[stylist] Where the Blind Work - gathering descriptions, receiving comments

[Robert Leslie Newman]

Hi you all

RE: An update, comment from a parent, and the employment form

 

I would like to give you a brief update of our recent effort to collect
additional job descriptions for "Where the Blind Work;" a joint project
between the Jernigan Institute, the Writers' Division, and the Employment
Committee. 

 

Here are the titles: Writer, Teacher of the Visually Impaired and Blind, ,
Writer/copy editor/team supervisor, Adaptive Technology Coordinator, Tour
Guide, Magician, customer Service I., Customer Service rep, Broadcast
Journalist, Director of Educational Research and Development, Director of
Health Services, Executive Director of Main Street Montessori Association,
telephone Operator, PBX Operator, Financial Analyst. 

  

If my count is right, we just added 15 new descriptions, bumping up our
total to 119. Good, yes. But hey, we have tens of thousands of members,  and
so there must be more of us who can contribute to this super valuable
employment resource. Please take the time to fill out the five questions
that I will paste into the lower portion of this message. But before you get
to those questions, read the text of a short message we received from a
parent of a blind child; see what "Where the Blind work, " has done for this
parent, and ultimately for her son: 

 

Wednesday 4, September 2013 

 

Hello,

 

I actually had a comment rather than a submission. I know that the WTBW

site is intended "to assist both the youth planning for future employment

and the adult considering a change in job and/or career," but wanted to note

that you do have another audience: the parent of a newly-diagnosed child.

After that awful doctor's appointment where we learned Eddie's retinas were

detached and there was a chance he could be totally blind, I searched on the

internet to find out what was to become of him and us. Everyone I knew who

was blind had lost their sight when they were older; I knew blindness could

be dealt with by an adult, but had no clue how one handled blindness as a

child. My greatest fear was how would my son learn? What would his future

be like? I found the WTBW site by chance and found hope in the profiles

there. Gary Wunder's, in particular, where he spoke about how his family

essentially treated him like everyone else (if you have a mind, you're

expected to work, and that's that) has had a huge impact on us.

 

WTBW was the first glimmer of hope we had, and it's one I think back to

frequently. I can have the same dreams for my son as any other parent. I

know the things he needs to succeed: high expectations from those around

him (i.e. blindness is not an excuse), Braille literacy, and appropriate

adaptive aids. Eddie can be anything he wants to be. The NFB & WTBW taught

me that.

 

Thank you,

 

Mary Strahan

 

Follow our adventures at httpccpeanutandphoukaddwordpress.com

 

***The five questions- send me the completed form:

 

*1. Personal information:

 

*Name: 

*Industry in which you work: 

*Job Title: 

Employer: 

Street address- Work: 

City, State, Zip Code: 

Telephone number- Work: 

Email- Work: 

 

*2. Please explain to us what any worker would do on this job (specialized
blindness alternatives will appear in the next question). 

 

*3. To what extent are you blind and what special adaptations do you use on
the job (give the medical term for your blindness and extent of limitation;
give the type and name of any special low or high technology and/or
procedure you use to perform your job duties, describing where and how you
use them). 

 

*4. Please let us know of any required special training, education,
certificates, experience needed for this job. 

 

*5. Please tell us about anyone or anything that aided you to be successful.


 

(Here are the 12 career categories we are using: Administrative and Office
Careers; Business/Entrepreneurial Careers; Computer Specialists; Customer
Service; Education Careers; Financial Careers; Government Careers; Human
Services; Law Enforcement and Legal Careers; Media, Marketing, and Public
Relations; Medical Careers; Vocational Jobs.) 

 

 

 

Robert Leslie Newman

Personal Website-

Adjustment To Blindness And Visual impairment

http//www.thoughtprovoker.info

NFB Writers' Division, president

http://www.nfb-writers-division.net 

Chair of the NFB Communications Committee   

Email- newmanrl at cox.net