[nfbcs] University Engineering Career Fair: How to discuss my vision

Mon Sep 29 17:12:23 UTC 2014

Thanks Tami

I was definitely leaning toward bringing it up

On Mon, Sep 29, 2014 at 10:06 AM, Tami Jarvis via nfbcs <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
wrote:

> John,
>
> I like this approach and way of looking at it. When I was legally blind
> but not using a cane much yet, I went that way, bringing it up myself with
> something positive about how I deal with it to do the job, etc. It occurred
> to me that while it is illegal for an interviewer to bring up the
> disability, it's not illegal for me to talk about it voluntarily. So
> learning to do that in a way that helps the other person feel comfortable
> with it can get you a long way.
>
> Suzanne, in your situation, I guess it comes down to whether the recruiter
> of the moment has a more negative view of a druggie or sleep deprived
> irresponsible young person or of visual impairment. I found that with folks
> in general, you never know. You would think a professional recruiter would
> be more put off by someone who looks like a druggy or like they didn't
> bother to sleep before coming to see them, but who knows? It's not a
> comfortable choice. I tend to think that honesty is the best policy, and
> then you just hope for the best.
>
> Don't know if that's helpful, but that's all I know. /grin/ Best of luck
> at the fair, and have fun!
>
> Tami
>
> On 09/29/2014 08:32 AM, John G. Heim via nfbcs wrote:
>
>> I am not sure there is an answer to your question. If there is, I'd go
>> with Tracey's suggestion of getting a white cane. Before I started using
>> a cane, I did get kind of good, at least in my own mind, at bringing it
>> up casually in job interviews. "I do have a bit of a vision problem."
>>
>> But what I really want to mention is that I strongly disagree with the
>> HR people who told you not to mention it. I think that comes off as
>> challenging the employer to not hire you because you're blind. To some
>> degree, it depends on the size of the company and the level of
>> professionalism of the recruiter. Some recruiters are going to know that
>> the standard advice is to not  talk about your disability. But in most
>> companies, where the boss does the hiring or at best, someone who got a
>> degree in Art History is the HR person, not talking about your
>> disability comes off as daring them to not hire you because you have a
>> disability. They may already be uneasy about offending you and even
>> worried about the legal ramifications of turning you down. By not
>> mentioning it, you're just driving home the point that it's a taboo topic.
>>
>> This is all just my opinion, of course. But it comes from actually
>> asking small business owners what they think when an applicant doesn't
>> mention their disability. I mean, I have actually sat down with small
>> business managers and discussed it with them. They don't care that you
>> are not legally required to divulge that you have a disability or that
>> you don't have to talk about it. I am sure that if these businessmen had
>> their lawyers sitting right next to them, they'd have been told to shut
>> up.  But if you can get them to be honest, that's what they will say.
>>
>> Hiring is all about who you like.  A manager will ignore just about
>> anything on a resume if they like the candidate enough. Avoiding
>> something as huge as a disability is no way to strike up a friendship
>> with a recruiter. You have to *tell* them that your disability is not a
>> thing. They are not going to spontaneously come to that conclusion on
>> their own.
>>
>> In my opinion, the best thing to do is to get them to think they happen
>> to be instinctively good at addressing  a person with a disability. The
>> best thing is if you can get to the point where you can say something
>> like,  "Wow, I am really impressed by how comfortable you are around my
>> disability. A lot of people make such a big deal out of it." Admittedly,
>> it can be difficult to get to that point. And you don't want to trigger
>> their BS meter. But you'd be surprised how easy it is to convince most
>> people that they are truly wonderful human beings. When you tell most
>> people they seem unusually comfortable around  you, they'll  say
>> something about having a second cousin once removed who wears really
>> thick glasses so they are used to it.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 09/28/14 22:04, Suzanne Germano via nfbcs wrote:
>>
>>> Hi
>>>
>>> I will be attending the ASU Engineering Career Fair and the Grace Hopper
>>> Celebrating Women in Computing Career Fair. I am looking for some insight
>>> on whether or not to mention my visual disability.
>>>
>>> I am not ashamed or want to hide it but need to find the correct segue to
>>> bring it up.
>>>
>>> I do not use a cane so the fact that I am legally blind is not obvious. I
>>> do squint, as I am severely light sensitive, and wear red contacts. Also,
>>> if I am looking at anything I am holding it very close to my face. I know
>>> that people are aware and notice these things but tend to make incorrect
>>> assumptions. Some of the things people have thought about me or others
>>> who
>>> are low vision that I know include being sleepy or up all night or on
>>> drugs. I feel it is better to acknowledge my disability vs having them
>>> make
>>> assumptions.
>>>
>>> I was hoping to casually find a way to include it in my introduction (30
>>> second speech).
>>>
>>> I consulted with someone at ASU who was reviewing my resume and she asked
>>> two HR recruiters and they said absolutely do not mention it in
>>> conversation or indicate it on my resume.
>>>
>>> I believe my resume and 4.0 GPA should show the person at the career fair
>>> that my disability does not have a negative affect on my ability in
>>> computer science.
>>>
>>> What are your thoughts?
>>>
>>> Thank You
>>> Suzanne
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