Networking Forum

I have said this before and I will say it again. But one major thing which needs to happen is that those people with a very closed-minded view of blindness need to start thinking outside the box. I honestly cannot stress this enough. No blind or visually-impaired person is exactly the same, just as no two people with other challenges or even without challenges are. There are those of us who in addition to blindness, have accompanying difficulties. For instance, I am LD and I was born blind. The condition I have is LCA, and some people with LCA have LD and/or kidney disease. I happen to have the kidney problem too, but I was fortunate enough to have two successful transplants. I also have a slight motor coordination difficulty, but over the years this has proved to be only a small inconvenience. Nevertheless it is an inconvenience with which I have to cope and I do cope, and because of this inconvenience I move a bit slower than the average person. Yet in my quest for suitable employment, I have been faced with never-ending disdain from my state VR agency. I have many skills and talents, one of which is adaptive technology and I had planned on becoming an IT specialist. There is, however, more that I need to know if I am going into this field, and I don't doubt that for a minute. I was trained mainly on JAWS for Windows, and I happen to know just a little bit about Window-Eyes because I briefly worked with that screen reader at a previous job as a receptionist. I don't want to take up too much more space, but I will repeat what I said at the beginning. No two people are exactly alike. One size does not fit all, to put this another way. If one goes into a clothing shop, shoe shop, restaurant or just about anywhere, one is sure to find different things, in different sizes and different flavors. This is how the world works. There are even menus on computers, which let one choose between a number of options, each option performing a different task. The one and only way our 75% unemployment rate is ever to decrease, even slightly, is if VR agencies stop discriminating all the time. I strongly discourage anyone from thinking that this will ever change, or that any part of this will ever change. I have been told before by some people that I have a negative attitude, and to be honest with you I myself don't think this is perhaps the best attitude to have if I want a job. however, it is an attitude born out of prejudice, and it is by no means my own creation.

For those that live in Florida, the best resource for finding a job and an advocate for you is the Florida Department of Education, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. I have worked with them as a Business Advisor for four years and find their services exceptional.

I think you have to be brutally honest about your strengths and your weaknesses and really really take personal responsibility when you are talking with your network about possible jobs you could find through them and with them.

True, Vocational Rehab can lead you on some merry chases and are sometimes staffed with people who have burnt out , who are indifferent, who are there only for the paycheque. But we know in all professions and jobs people who are like that so it's not really fair to say all VR counsellors are like that.

Job search skills , whether your blind , visually impaired, physically disabled or able-bodied take the same form. You write whatever resume is most advantageous to your work or education history. You exhaust your day not just looking at newspapers, but on the net, at job centres to find what kind of job suits your abilities. You network and talk to people about what you are looking for and what you can do. This is part of your responsibility in job searching , not the counsellor's or anyone else. They can provide leads but you have to do the ' work' of job hunting.

Then you let everyone you know , what your skills are, what experience you've had , either working or volunteering , what kinds of jobs you will and will not take and you go from there. Be brutally honest about what you know etc. Don't lie , don't cover up anything.

If you need re-training or adaptive devices it's up to you to examine what's available as well and if you need assistance ask for it . Don't demand it , ask, be pleasant, be persistent , but in no terms , should you be willful. Even though you think you need it like yesterday, screaming at your counsellor isn't going to make he or she work faster or harder to get it for you. There are processes, some ingrained in stone from who knows when and you have to be patient about that too. You aren't their only consumer either. Put yourself in their shoes, there are only so many hours in the day, help them make that way easier but doing as much as you can. Be professional.

So in effect it's the p's prepare, be polite, persist, be professional and don't pout when it doesn't come as fast as you think it should, These go for anyone and everyone you network with.

I find that friends, relatives and even casual acquaintances will help us in our job searches once they understand what we can offer an employer, what we want in a job and what types of employers we’re targeting.

That brings me to some thoughts about "personal branding."

I believe we each need to develop a unique promise of value that we can bring to the job marketplace. I would think that’s the first "home work" we need to do before we start contacting friends and relatives about the kind of job we’re looking for.

Each of us already has a "personal brand" – a perception by others about who we are. We can shape that brand by discovering what makes us unique and why that can be of value to specific, prospective employers. Branding differentiates us from other job applicants and puts us in charge of how we are perceived by others.

Another term for "personal branding" is self-marketing. The keys to self-marketing are gaining visibility, establishing creditability and demonstrating likeability. That is not always easy.

But, consider this. "Personal branding is about our authenticity as individuals," says Susan Guarneri, a National Certified Career Counselor who is also a Personal Branding Strategist. "It gives us permission to be ourselves."

In 1999, Tom Peters, warned that we have a choice as job seekers: "Be distinct or be extinct." As individuals with visual impairments and other physical disabilities, we already are memorable because we stand out from the crowd of job seekers. We are different. That can be an asset. We just have to figure out to make that "distinction" work for us in the workplace.

According to Seth Godin, widely published author and futurist, "The only security you have is in your personal brand and the projects you've done so far."

William Arruda, a personal branding guru and the founder of one of the leading personal branding programs on the Web, says, "To succeed in today's ultra-competitive marketplace, you must be keenly aware of external perceptions. Professional and personal success today doesn't happen in a vacuum... Your brand is actually held in the hearts and minds of those around you."

We need determine how people perceive us now, discover how we want to tweak that perception and then learn how to express it clearly in terms which are meaningful to prospective employers we are targeting.

Again, not easy. But, I think it’s some of the home work we need to complete before we start enlisting friends and extended family in our search for a job that’s right for us. They can’t do that home work for us.

Yours efforts in networking the challenged community are wonderful. I,
being a father of a challenged son of 24 years who has cerebral palsy, can very well understand your efforts.

I am a resident of India (Asia). My son has completed work in Master of Business Administration (computer-aided), Master of Science (IT), Bachelor of IT etc. in spite of a large number of difficulties in education, accessibility, writing examinations and many more.

Actually, the persons with so many difficulties are struggling for identity in the society and only slowly get recognition from society. Presently, in our society, it is lip sympathy. The government efforts are on papers only.

My son proposes to start a call centre at Jaipur (Rajasthan), India, run by disabled persons only. We would like to hear from eSight members who have had experience with such type of venture.

With warm greetings.
Surendra Kumar

i am 23 years old and receive ssi benefits, but i was wondering about getting a job. the only thing is i am not sure if i can get a certain job i want or the amount of money i can receive while working and still receive my benefits. if someone could e-mail me i would greatly appreciate it.
thank you very much!!!!!!!!

gotti316867@hotmail.com