[Ohio-talk] [Cinci-nfb] To disclose or not disclose (was) In case you want the whole "blind barber" storyFW: [DGV] Blind barber gets his cut

[Deborah Kendrick]

Hi Chris,

To disclose or not disclose is one of those age-old questions in the blindness and employment arena.

I know Chuck from Clovernook and have tremendous respect for the wonderful work he has done over the years.

That said, I have always been on the other side of the “to disclose or not disclose” debate.  

In my experience, things have always gone more smoothly if I just show up.  They see when they meet me and my cane or dog that I am blind, but that instant recognition is better than giving them plenty of time to conjure up a host of misconceptions.  

I do agree that once you are in their face, so to speak, being the first one to mention your blindness is a good thing.  

By talking about it right away – making jokes if appropriate to the moment – you can quickly dispel a lot of stereotypes and put them at ease.

My first job interview in the big wide world was at a television station in Toledo.  I was 20.  I was pretty much promised an entry level job in news operations over the phone.  This decision was based on my writing samples, my grade transcripts, and my recommendation letters from professors.  Not to mention the phone interview itself.

When I showed up with my guide dog, everything went up in smoke.  Instead of an interview, I was insulted by a barrage of questions and that blunt accusation that I could not have possibly written my cover letter or writing samples because a blind person, in the manager’s view, could not type.  

I was too young and too stunned to know how to respond.  

I learned a lot that day and while I still would not tell him beforehand that I’m blind, I would definitely address blindness asap upon our meeting one another.  

Just my 3 cents, as they say!!

 

Peace,

Deborah

 

 

From: Christopher Sabine, ONH Consulting [mailto:info at onhconsulting.com] 
Sent: Thursday, November 12, 2015 12:19 PM
To: dkkendrick at earthlink.net; 'NFB of Ohio Cincinnati Chapter List'
Cc: 'NFB of Ohio Announcement and Discussion List'
Subject: RE: [Cinci-nfb] In case you want the whole "blind barber" storyFW: [DGV] Blind barber gets his cut

 

Wow! Thanks for sharing this article.

 

I do think this article raises a couple of questions. First, it evidently sounds like this guy is a consumer at the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind. I’m wondering if he received any voc rehabilitation and / or job development services through the agency. The Massachusetts Commission for the blind is the same as BSVI here in Ohio. I’m asking because one of the first things my job developer—it was actually Chuck from Clovernook—told me to do was to always disclose my Blindness at an interview, explain right off the bat that the Blindness was not an impediment to performing my job and offering to demonstrate the assistive technology and cane skills I use on a daily basis. This puts the prospective employer at ease immediately.

 

It sounds to me as if this guy initially was trying to hide his visual impairment—at least initially. I don’t mean to be the Devil’s advocate on this, but there is definitely another side to this story—I think.

 

That said, R. P. is definitely not a “malady.” I’m glad this person won his case with the Commission Against Discrimination.

 

These are just my thoughts. Thanks for sharing.

 

Chris

 

From: Cinci-nfb [mailto:cinci-nfb-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Deborah Kendrick via Cinci-nfb
Sent: Thursday, November 12, 2015 11:35 AM
To: cinci-nfb at nfbnet.org
Cc: Deborah Kendrick; 'NFB of Ohio Announcement and Discussion List'
Subject: [Cinci-nfb] In case you want the whole "blind barber" storyFW: [DGV] Blind barber gets his cut

 

Again, this story isn’t perfect, but I think you will love it.

My fellow journalists still have a distance to go in learning to use politically correct lanugage, but this is a great victory.

Read on and smile.

Deborah

  

Blind barber gets his cut

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_coverage/2015/11/blind_barber_gets_his_cut

Man awarded $100G as firing ruled illegal

Bob McGovern Saturday, November 07, 2015

Photo by: Herald Staff
Joel Nixon, a barber since 2008, who recently lost his job due to a 
degenerative eye disease, poses for the Boston Herald. Photo by Chelsea 
Nixon

6 comments

A legally blind barber who honed his craft cutting his siblings’ hair 
has been awarded $100,000 after a state agency found that he was 
illegally fired by a shop that didn’t want a sight-impaired scissorsmith 
on staff.

“When it comes to hairstyling, I’m an artist and I take pride in what I 
do,” said Joel Nixon, a barber who has been cutting men’s hair for 
years. “When you’re in my chair, I don’t let you out of my chair until 
they’re satisfied. My vision does not compromise my ability to do my job.”

Nixon, 29, has been diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a hereditary 
condition that affects his peripheral vision. He has trouble seeing at 
night, and has been declared legally blind by the Massachusetts 
Commission for the Blind.

He was working for Tony’s Barber Shop in Norton in 2011, but a year 
later his boss, Tony Morales, discovered his malady, according to the 
decision by the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination.

On March 3, 2012, Nixon was working at the shop’s South Easton location 
when he tripped over a customer’s legs. Later in the day, he tripped 
over a chair in the waiting room.

“Morales told him to pack up his things and get his wife to take him 
home,” the MCAD hearing officer wrote. “(Nixon) understood that his 
employment was being terminated.”

Things fell apart for Nixon after that, he said. He couldn’t find a job 
nearby, and his wife had a high-risk pregnancy that made it difficult 
for him to work far from home. He was unemployed for three years, his 
condo went into foreclosure, and he was forced to apply for food stamps 
and went to charities for Christmas gifts, he said.

He’s moving his family to a small apartment tomorrow. Nixon also deals 
with the lingering possibility he may lose his sight forever.

“I could wake up someday and be completely blind, but my goal is to have 
a nice home with a nice backyard for my son,” Nixon said, fighting back 
tears. “I’ve never been to Disneyland, and I want to take him. I want to 
take him before I lose my vision. I’m trying to do the best I can.”

MCAD awarded Nixon $75,000 in lost wages and $25,000 for emotional 
distress in a decision made public yesterday.

Morales, who did not appear at numerous hearings and parted ways with an 
attorney who was supposed to help him, said Nixon’s entire story is a 
lie. He said Nixon was an independent contractor, wasn’t able to carry 
his weight when he was with his shop and wasn’t a licensed barber.

“It’s a bunch of lies. It’s sad that people like Joel try to take 
advantage of their situation and create false accusations,” Morales 
said, adding that he would hire an attorney and appeal the decision. 
“All of this is false accusations.”

Morales no longer owns the Norton shop, but still runs the South Easton 
business.

An instructor who taught Nixon how to cut hair at the Massachusetts 
School of Barbering said he was happy to hear that his former pupil came 
away from the MCAD hearing victorious.

“He was a nice kid,” said Chuck Russian, the school’s co-director. “We 
were a little concerned when he said he was legally blind, but he did 
the work, passed the course and passed the state board exam.”

Nixon said he learned how to cut hair from his mother while growing up, 
using a set of clippers the family bought at Wal-Mart. He fell in love 
with the trade, “and it became my life’s calling.” Now, his clients ask 
for him by name.

“I have a following,” he said. “My clients call me the ‘Blind Barber.’ ”

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