Networking Forum

Hi Ameenah and everyone. Although I have never worked in the for-profit sector, I have used readers on a couple different occasions and here are my experiences.

When I worked as a receptionist at a nonprofit based here in the Great State of Illinois, I only had a screen reader for part of the time. I used a live reader from July 17 of '99 up until I left employment there at the beginning of May 2001. She was a high-school student and she worked out just great. She was not visually impaired, but she did have severe to profound spina bifida and a learning disability. She was extremely reliable, and she was always more than happy to assist me with anything. This included alerting me to any typos or other errors. Not only was she a very good worker, but I feel I learned some things from her which I probably wouldn't have picked up on otherwise. For example, she needed people to open doors for her and help her turn pages because of limited strength in her hands. When she was approved for getting a service dog and had to leave with her mother to Ohio for two weeks, others in the office filled in for her and did a wonderful job. Unfortunately I didn't get very much exposure to the service dog because I went on medical leave before she started bringing the dog to work with her. But right after she got back, her mother brought the dog to our office to meet everyone. One thing this co-worker told me which was rather upsetting, was that she and her mom had to make do with an inaccessible room at the hotel in Ohio. Prior to driving out there, they had called the hotel to request the necessary accommodations, and the hotel staff promised my co-worker and her mom that all accommodations would be in place upon their arrival to the hotel. However, this according to my co-worker was not the case. A complaint was filed with the hotel, but I can't recall the outcome. I haven't had much contact with this young lady since we stopped working together, but I have seen her a couple of times and we talked on the phone once.

The other time I used readers was in grade school. These readers were hired by my parents, and for the most part they worked out very well. There was one reader who was unreliable, but she was replaced by someone else.
Jake

First of all, I would like to address the comment of being considered less professional or inadequate in the workplace by using a reader. I believe it to have the opposite effect. If you need a reader to perform your job duties more effectively and professionally, it is quite appropriate to do so. I work as a researcher and have difficulty with graphics. I would much rather have someone describe the graphics/charts/histograms to me than to have no understanding of the visual data displays. It is essential to my interpretation of the data. I have a private office so there is no disruption to other workers when I employ the use of a reader. I think it is important to be able to use your job accommodations without disturbing or placing a hardship on other workers. It is perfectly acceptable and professional to use a reader in the workplace.

I've had numerous readers through the years in several businesses I've managed. When I was in food service management, I needed readers to fill out tax forms, read financial information, and read applications for employment. Whenever, I hired a reader, I had them read for me so I could find out how well they read and understood what they read. Graphs and tables were the most complicated for them. I tried to know what I needed most from what they read so I knew what questions to ask when I did not hear what I needed to know. At first, with all readers, I would have them read everything on each page. as I learned how good or bad a reader was, I knew what I could reliably have them skip and what times they needed to read everything. I learned not to assume they had read all the relevant stuff and to ask if they had skipped anything. Now, in my present business, it is even more important to know even the information a reader might find unimportant. I have learned not to throw away stuff read unless I'm really sure I have gotten all the relevant information from each piece of mail or form. I do use scanners as well but if it is critical to have correct spellings or numbers, scanners do not always translate well.

Using readers can, be difficult, or rewarding. Acheivement is the operative word.

I lost my sight after I had already begun college, and this was a long time beforeanything existed, except a live reader.

I worked in a professional capacity, for many years and, by necessity had no choice, but rely on readers.

A reader can, be an employee, a voluenteer, a family member, etc. however the user must maintain control and make good use, of that necessary tool.

The art, of blindness, is the willingness and capacity, to adjust and adapt, to the situation and do whatever is required, in order, to successfully acheive the desired goal.

A blind person who is shy, filled with self doubt, and false pride, is not likely ever, to be happy, or competetive in a sighted world.

C. Fred Stout

San Antonio, Texas

My use of readers ranges from college studies in mathematics through support of my employment in programming and analysis. In most cases, the material to which I needed access was technical in nature, with attention to minute details and communication of visual diagrams being vital. I found that by far the most important key to reader success was reader selection. Therefore, I designed very challenging skill tests as part of my hiring interviews. I asked candidates to convey verbally: punctuation, structure and placement of elements on the page, usage of color and font, information implied by juxtaposition, subordination and numbering of items. in other words, I did everything possible to screen applicants for the essential balance of skills, incorporating the most useful degrees of focus on the detail, big picture, and meaning of information. Once I found someone with the right skill set, training them to match my specific daily needs was easy.

consider how much of your job requires you to use a reader. If you can complete the bulk of your duties without a reader then using a reader for the graphic aspects is reasonable and does not diminish your ability to perform. Giving up a job you love just because you need to utilize a reader for a small part of that job doesn't seem like a wise decision. Sometimes being comfortable with your blindness means being comfortable with using alternative techniques to accomplish some of your tasks at work. That was some good advice given to me by another blind person when I had been worrying over such things. Using a reader is an alternative technique that is often necessary when working in a sighted world. Can you estimate how much time you'd need to use a reader each week? Compare that with the hours you work without the use of a reader and see what it comes out to be. If it's a minor part of your job, it's reasonable to request a reader. Next you need to determine how skilled the reader must be. Do these graphics require technical expertise or just a person adept at describing what's on the page? I work a 40 hour week and use a reader 2 hours out of that forty. I use one person for an hour one day and another person for an houur another day. As one person is more confident in her abilities while the other is less confident, I try to save the more complex reading for the confident person and the easier material for the less confident. Both readers are intelligent; however, one is more comfortable with complex data while the other is not. Knowing this, I plan accordingly and choose material that they are comfortable conveying to me.As another pposter stated, knowing what questions to ask is also important. Sometimes there are parts of a document I am more interested in and so asking questions becomes a skill I must develop in order to gain the information I need. There may be questions about these graphics that you can use to help your reader serve your needs better. Just some things for you to consider in making this decision--

Dear Ameena,

So you've landed a government job which clearly taps into your skills and strengths! Congratulations! And it requires the use of lots of graphics! Wow, I'm impressed! I have used readers when I needed to and found great satisfaction in having someone who would read and explain as necessary. I first put out the word that a readcer was needced and thern I was careful to explain what kinds of material needed to be read. I interviewed several people and then chose from among those the one or two I thought would benefit me most in terms of efficiency and clarity. I looked at having a reader as being a wonderrful experience for myself as well as for the reader. Some may have viewed this as negative...I viewed it as mutually beneficial...and the very best way to keep that job which, as you said, "taps into my strengths and skills." I believe that having a reader is only a liability if you let it be one. Perhaps that reader
makes you more independent since you have control over what is read, you have opportunity to help someone else to stick to the schedule you set and then THAT person gains confidence because you have put the whole thing in a positive and success-oriented light for all concerned. No shame in that!

As long as you can make it work, use whatever is to your avail to accomplish your goals and dreams.