[stylist] Working in blindness field

Mon Feb 18 14:52:33 UTC 2013

Justin,
I like your goal - set it and move towards it - things will open up as you 
go towards your goal. Set your goal and that is your "Plan A" - and go for 
it.

My best advice is to become friends with your professors in college - I am 
not sure if you are in college or not at this time. But, I can assure you 
that your professors will be your very best allies in achieving your goal. 
Particularly if you are passionate about the research aspect - all 
professors do research as that is an enormous part of their pursuit of the 
tenure track position.

Be a thoroughbred horse - when that horse is running a race, it never looks 
back - never look back, but keep your eyes focused on your career goal - you 
will be what you have set your mind to be.

Lynda

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "justin williams" <justin.williams2 at gmail.com>
To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2013 12:21 AM
Subject: Re: [stylist] Working in blindness field

>
> 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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