Networking Forum

In a networking situation I offer someone the opportunity to learn about my skills and abilities within the work environment as well as daily living. I offer a positive uplifting approach to life by staying engaged in the work process and working full time in the community.

I have a natural instinct for doing favors. I love to help people out. I love to foster their dreams. I like to find opportunities to promote their talents. I would do this anyway, because I love it, and also it fits with my personal values. But after years of doing this professionally I started noticing something. The favors came back! People grateful and otherwise favorably disposed to me thought of me when opportunities came that they thought I would be interested in. In fact, this is how I found the job I had here at eSight. Someone benefitting form a professional tool I had created and offered for free and who had also looked to me for help with searching the web when she had a family emergency saw the posting somewhere for thee position and told me about it. I think that story alone makes my case! So I tell everyone looking for work or other opportunities.. do favors every chance you get.

http://www.nanhawthorne.com/

Terms, such as; disabled, disability, networking, etc. are global, or universal words, with no meaning, as applied, to an individual, possessing a unique and discrete set, of work related limitation's.

Job seeking is a very distinct and individualized process.

Networking has such a nice and well meaning ring, to it, and surely it must, be something that is applicable, for one and all, job seekers.

Lets assume that a Paraplegic, person is residing in a large City, and possesses a well defined set, of work skills, and abilities. Lets assume further that this job seeker has transportation, and all the personal needs factor's in place. We now can make another assumption, and that is, to say that, networking, will, presumably yield postive results.

A totally blind, young Lady, resides, with her Family, in a sparsely populated, rural arera, far, from a large City. Will networking apply in a situation, of this nature.

Networking will have application, even in this type, of specialized setting.

The operating feature, is that; networking is as unique and specific, as; the specific disability, and set, of circumstances, of each individual case.

Times change, technology changes, medical procedures change, disabling conditions remain fairly constant, and the associated problems and limitation's, still require very specific and highly specialized, professional job placement assistance.

C. Fred Stout

San Antonio, Texas

I'm afraid I disagree with Mr. Stout's statements. My strength that I offer to employers is that despite being visually impaired, not being able to drive and now having osteoporosis and ' creaky' bones I have learned how to make friends and contacts and colleagues. I've done it on the Net, I've done it corresponding with penpals for now forty years this year and I've done it wherever I lived in Ontario and Alberta.

Networking is a business term for building friendships, dialogues between one another . It's people meeting people skills, learning to listen, not jumping all over someone because they differ from you, whether politically, racially, ethnically, relgiously . Networking is being able to show empathy and compassion to someone else other than immediate friends and relatives or colleagues. Networking is allowing each of us to experience the big picture and every individual's contribution to it.

You may network with someone you meet while at the vet's with your pet. You may network with someone as you sit in a church or at theatre or college mixer. It might just be a hello and an evening's or a few minutes conversation but depending upon the impact you have on one another it could lead to a job , a personal relationship, a romantic relaitonship, a business relationship.

Networking is really the old fashioned ways of being civil and kind and as my mum used to tell me it costs nothing to be kind but the benefits are exceptional.

Being kind, listening to someone else's point of view compassionately, not insisting that I'm right all the time and it's all about me and nobody else is something society has lost.

So what do I bring to an employer, my strength is networking, being able to build bridges between the people I know and your company and you.

I can't agree more with Liz. Networking is being there for someone when the going gets tough. That's how I feel about my peers at CIF. Despite minor differences, they have always been willing to listen to me and sympathize with me. Every resident here has a disability of some kind, be it cognitive or otherwise, and most CIF residents are employed at least parttime. I think I can honestly say that these people have their heads in the right position. Nobody here pre-judges another, even if disagreements do exist, and we all support one another through thick and thin. My pet peeve with VR agencies for the visually impaired is that they don't embrace the idea of one individual being different in some way than the next, and therefore the VR services are not at all tailor-made. I'm not sure this is totally true of VR agencies for those with other disabilities, but in my state this is certainly the case. I recently learned that people throughout my state want to set up programs similar to what CIF does. CIF has a concept called Full Life Future Planning, whereby teams are assembled to assist in the planning process for the future goals of each CIF resident. These team members are to be chosen by each resident. Pretty soon others will hopefully catch on to what Center for Independent Futures has been doing.
Jake

With a network of co-workers, one thing about being blind is, I don't panic! If a problem comes up, and it is critical to get it up and running, this is where a level head can and will work. That is what I have. I think a problem out. This is a problem folks have when a problem rears its ugly head. They see colors, flashing lights, noises, and they start to panic. They need to listen to the equipment, think it out! Sometimes being blind is the answer? People don't like that a blind engineer, can figure out the problem. It may threaten there job. I think this is the problem with with most co-workers in general. Could there job be replaced with a disabled person? That is why it is very important to make friends and not solve the problem all the time, but lead them to the answer. But, when it comes to hammer time, then show off! And learn from them also.

In networking situations, I like to act as an electrical 'ground,' between the storm of so many needs/options/ideas/personalities, and the earthbound place from which each of us lives and moves. My gift is an aversion to disconnection from reality. I'm often the person who will name the probable 'bottomline,' after others have expressed various abstract notions. I like to ask about folks' personal experiences with an idea or feeling. After some interaction, I like to ask or explore what we can do next, together. For me, the best human interactions are one-on-one, so my networking contacts are designed to build person-to-person relationships and understanding. Generalities, unfaced fears, unexamined idealism, fantasy futures all attract my logical, practical mind. I know that people often need support and an accessible mechanism or pathway in order to move from thinking to experiencing. I work to transform networking situations into personal, memorable and useful stepping stone moments.

I agree with the person who said that instead of panicking constantly, people need to listen to what the equipment is telling them. This can be said of JAWS for Windows, for example, and other screen readers. I have been a JAWS user for several years, and one important thing I've learned to do is pay very close attention to what the program is telling me. I have learned to listen to all the prompts, and I know exactly what they mean. I cannot rely on on-screen feedback due to my blindness, but I have very keen ears. I'm not the first person to say this either. I have been training my roommate in the use of JAWS. He happens to have some remaining vision and can see what is happening on the screen, but he sometimes needs my assistance in determining the solution to a problem. This whole thing about being a good listener is extremely important, and it is something lacking in this country's VR system. What VR counselors need to do is let the clients take charge of our cases. VR counselors and their superiors need to stop putting us down for making our own choices. I'm not a psychologist or psychiatrist, nor will I ever claim to be one, but one of the main responsibilities of these people is to listen to their clients or patients. My father is a medical doctor, and he is a very good listener. This is even true of friends. A friend is someone who will listen, and offer up his or her moral support.

Hello and Guten Tag from Germany,
I agree very much with Jake who said, that "A friend is someone who will listen"
spending my time with someone - and listening to his sorrows or laughing with him together is a great and impayable treasure that I can offer him and my best way to show him my friendship.
Excuse my bad english knowledge please , but I think that my words have been comprehensive.
best regards - Michelle from Promotours

i will like u all to be my good pals.love u byeee