[nfbmi-talk] Fw: [acb-l] employment strategies and disclosure

[Matt McCubbin]

Joe,
What does this message have to do with the NFB of Michigan?


Best regards,
Matt

On 4/6/2011 12:59 AM, joe harcz Comcast wrote:
> Dear All,
>
> This is a self proclaimed bigot. Her services such as they might be
> should be boycotted.
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "J.Rayl" <thedogmom63 at frontier.com>
> To: "Mitch Pomerantz" <mitch.pomerantz at earthlink.net>
> Cc: "Acb List" <acb-l at acb.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 10:37 PM
> Subject: Re: [acb-l] employment strategies and disclosure
>
>
>> Well, I can guarantee you that, even though I am blind, were I
>> interviewing
>> for a position in my office, I'd be downright ticked off, and that is
>> putting it mildly, if some blind person wasted my freaking time by
>> applying
>> for a job, then waltzing into my office without telling me she / he
>> was also
>> blind. And, I'll be danged if they'd get the pleasure of wasting much of
>> it. First, I'd wonder just what else she / he was hiding.
>> Second, most people just don't think its so cool to be surprised or
>> embarrassed or downright humiliated--and that's exactly what it is.
>> Yes, as a potential employer, I have the responsibility not to be
>> discriminatory, and I'm not. Other people with disabilities have the
>> responsibility to be halfway respectful and reasonable as well.
>> And, I'll give you a perfect example. My office is not wheelchair
>> accessible. So someone called whose husband uses a wheelchair. She didn't
>> bother to ask if it was wheelchair accessible, and the appointment was
>> for
>> her, not him. So, she jumps out of her van and proceeds to bust in,
>> running
>> off at the mouth about filing a complaint against me. I asked whether she
>> wanted information about Human Rights or my license Board, and for what
>> reason. She informed me her husband wanted to come with her and my office
>> was not WCA.
>> I said, "Well, before you really file that complaint, you might want to
>> reconsider. Had you asked, I would have told you that no, it is not;
>> however, I make accommodations to people who need this in another
>> place that
>> is." Well, the wind blew straight out of her little sails.
>> So it really doesn't pay to be quite so arogant sometimes.
>>
>>
>> Jessie Rayl
>> EM: thedogmom63 at frontier.com
>> PH:304.671.9780
>> www.facebook.com/eaglewings10
>>
>> "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall
>> mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run, and not be weary"--Isaiah
>> 40.31
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mitch Pomerantz"
>> <mitch.pomerantz at earthlink.net>
>> To: "'Jessi Rayl'" <thedogmom63 at frontier.com>; "'peter altschul'"
>> <paltschul at centurytel.net>
>> Cc: <acb-l at acb.org>
>> Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 7:22 PM
>> Subject: RE: [acb-l] employment strategies and disclosure
>>
>>
>> Jessie:
>>
>> I essentially agree with you and as my friend Peter has indicated, he
>> and I
>> have rather differing views on this issue.
>>
>> As someone who has conducted my share of interviews over the years, I can
>> tell you firsthand that interviewers absolutely do not like surprises.
>> That
>> is why I mention my blindness prior to going in for the interview. That
>> initial 30 seconds or one or two minutes (Andy is being generous, I
>> think)
>> where interviewers are making their initial assessment shouldn't be
>> taken up
>> with the interviewers' shock over having a blind candidate with a cane or
>> guide dog in the office. And, as Andy has pointed out, pre-interview
>> computer tests are quite prevalent; that's one way to obtain a writing
>> sample that you know hasn't been doctored ahead of time.
>>
>> Because I've been involved in blindness and disability activities for as
>> long as I have, my resume is chock full of mentions of ACB, CCB, and
>> my time
>> with the California Governor's Committee on Employment of Disabled
>> Persons.
>> Right now, if I were applying for another job, I'd list the fact that
>> I've
>> been appointed by the former Governor to serve on the California
>> Commission
>> on Disability Access.
>>
>> My bottom line in all of this is that 1. my time is too valuable to
>> waste on
>> an employer who can't be told upfront that I am blind; and 2. not telling
>> that employer is more likely than not to result in the would-be employer
>> attempting to get over his or her surprise at having to deal with one
>> of us.
>> Truly, I've never heard of someone getting a job where he or she overcame
>> the interviewers' initial surprise. It's probably happened; but then
>> again,
>> if the blind candidate got the job, he or she may well have gotten it if
>> they'd been upfront from the get-go.
>>
>>
>> Mitch
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: acb-l-bounces at acb.org [mailto:acb-l-bounces at acb.org] On Behalf Of
>> Jessi Rayl
>> Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 3:28 PM
>> To: 'peter altschul'
>> Cc: acb-l at acb.org
>> Subject: Re: [acb-l] employment strategies and disclosure
>>
>> Hi. Well, I do a couple things here. First, I make my coverletter /
>> resume
>> about my work, my education and my abilities. It probably will not state,
>> specifically, that I am totally blind, however I am associated with
>> blindness-related things and will not leave these off nor will I go to
>> any
>> great lengths to hide that, or other, obvious give-aways to disability.
>> Also, when obtaining that interview, I will, once I get it, let them
>> know of
>> this fact. There are several reasons: 1. I never, ever have anyone
>> take me
>> to an interview. If they do, they park well down the block and drop me
>> off
>> and I find my own way, which means I've got to get some pretty specific
>> directions, but I get their on my own--even if it means the office staff
>> have to tell me (no they do not come out to get me) how to get there.
>> 2. Some interviews are now done via lunch meetings and the last thing I
>> want to have happen is the same thing that happened to my blind friend
>> who
>> was adamant about not telling of her blindness. She waltzed in with her
>> blindness, her dog and was suddenly confronted with a group of folks
>> ready
>> to get in cars to go to lunch. Well, she had no car, no driver and no way
>> to get there. Guess what she didn't get?
>> They rescheduled an interview, in an office, and she didn't get the job.
>> So me? I would inquire about how and where the interviews are conducted,
>> e.g., are they group, etc. The more info I, and they, have ahead of time,
>> the better prepared we all are. And then, if I suspected I was not
>> selected, I'd take action at that point. And I have, did, and got a
>> job as
>> a result of it too.
>>
>> Jessie
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: acb-l-bounces at acb.org [mailto:acb-l-bounces at acb.org] On Behalf Of
>> peter altschul
>> Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 5:37 PM
>> To: acb-l at acb.org
>> Subject: Re: [acb-l] employment strategies and disclosure
>>
>> Hi:
>>
>> As I'm sure others have told you, disclosing is a very personal
>> choice. For
>> me, I usually find it most effective not to disclose until I actually
>> show
>> up for the interview. It's important to stress that my work has generally
>> been in the for-profit and noprofit sectors only marhinally related to
>> disability. I would disclose earlier for federal government jobs
>> because of
>> Schedule A considerations; also, for jobs in the disability sector. I
>> wrote
>> an article explaining my rationale for this; if anyone is interested,
>> let me
>> know and I will try to find it.
>>
>> BTW, I know our esteemed President disagrees with me on this.
>>
>> And one more thing: this issue may be less relevant because in many
>> cases,
>> an employer will Google your name and will be pretty sure that you have a
>> disability based on the information there.
>>
>> Best, Peter
>>
>>
>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Baracco, Andrew W" <Andrew.Baracco at va.gov
>>> To: <acb-l at acb.org
>>> Date sent: Tue, 5 Apr 2011 14:11:18 -0700
>>> Subject: Re: [acb-l] employment strategies and disclosure
>>
>>> Job Fairs are very popular today. Dealing with job fairs is part
>> of my job. I am either on the other side of the table, representing
>> the VA
>> as an employer, or I am there accompanying some of my clients. There
>> are so
>> many people there that having someone go with you
>>
>>> Would not be noticed, but your guide should stay in the
>> background, and you should approach the table alone. You can have your
>> guide assist you in filling out an app, if that is being done on the
>> spot.
>> As for disclosing blindness, usually it would not be a good idea to
>> mention
>> it on a resume unless perhaps you are applying to work at a blindness or
>> disability services organization, like an independent living center,
>> but it
>> should be couched in functional terms, like the fact that you taught
>> Braille, or something like that. I used to believe that you should never
>> disclose it at all, but my thinking has changed a bit over the years. I
>> think that a good time to disclose might be when you are contacted about
>> arranging an interview.
>> Sometimes as part of the interview process, there may be a test, or some
>> kind of functional activity, such as a role play, or perhaps doing
>> something
>> with the computer, etc. When scheduling the interview, you might want to
>> ask if there will be such an activity, and ask if you can bring
>> someone to
>> assist, or if they can provide someone to assist. Remember that many
>> people
>> have never interacted with a blind person before, and you don’t want to
>> spend your interview time helping them to deal with the shock.
>> One reason that my thinking has changed on this issue is because in
>> 2005 we
>> started a supported employment program for persons with severe mental
>> illness. Many have issues that make it difficult for them to pursue
>> employment without assistance and support. Many are good workers once
>> they
>> get acclimated to the job, but they cannot tolerate the stress that
>> accompanies job seeking, and beginning a new job in a new place, with new
>> people, etc. The employment specialist often must help to sell the
>> employer
>> on giving the person a try. To my surprise, we have found that employers
>> are willing to take a chance when they know what the issues are, and, in
>> this case, that they have a resource to consult if there are problems. If
>> the employer knows that you are blind up front, there is the chance that
>> they will balk, but if they don’t, you will have the opportunity to
>> make
>> the interview work in your favor rather than spending 15 minutes
>> helping the
>> interviewer to settle down. Remember that interviewers make judgments
>> within the first minute or two, so you want to have the opportunity to
>> use
>> that time to sell yourself as an employee, not a disabled employee. I am
>> often asked where there are jobs for disabled persons. I tell them that
>> there are no jobs for disabled workers, just jobs for good workers.
>>
>>
>>
>>> Andy
>>
>>
>>
>>> From: acb-l-bounces at acb.org [mailto:acb-l-bounces at acb.org] On
>> Behalf Of bookwormahb at earthlink.net
>>> Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 1:00 PM
>>> To: Acb List
>>> Subject: [acb-l] employment strategies and disclosure
>>
>>
>>
>>> Hi all,
>>
>>
>>
>>> I was wondering about your employment strategies over the years.
>>
>>> What worked for you? Networking? If so where? Did you join
>> certain clubs or interest groups?
>>
>>> Did you go to job fairs with someone?
>>
>>> If so, how did you stand out in the crowd from other job seekers?
>>
>>> I’m intraverted so selling myself and speaking to the
>> recruiters is hard.
>>
>>> I state my education and what I’m looking for and my
>> background; but not sure if I stand out from others.
>>
>>> I go with someone sighted to these because they are very very
>> crowded and I need to know where certain tables are.
>>
>>> Also, when in the employment search do you disclose your blind?
>>
>>> I do not do this initially on my cover letter or resume; except
>> if its for the government.
>>
>>
>>
>>> Thanks.
>>
>>
>>
>>> Ashley
>>
>>> ûï¿
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> acb-l mailing list
>> acb-l at acb.org
>> http://www.acb.org/mailman/listinfo/acb-l
>> No virus found in this incoming message.
>> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
>> Version: 9.0.894 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3552 - Release Date: 04/05/11
>> 08:05:00
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> acb-l mailing list
>> acb-l at acb.org
>> http://www.acb.org/mailman/listinfo/acb-l
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> acb-l mailing list
>> acb-l at acb.org
>> http://www.acb.org/mailman/listinfo/acb-l
>>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nfbmi-talk mailing list
> nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbmi-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> nfbmi-talk:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbmi-talk_nfbnet.org/mgoalball%40gmail.com
>