[nfb-talk] Proposal to Decrease Unemployment Among the Blind

Wed Mar 4 23:06:43 UTC 2009

Hello Chris Wesbrook,

You asked an important question. Employers do not want to spend $10.000 to 
hire a person who might make $300000 a year. This proves two things:

1. No matter how many gajets we have coming in, the workplace is still 
inaccessible.

2. The workplace does not want to be accessigle, does not know how they can 
be accessible, or pretends they don't know. The answer is something all of 
you can imagine. Hire blind people, and push them towards promotion, and if 
efforts fail, bring it on to the employer. Prove that they are inaccessible, 
and unwilling to address their accessibility by blind workers. This is a 
right.

Antonio Guimaraes

If an infinite number of rednecks riding in an infinite number of pickup 
trucks fire an infinite number of shotgun rounds at an infinite number of 
highway signs, they will eventually produce all the world's great literary 
works in Braille.

Shop online and support the NFB of RI at no additional cost to you.
http://www.givebackamerica.com/charity.php?b=169
Givebackamerica.org, America's Online Charity Shopping Mall
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Chris Westbrook" <westbchris at gmail.com>
To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2009 1:46 PM
Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] Proposal to Decrease Unemployment Among the Blind

> Antonio, why would I as a businessman even want to spend the first 10000 
> if I knew I could hire a sighted person for nothing and probably find 
> enough people within the next five years to handle all of my staffing 
> needs?  You all seem to be missing the big elephant in the room, in part, 
> and that is that in a lot of cases no matter how good your computer skills 
> or how much technology you have nine times out of ten proprietary apps 
> that a lot of companies use will not be accessible.  I know for a fact 
> that a blind person couldn't be an accountant in my company not because 
> they are blind but because the technology they use is completely 
> inaccessible.
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Antonio M. Guimaraes" <iamantonio at cox.net>
> To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, February 27, 2009 11:20 PM
> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] Proposal to Decrease Unemployment Among the Blind
>
>
>> Another problem with companies is that they think hiring a blind person 
>> means big and expensive adaptations in the workplace.
>>
>> Sometimes that is exactly the case, but if money is spent to accomodate 
>> one, or two, or 5 blind people, then the price of accomodating the next 
>> 50 or 100 blind people drops significantly.
>>
>> I'm sure there is a name for this sort of thing, scale, or some 
>> statistical concept, but if computer systems are made accessible, and it 
>> costs $100000 in two years, the spenditures might be dropped to $10000 in 
>> the next 5 years to maintain accessibility.
>>
>> Antonio Guimaraes
>>
>> If an infinite number of rednecks riding in an infinite number of pickup 
>> trucks fire an infinite number of shotgun rounds at an infinite number of 
>> highway signs, they will eventually produce all the world's great 
>> literary works in Braille.
>>
>> Shop online and support the NFB of RI at no additional cost to you.
>> http://www.givebackamerica.com/charity.php?b=169
>> Givebackamerica.org, America's Online Charity Shopping Mall
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Alan Wheeler" <awheeler at neb.rr.com>
>> To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Friday, February 27, 2009 4:33 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] Proposal to Decrease Unemployment Among the Blind
>>
>>
>>> Yes, a big part of the problem is that sighted employers have this 
>>> misconception that blindness = lack of brain function...that if the eyes 
>>> don't work, the brain certainly doesn't either...and we all know that is 
>>> dead wrong.
>>>
>>>
>>> In Christ,
>>> Alan
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> +-+-+-
>>>
>>>   Sing to him a new song. Play skillfully with a shout of joy!
>>> Psalms 33:3
>>> ~~~
>>> awheeler at neb.rr.com
>>> IM me at: outlaw-cowboy at live.com
>>> Skype: redwheel1
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>> From: "David Andrews" <dandrews at visi.com>
>>> To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Friday, February 27, 2009 01:59
>>> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] Proposal to Decrease Unemployment Among the 
>>> Blind
>>>
>>>
>>>> Eddie:
>>>>
>>>> We certainly need ideas and discussion about how to lessen the
>>>> unemployment rate for blind persons.  Your idea might help some, but
>>>> I don't think it gets at the real causes of the problem.  The problem
>>>> isn't getting technology into the hands of the job seeker, it is the
>>>> attitudinal barriers against hiring the blind that the sighted public
>>>> holds.  Simply put we can't find that many jobs and job sites where
>>>> people are willing to give blind guys a chance.  We also need more
>>>> work in finding ways and developing  technologies to make different
>>>> kinds of job tasks accessible.  Finally, I have observed that many
>>>> blind persons who are looking for work just don't have strong enough
>>>> computer skills.  Providing them with technology more easily might
>>>> help some, but the main problem is training.
>>>>
>>>> Dave
>>>>
>>>> At 09:13 AM 2/27/2009, you wrote:
>>>>>Dear List Members,
>>>>>I would like to propose an as yet very general outline on how to
>>>>>improve the unemployment numbers in the blindness community.  I am
>>>>>open to suggestions on how this may play out in actuality.
>>>>>
>>>>>We have heard the 70 percent unemployment statistic for the last 30
>>>>>years with little or no fluctuation.  I propose a capital campaign
>>>>>not unlike the one initiated to build the Jernigan Institute.  The
>>>>>funds raised by this effort would be exclusively used to purchase
>>>>>access technology for blind job seekers, effectively bypassing the
>>>>>red tape often experienced with state departments of rehabilitation
>>>>>and other governmental employment agencies.  We know that employers
>>>>>are extremely hesitant to hire people with disabilities due to the
>>>>>perceived expenses involved in doing so.  This would affectively
>>>>>nullify that concern while demonstrating that we are some of the
>>>>>most dedicated and loyal workers once we obtain gainful
>>>>>employment.  Perhaps funds for this project could be incorporated
>>>>>under the umbrella of the imagination fund.  While some may argue
>>>>>that this effectively turns the NFB into a rehab agency, I posit
>>>>>that we could do this kind of work as we have undertaken every other
>>>>>project--with a high level of standards and expectation for our
>>>>>members, along with a positive philosophy of blindness. Please
>>>>>respond with ideas and thoughts.
>>>>>Sincerely,
>>>>>Eddie Salcido
>>>>>_______________________________________________
>>>>>nfb-talk mailing list
>>>>>nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
>>>>>http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org
>>>>>
>>>>>
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>>>>
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