[stylist] Working in blindness field

[justin williams]

Yeah,  this is true.  One reason is that it is the path of least resistance.
That does have something to do with it.  My eventual goal is to be a
professor/ ADA consultant, and one who does research in thr field of
disabilities.   But I have other options.  Sometimes,  the area of the
country dictates what career you can easily pursue.  That may not be fair,
but there it is.  

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Bridgit
Pollpeter
Sent: Monday, February 18, 2013 12:13 AM
To: stylist at nfbnet.org
Subject: [stylist] Working in blindness field

Ashley,

Without actual stats, we can't really debate this, but that being said, I
beg to differ, at least to a degree.

I don't think anyone here is trying to make generalizations seeing as we all
are blind, but we are all speaking from our experiences and personal
observations.

In the ten years I've been blind, which isn't long compared to some, I've
met more blind people working in a blindness-related field or hoping to be
employed in a blindness related field. For every lawyer, teacher and
computer programmer I've met, I've met ten who worked in a job relating to
blindness.

There's nothing wrong with this, and most of us would agree that blind
people need to be working in these fields, but I also think it can become a
safety net for some; not all, but many.

I've been to NFB conventions, and yes, there are people employed in various
fields, and many scholarship winners plan to, or are, pursuing a myriad of
career paths, but again, for every one of these people I've met, I've met a
dozen working in the blindness field. Or many of these people end up in a
blindness field despite their choice of degree.

And having heard several scholarship winners speak at conventions, a good
number of them hope to work in some way in a blindness field or teaching the
blind. Again, nothing wrong with this, and we do need blind people doing
this, but, for me, it shows how many blind people go into a blindness
related field.

And in our affiliate, most of the leadership either works in the blindness
field or hopes too. Of our eleven state board members, only two are employed
outside of a blindness field, and one is working towards a degree so they
can work in a blindness job.

More and more blind people are seeking opportunities outside of a blindness
related career, but many are still drawn to the field for whatever reason.
Again, we need strong, competent blind people in this field, but we also
need to consider what we truly want as a person and not a blind person.

And a side note, I don't think Lynda meant anything negative by her comments
nor was she implying all blind people work in a blindness related field. She
was merely detailing her experience and speaking to that experience alone.

Bridgit

Message: 11
Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2013 22:28:29 -0500
From: "Ashley Bramlett" <bookwormahb at earthlink.net>
To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [stylist] Sending this again: Article
	showingwhatparentsofblindkids are facing
Message-ID: <D073072BEB3F4E1F938EB6B7A6FF190A at OwnerPC>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
	reply-type=response

Lynda,
I beg to differ. Have you been to a nfb convention?
There are people employed in all walks of life and most scholarship winners
have a career aspiration in a non blindness field; they include future
teachers, therapists, researchers,  counselors, and doctors.
Most blind people I know work either in the IT field as computer programmers
or in the government, far from the blindness fields! Read the braille
monitor and you will see the wide variety of fields too!


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