[nabs-l] Taking breaks during work

[Kaiti Shelton]

Hi, Rahul,

Two friends of mine, who are also NABS members on this list, and I are
interning at a facility in our city which produces braille copies of
magazines and books for NLS.  A lot of our work keeps us on our feet,
as we walk from the table where we assemble the magazines, to a table
where we make sure the pages are lined up and crease the book to
create a spine, and a table where we place stacks of creased books for
weighing and binding.  Our employer has insisted that we take two 15
minute breaks, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, separate
from our lunch break.  It is important to take a little break from
work, so I hope although you're not sure how to take these breaks like
you want to that you have still been taking them rather than
continuing to work.  I know the three of us really appreciate our 15
minutes.

1 of the other girls and I have also filled in as receptionists a bit,
and in this case we are sitting for long periods of time.  I have to
say that I agree with the points Karl, Arielle, and Jamie have
presented.  I know that when my friend or I, as well as the regular
receptionist who works afternoons, keep our canes by the door we pass
through to get behind the front desk.  When I take my break from
reception, sometimes I just take a short walk outside around the
building.  I might walk down to the edge of the parking lot and back,
just to give my legs a stretch even if I'm not really going anywhere.
I might also take a walk around the building if weather is bad, using
my cane to make sure that other people know I'm there, and I don't
collide with anyone.  I know the building pretty well by now, as do
the other employees, but for me it's about letting people know that I
can't see them, and also doing my part to make sure two blind people
working there don't collide for whatever reason.  Perhaps you could
ask someone else you work with if you could take a walk with them if
you really want to go somewhere, or if the aim of your breaks for you
is to just stretch and get some fresh air, you could walk around the
building inside or outside.  It really depends on how much time you
have to work with for your break, and whether or not you feel you can
make it to somewhere and back in time.

Also, use your lunch break effectively as someone else stated on this
thread.  I often don't take the full 45 minutes I have to eat my
lunch, or even eat while chatting with co-workers.  It's fairly easy
for me to be sociable and eat lunch, and then take a small break to
walk around a bit.

So, I guess what I'm asking is, is it possible for you to justep
outside on your own even if you don't go far from the building?  And,
if you were to use your cane around the office, could you stretch and
take a break indoors as well?  I do think asking co-workers if you
could walk with them would be the best, but at the least you could
independently do these other things.  Ultimately, I think it does
depend on how much time you have to work with on your breaks.

On 7/26/14, Arielle Silverman via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Agreed. Are you concerned about coworkers treating you badly because
> of your cane?
> Arielle
>
> On 7/26/14, Jamie Principato via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> I'm not sure I understand the problem. Why isn't taking a walk to regain
>> focus feasible? If you don't need your cane in the office because you
>> know
>> your way around, why can't you take a walk around the office? If you do
>> use
>> your cane outside the office, why can't you take your cane outside with
>> you
>> and walk a bit?
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>>> On Jul 26, 2014, at 8:24 AM, Rahul Bajaj via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Hi all,
>>>
>>> I hope this message finds you well.
>>> I am a law student and am currently interning at a law firm in New
>>> Delhi,
>>> India.
>>> One problem that I have often encountered is that it is very difficult
>>> to remain focused for a very long time period -- 8 to 9 hours -- at a
>>> stretch.
>>> My sighted colleagues often go for a walk for a few minutes to get
>>> some fresh air, but that is not a very feasible option for me.
>>> Even though I use my cane outside the office for navigating, as a
>>> matter of practice, I don't use it within the office as I've gotten
>>> fairly adept at navigating within the office without the cane.
>>> So, has anyone else faced this problem? What strategies would you
>>> recommend for getting a break from work?
>>>
>>> Best,
>>> Rahul
>>>
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-- 
Kaiti