[Nfb-science] Discussing Blindness While Job Searching

[Michael Bullis]

Unless you find that it comes up naturally, my advice is to deal with it
when you meet with folks rather than ahead of time.  The most important
things to establish are your qualifications, your interests and your
connections.  If you're looking for a position in your field, I suggest
speaking with everyone you know at your university and those you've met when
they came to speak, at conventions, Etc.  They are the most likely folks to
lead you to an opportunity.
Read recent articles in your field of study and contact the authors after
developing some coherent questions.  After asking your questions, ask them
if they have thoughts about whom you should contact.  You might talk to
people who are reporters who have written articles as well.  Ask them whom
they spoke with for their artuicles and whom they felt were particularly
articulate and informed.  Get contact info for these folks and call them up.
Most of this should be done by phone unless you can't reach the person.
What you're doing is trying to build an ever-expanding web of connections.
Whenever you speak with somebody, the last question should be, "Who else
would you recommend that I speak with?"  Then when you call the next person
you say, "Dr. So-and-so recommended I give you a call."
It's helpful to have these connections because then you're not just calling
somebody out of the blue.
Finally, when you do mention your blindness, you should be in charge of the
things you need and the issues that might arise in the employer's mind.  If
you are asked about how you will manage a particular facet of the job, you
should have answers that demonstrate that you know how to solve them.  
Don't say things like, "the VR agency will help me work that out."  People
are suspicious that government will solve anything.  If the person you are
speaking with isn't the Information Technology person for the department,
just say, "Who is your IT director?  I'll work out those details with him
and get back to you."  In other words, the thing people are fearful of is
that they will have to provide solutions to your blindness related problems
and your job is to demonstrate that you will handle those problems.
Hope this helps.
Mike Bullis
Baltimore MD


-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-science-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-science-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of Christine Szostak
Sent: Sunday, July 22, 2012 3:07 PM
To: NFB Science and Engineering Division List
Subject: [Nfb-science] Discussing Blindness While Job Searching

Hello,
  I am currently preparing to enter the job market (I.e., I will be ready to
begin seeking positions in late Jan as I will be graduating in June). My
question is this. As a totally blind scientist, I am wondering when and how
to best bring up the issue of vision, especially with respect to seeking a
potential postdoc opportunity.
With warm regards,
Christine
Christine M. Szostak
Doctoral Candidate
Language Perception Laboratory
Department of Psychology, Cognitive Area
The Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio
szostak.1 at osu.edu
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