[nabs-l] Fair payment for readers

Tue Oct 13 04:09:20 UTC 2015

Hey there,

I use readers often for my tougher subjects, and sometimes I ask the disabilities services person for assistance in finding a reader because I don't like to use friends. I find that working with friends, although beneficial if you have a class together, can be counter-productive. Often even asking your professors for a recommendation can lead you into a great relationship with a reader. I've been using one of my professor's senior Research Assistants as a reader, and they're allowed to use our reading hours as part of their reading literacy requirements. It can often be a win-win situation if you find the right people! Good luck. 

Meaghan 

Meaghan Roper

> On Oct 12, 2015, at 11:48 PM, Kaiti Shelton via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Okay, great.  I don't think I'll do it this particular time because as
> far as I know this will be a one-time event, but it's good to know for
> future reference.  I didn't need a lab assistant at all until this
> semester either, so I'm still getting the hang of having assistants
> and other people helping with my academics.  I've worked hard to
> handle as much as I could on my own without readers or assistant
> people, so I'm learning.
> 
>> On 10/12/15, Suzanne Germano via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> I have asked for specific people to be hired. Never had an issues.
>> 
>> On Mon, Oct 12, 2015 at 8:34 PM, Kaiti Shelton via nabs-l
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>> wrote:
>> 
>>> Hi all,
>>> 
>>> The main issue is that I cannot hire just any person through
>>> Disability Services because the nature of what I need them to read
>>> needs to stay confidential.  If DS were to hire a non-music therapy
>>> major currently enrolled in a practicum course of which there are
>>> about 10 or so of us, they would also need to go through my music
>>> therapy faculty and sign off on other documentation.  Is it possible
>>> to tell DS I need a particular student hired if the student is willing
>>> to be recognized officially in that capacity?  I'm not asking this to
>>> be picky; I have a DS-hired lab assistant for my anatomy lab who isn't
>>> a science major and has no prior experience with blind people, and
>>> he's working out fine so I have nothing against the hiring process and
>>> letting them find people.  I need to abide by professional
>>> competencies and standards of clinical practice, which are very strict
>>> on confidentiality and ethics for good reason.
>>> 
>>> I am going to discuss payment with the classmate in person, because I
>>> started trying to text her about it when we were setting up the
>>> meeting time and that felt really awkward.  I think negotiating that
>>> in person will go a lot better for both of us.  I'm glad to know I
>>> wasn't far off the mark; lunch at the little bistro in our building
>>> might also be a fair-priced but enticing form of payment, as I know
>>> this person is pretty busy and probably could use someone picking up
>>> in-building lunch costs at some point (I believe sandwitches and
>>> salads are around $5).
>>> 
>>>> On 10/12/15, Arielle Silverman via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>> Hi Kaiti. I think buying your reader a drink from Starbucks is about
>>>> the right amount to pay for a half-hour of work. When I was an
>>>> undergrad ten years ago, (has it been that long?) I was told the going
>>>> rate was $7. By now it's probably gone up to $10 or so, so a $5 drink
>>>> seems about right.
>>>> Using a DSS employee has its ups and downs. If you will need a lot of
>>>> reading time, it could save you money. On the downside, it can take
>>>> some time to get the reader job set up, and when you use a DSS
>>>> employee, you sometimes lose some control over the management process.
>>>> I once had a lab assistant hired by DSS, and in the beginning she had
>>>> problems with showing up to my class late. It frustrated me that I
>>>> couldn't directly fire her if she was repeatedly late, and that
>>>> getting a replacement would take several weeks. Fortunately my lab
>>>> assistant did get better about punctuality, but my point is that you
>>>> do lose some control and some efficiency if you go the DSS route.
>>>> Anyway, I'm glad you found someone who is interested and I hope the
>>>> reading relationship goes well. In the best cases, a reading
>>>> relationship can be mutually beneficial to both people involved.
>>>> Best, Arielle
>>>> 
>>>>> On 10/12/15, Miso Kwak via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>>> Hi Kaiti,
>>>>> If it's something related to your coursework, one route u could take
>>>>> is
>>>>> have
>>>>> your reader hired by the disability service office.
>>>>> A down side of this could be having to go through the hiring process.
>>>>> If circumstances work out, you could have a student who is already
>>>>> hired
>>>>> by
>>>>> the office as your reader, and that student could log his/her reading
>>>>> time
>>>>> into the time sheet.
>>>>> I hope this makes sense and is helpful.
>>>>> Miso
>>>>> 
>>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>>> 
>>>>>> On Oct 12, 2015, at 7:59 PM, Kaiti Shelton via nabs-l
>>>>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Hi all,
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> I finally broke down per lack of choice (those who saw my last thread
>>>>>> know why) and emailed my classmates to get a human reader for
>>>>>> handwritten documents which can not be handled by the DS office or
>>>>>> Robo Braille due to confidentiality and ethics concerns in my field.
>>>>>> One of my classmates responded tonight and said she is willing to
>>>>>> read
>>>>>> the documents to me.  They're song lyrics and I suspect that they'll
>>>>>> be fairly simple for her to read, and that we'll get through the
>>>>>> process quickly enough, but I have never had a reader before so I'm
>>>>>> not sure how best to offer fair payment.  How does this typically
>>>>>> work?  I mentioned in my email that we could work something out, but
>>>>>> I
>>>>>> said that more because I had no clue how much or how little would be
>>>>>> fair (though I am willing to pay the person in a drink from Starbucks
>>>>>> or something if they prefer that over cash).  We've set aside 25
>>>>>> minutes to read these three documents, so what should I shoot for?
>>>>>> Thanks to those of you who have advised me so far on this.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> Kaiti Shelton
>>>>>> University of Dayton-Music Therapy
>>>>>> President, Ohio Association of Blind Students 2013-Present
>>>>>> Secretary, The National Federation of the Blind Performing Arts
>>>>>> Division 2015-2016
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> "You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you
>>>>>> back!"
>>>>>> 
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>>>>> 
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>>> 
>>> --
>>> Kaiti Shelton
>>> University of Dayton-Music Therapy
>>> President, Ohio Association of Blind Students 2013-Present
>>> Secretary, The National Federation of the Blind Performing Arts
>>> Division 2015-2016
>>> 
>>> "You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back!"
>>> 
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> 
> 
> -- 
> Kaiti Shelton
> University of Dayton-Music Therapy
> President, Ohio Association of Blind Students 2013-Present
> Secretary, The National Federation of the Blind Performing Arts
> Division 2015-2016
> 
> "You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back!"
> 
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