[Ohio-talk] Appreciating Disability Employment Awareness Month - VisionAware Blog - VisionAware

Wed Nov 1 01:49:24 UTC 2017

Simply awesome, well deserved. Congratulations

Dr. Carolyn Peters Miami valley Chapter

Sent from my iPhone

> On Oct 31, 2017, at 5:56 PM, Suzanne Turner via Ohio-Talk <ohio-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> All,
> 
> I wanted to share my article with you because I am so excited that this
> month has been highlighted with great activities and articles about
> Disability Employment Awareness.  I have shared the rough draft with some.
> But, here is the finished product that has been on the web throughout this
> month.  AFB will remove it later this week.  I am grateful for their
> interest in what I do at Medical Mutual of Ohio.
> 
> Also, I had a wonderful time at this year's 2017 State of Ohio's Convention.
> From my Vice President's take on empathy to the keynote speaker, Shawn
> Calaway at the banquet; and then on Sunday, Dr. Smith's "keep moving"
> address; I have been inspired and ready to work throughout 2018.
> 
> I have inserted the article and link below that the American Foundation for
> the Blind requested of me to write.  Please do not respond to this email.
> You can contact me off list, if you need to.
> 
> 
> . .  by Suzanne Turner, Guest Blogger
> 
> October has become one of the months that is known for many celebrations of
> awareness. This month highlights Breast Cancer Awareness Month, National
> Hispanic Heritage Month, White Cane Safety Day, Meet the Blind Month, and my
> favorite, National Disability Employment Awareness Month. 
> 
> The reasoning behind my enthusiasm for Disability Employment Awareness is
> that I have come a long way from my days of working in a "sheltered
> workshop." As a teenager with hopes of attending college in the Department
> of Music at Jackson State University, I found myself in alarming situation..
> I was losing more of my vision, and I did not know how to stop it. However,
> this story is not about my vision, but the barriers I faced seeking
> competitive employment.
> Medical Mutual Quality Care Navigation department From left to right Erica
> Hufgard Amanda Renta Suzanne Turner and Kimberly Howard 
> 
> Breaking Down Employment Barriers
> 
> I left leaving Mississippi Royal Maid's Sheltered Workshop for the Blind in
> 1984, where I had been earning $1.98 per hour when the minimum wage was
> $3.30, I knew that working as a blind person in this environment was not the
> characteristic that defined me. This really sank home when I heard this
> concept mentioned at the 2013 National Federation of the Blind National
> Convention. Even though I knew that I wanted to break through the
> traditional barriers of blindness, I did not yet have the socialization
> skills, nor the support I needed to rise above it. I was stuck! I became
> complacent! I did not know that someone was looking for me to become a light
> for others. Please do not misunderstand me; I am no saint! However, I have
> developed and assembled my talents, goals, and mission to give back to the
> community of a little of what I have been fortunate to receive.
> 
> Working in such an environment assembling brooms and mops prepared me for my
> opportunities, and I have come to realize that someone had to do it. Just
> think, without a broom or mop, homes, restaurants, and establishments would
> be filled with unwanted trash.
> 
> However, the difference for me is the underlining meaning of opportunity,
> equality, diversity, and inclusion. First, the opportunity should be your
> decision. Second, justice has to mean being fair to all. Third, diversity
> must include multiple aspects and finally, inclusion should be embraced.
> Without these principles, where do people who are blind fit in? Putting us
> in a box like a sheltered workshop working below the state wage and
> isolating people who are blind was unfair and degrading. However, if I had
> been making a decent wage, I might have never achieved or explored beyond
> where I worked. Those who work assembling brooms and mops should have been
> provided the same opportunities as people who are sighted.
> 
> I am appreciative of all of my experiences. They are what made me who I am
> today. When I worked on high powered machines, I was one of the best
> workers. I was taught by my grandmother to do the best of whatever is
> awarded. I still live by that today!
> 
> Grateful to My Employer: Medical Mutual of Ohio
> 
> As I mentioned, I am so enthusiastic about the celebration of Disability
> Employment Awareness 2017. My current employer has provided me with one of
> the most excellent opportunities that I ever could have expected. My life
> has come full circle, and I am forever grateful to Medical Mutual of Ohio
> (MMO). As a Quality Care Navigator (QCN), I provide Medicare Advantage
> members with concierge service. A Quality Care Navigator works with a
> cross-disciplinary team to provide outreach services to Medicare and
> Affordable Care Act enrollees, providing assistance with navigation of
> health care services and community resources, benefits optimization, peer
> support, and other relevant services. These beneficiaries are blind and
> disabled seniors who may become overwhelmed with the volume of information
> about their health care. QCN is a new and innovative department that
> supports, educates, and invests in the well-being of our Medicare Advantage
> members. Primarily, we reach out to them before they need to reach out to
> us. The most important factor for me is that I provide members with respect,
> integrity, and most of all, empathy, as I would want the same for me and for
> my family. I understand what they are going through when it comes to seeking
> community resources, affordable medications, assistance with copays, and
> more. I have lived their lives. Indeed, I know exactly how difficult it is
> to live on Social Security with Medicare premiums deducted or to choose what
> bill to pay this month versus the next.
> 
> On the other hand, my expertise in social services, programs, and
> associations that can offer support, and understanding reasonable
> accommodations to help them access the printed word has been a benefit to
> MMO's blind beneficiaries. The relationships I have developed across the
> country have afforded me unselfish boundaries, and I am determined to close
> the gap on whatever is needed. 
> 
> Transforming Dreams into Reality
> 
> Before becoming an employee of MMO, I interviewed with a well-known
> pharmaceutical company that hired me that same day. But, I was never was
> brought onboard properly. For six months, I was given excuses about why they
> were unable to modify their server to provide me with reasonable
> accommodations. As a blind person, I use a screen reader, braille display,
> and other adaptive aids that help me to be productive and satisfactory.
> Before this interview, I worked for a state college, the federal government,
> a nonprofit, and my own company. I was qualified. If I wasn't, why would the
> recruitment team have passed me through three interviews and offered me the
> job in the same day? I was what they were looking for. I had a master's
> degree, 20 years of experience in social services, and solid written and
> verbal communication skills. They even offered me a higher wage than the job
> description.
> 
> The recruiters did the "right thing." They saw my credentials, but the
> manager saw only my blindness. It is unfortunate that they missed out on a
> great employee. However, MMO did not! It will be two years in December, and
> I am forever grateful and honored to be a part of something so special.
> Medical Mutual of Ohio lives by its motto, which is "We Do Things Right!"
> They not only do the right thing for their members but all employees as
> well. The funny thing about MMO is that they were looking for me. They
> wanted someone who reflected the population that the QCN department served..
> This is what everyone dreams about, the chance to be wanted by an employer..
> In my opinion, this is what the National Federation of the Blind means when
> they talk about "transforming dreams into reality." Yes, I can without a
> doubt say my dreams have been transformed into reality.
> 
> https://www.visionaware.org/blog/visionaware-blog/appreciating-disability-em
> ployment-awareness-month/12
> 
> https://www.visionaware.org/blog/visionaware-blog/appreciating-disability-em
> ployment-awareness-month/12
> 
> 
> 
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