[nfbmi-talk] If you Had 20 million Dollars, What Would You Do To help blind People Get a Job?

[Tonya Smith]

Hi Fred, this is Tanya.  You know actually I've been in a situation where, I have been, well, and I guess that I had a rehab counselor, actually it was a job coach.  She told me that not many companies will hire blind people and I say "Why?"  and she said because they don't know how to deal with them.  And they don't want them to become a safety hazard or having to watch out for them and most work places are not laid out in a way where the blind person could easily get around successfully.  You know, because I used to work in two jobs and it was pretty easy for me to get around, but she said well that's because your mom helped you and she used to work at one of those places in Bangor, Michigan and so she was a big help to me, but I guess the job coach is right that most places are not geared towards blindness and how to deal and the lay out and the patience for that matter.

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> Original Message:
> ---------------------------------
> 
> From: Fred Wurtzel <f.wurtzel at att.net> 
> Sent: February 27, 2011 4:47:13 PM
> To: 'NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List' <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: [nfbmi-talk] If you Had 20 million Dollars, What Would You Do To help blind People Get a Job?
> 
> hello,
> 
>  
> 
> There is a MCB meeting com9ing up march 18.  What would happen if we all
> showed up and gave our ideas of ways to spend $20 million, the Commission
> Budget, to help blind people go to work.  If you live in Detroit or
> kalamazoo, or Traverse City or Allpena or Ishpeming, what would you do?  if
> you had 100 people on your staff what would you have them do?  Where would
> you send them.  What would you have them say to blind people?  
> 
>  
> 
> Just think of it.  $20 million dollars.  To me, that is a lot of money.  100
> people or so, that is a large staff.  The possibilities seem very bigg.  If
> those 100 people called 1 employer a week and asked if they were willing to
> hire a blind person, how many job openings could we find?  If we created a
> competition to create an accessible way to use Facebook with a chas prize
> and publicity how much would that help blind people find work?  
> 
>  
> 
> If we turned counselors into mentors what difference would that make.  What
> would happen if we had brainstorming groups meet around the state to think
> up ideas of ways to make their communities more accessible what woudld
> happen to those communities?  What if the Commission actually collaborated
> with consumer groups to solve problems slowing down blind people from
> getting good jobs?
> 
>  
> 
> I encourage you to put march 18 on your calendars and go to lansing to the
> ottawa building at pine and ottawa to use your public comment to let the
> Coommission how you think $20 million dollars could help blind people in
> Michigan.  This is a lot of money, despite the constant complaining that
> MCB- is broke.  it is not broke, it has 20 million dollars generously
> appropriated by congres and the Michigan legislature to help blind people go
> to work.  We can make a difference.
> 
>  
> 
> Warmest Regards,
> 
>  
> 
> Fred
> 
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