JAWS in demo mode; I don't 
>>>>> think the USB's existed yet. It was no problem using JAWS in demo
mode.
>>>>> Also, if you have JAWS on your home computer, I think you can 
>>>>> install a full version on up to three computers. I recently 
>>>>> installed my full JAWS license on my new work computer and I just 
>>>>> called Freedom Scientific and asked them to reset my license 
>>>>> (since I had formerly run it on an old laptop I no longer use) and 
>>>>> they did without any trouble or additional cost.
>>>>> Of course you could also try NVDA.
>>>>> Sorry I don't know the answer to your USB question.
>>>>> Best,
>>>>> Arielle
>>>>> 
>>>>>> On 8/2/14, Sofia Gallo via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>>>> It would be a political/policy internship.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> It sounds like a USB would be the best option, but after reading 
>>>>>> the Jaws website, it seems like the USB version doesn't work if 
>>>>>> Jaws is not already installed on the computer and that it's 
>>>>>> purpose is to apply your preferred settings to jaws, and not to 
>>>>>> use Jaws on a computer that doesn't have Jaws.
>>>>>> Someone correct me if I'm wrong:)
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> On Aug 3, 2014, at 1:05 AM, Derek Manners 
>>>>>>> <dmanners at jd16.law.harvard.edu>
>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Depending on your place, your machine is the best bet or getting 
>>>>>>> permission to use a USB.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> May I ask what type of intership?
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> On Aug 3, 2014, at 12:35 AM, Sofia Gallo via nabs-l 
>>>>>>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Thanks for the replies.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Jaws in demo mode is a pain, but getting the whole software to 
>>>>>>>> use it for
>>>>>>>> 2 months doesn't sound very reasonable.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> I could always take my laptop and use that.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> I have options, but I was wondering what experiences others 
>>>>>>>> have had regarding assistive technology and internships. What 
>>>>>>>> arrangements have others made?
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Thanks for the input!
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> On Aug 3, 2014, at 12:12 AM, Joseph Hudson 
>>>>>>>>> <jhud7789 at outlook.com>
>>>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> Hi, I think before I even think about getting a job like that, 
>>>>>>>>> I would think about what kind of software that would be 
>>>>>>>>> putting on that Machine whether it be MBVA or John's? Because 
>>>>>>>>> if they're putting John's on there and it's all going to be a 
>>>>>>>>> will to run in demo mode and my computer job is extensive I 
>>>>>>>>> probably wouldn't deal to get much done in a day.
>>>>>>>>> The
>>>>>>>>> reason why I say that is because if I had to restart my 
>>>>>>>>> computer every
>>>>>>>>> 40 minutes or restart John, every 40 minutes Alakaina get 
>>>>>>>>> tiring and slowing on my process. So possible, talk to the 
>>>>>>>>> person or Company, About getting the real version. Are you 
>>>>>>>>> free later that you will be using.
>>>>>>>>> I
>>>>>>>>> hope this helps and if you having me other questions do not 
>>>>>>>>> hesitate to
>>>>>>>>> contact me off off list        n Aug 2, 2014, at 10:45 PM, Sofia
>>>>>>>>> Gallo
>>>>>>>>> via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> Hello
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> Has anyone had an internship or short-term job (such as a 
>>>>>>>>>> summer
>>>>>>>>>> job)
>>>>>>>>>> that required extensive computer use (such as browsing the 
>>>>>>>>>> internet, using Word and other basic programs)? How did this 
>>>>>>>>>> work out in terms of using assistive technology such as 
>>>>>>>>>> screen readers like Jaws?
>>>>>>>>>> Did
>>>>>>>>>> you arrange to use your own computer, use the demo mode of a 
>>>>>>>>>> software or carry a USB version of the software?
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> I'm just wondering what experiences anyone has had using 
>>>>>>>>>> assistive technology when the job is only short-term since 
>>>>>>>>>> adjusting company computers with software may not be practical.
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> Thanks!
>>>>>>>>>> 
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>>>>> 
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>>> 
>>> --
>>> "All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the 
>>> dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was
vanity:
>>> but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on 
>>> their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible." T. E. Lawrence
>>> 
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> 
> 
> --
> "All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty 
> recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity:
> but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on 
> their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible." T. E. Lawrence

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