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

[Suzanne Turner]

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