[NFBOH-Cleveland] Barriers To Employment when the blind can not see!

[Suzanne Turner]

From: Employment-Committee <employment-committee-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Dick Davis via Employment-Committee
Sent: Wednesday, September 18, 2019 2:42 PM
To: allstaff at blindinc.org
Cc: Dick Davis <ddavis at blindinc.org>; Private List for Employment Committee <employment-committee at nfbnet.org>; Emily Wharton <Emily.Wharton at blind.state.ia.us>
Subject: [Employment-Committee] FW: Christine Malley

 

A blind woman who has an excellent work history applied for a job processing loan applications at Wells Fargo.  30% of the job involved comparing documents, including pictures of properties.  She was terminated when they determined she could not do visual reading.  She proposed using AIRA, but Wells Fargo raised the issue of security.  It seemed to me that there was and often is a fundamental misunderstanding of how blind people use readers.  I think most blind people have not thought the matter through either.  I have read for many blind people and know the truth.  I recommended that Wells Fargo reconsider its decision, and they will most likely do so.  Here is what I wrote:

 

“Dear Christine and Monica,

 

“When a blind person uses a sighted reader, the reader does not remember any of the information read.  That is because oral reading is so fast (around 200 words per minute) and there is so much reading volume that there is no time for the reader to remember or record the information.  Anyone who reads for a blind person knows this. You forget everything and cannot answer questions about the most basic things.  That’s because the human brain works to process out extraneous detail.  

 

“There is also the issue of what the sighted reader can do with the information.  When you are comparing pictures of homes, there is no meaningful private information there.  The same is the case when you are comparing signatures to see if one looks like the other.  No significant information, assuming that the reader can even decipher the signature, something that is not necessary for purposes of comparison.   

 

“It is no different when the reader is reading information of a personal nature, such as that on a loan application, unless there is some process going on, such as transferring the information from one document to another.  Even then, that involves only short term recall. There is too much unrelated information for a person to transfer to midrange or long range memory.  AIRA readers, who deal with a wide range of materials, are even less prone to remember what they are reading than someone who deals with the same information day after day.  

 

“I know that the federal government has blind people in NSA, FBI, CIA and other organizations that use sighted readers, and their security is really high.  AIRA may be able to have the people who work with you sign a confidentiality agreement.  Or Wells Fargo can hire or give you a local person who can sign such an agreement.  

 

“But overall, I think the real problem is that most sighted people don’t have a clue about how blind people use readers.  They need to educate themselves about the tools blind people use. Hopefully you all can find a good solution.  

 

“Please do not isolate yourselves, as there are many people in the NFB who can come up with solutions.  

 

“Best wishes, 

Dick Davis” 

 

I do think that we need to put more of these things in writing to be used by jobseekers who run into employment barriers.  

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