Networking Forum

You know, I do not think I will be able to stop thinking about "Bill" either!

As a job searcher who has had a lot to work against and has a physical disability that would not be evident to an interviewer, and do not bring it up ever, as long as is possible. That being said, I know that it is not enough to be "most qualified" for a job either.

My strategy to being "unforgettable" and to amaze is to convey the great substance and character I have achieved through overcoming barriers without discussing any hardship. I repeat keywords or phrases that convey how special, strong and capable I am, not to mention a pleasure to work with.

This works for me as when I get my foot in the door, I usually get the job.

I can admire the persistence of any person with any disability in getting (and maintaining) meaningful employment. I find that people with emotional disabilities (speaking mostly from personal experience) have less success in securing an interview, let alone a foot in the door. Any job I've ever had to take a personality test for, including American Express, or for a sales position, has been out of reach.

I don't mean to sound cynical, but I wish I could figure out a way to come across as "unforgettable". Most of the time I've felt as though interviewers are making an effort to actually forget me.

In most of these forums, the discussion has been for those of us that are job seekers looking for employment from outside sources. What about the person trying to start his own business? Could folks discuss such things as web site creation, design, what brings folks back, how to get the site on to a " good," search engine, , and, just as important, to attract customers to the sight. Looking forward to your comments. Respectfully, Scott C. Treeman

Scott:

You might find this article from the eSight database helpful: "Creating an Effective Web Site for Your Business" at http://www.esight.org/View.cfm?x=231

Over the last seven years, eSight has researched and written hundreds of articles like that one about how to start a small business when you have a disabillity.

To access all of those articles in the Small Business Resources section of that database, go to eSight's Main Menu at http://www.esight.org and select the link, "Read more related articles in: Small Business Resources" under the second article featured on that Main Menu.

There you'll find a directory of articles about small businesses, divided among three topics: assessment, tactics and strategies.

Hope you find these resources helpful.

Jim

Like Bill, my sense of humour has made me ' memorable' in finding employment. However as I ' age' I'm finding that my being articulate and passionate about what I do and can do is becoming also part of why employers remember me. ( I hope Nancy and Jim might attest to this ).

I also think my sense of self-esteem and being comfortable in my own skin and who I am also plays a part in me gaining employment. As my heart doctor said to me recently, despite your chronic illnesses , you are a very healthy woman and your positive attitude has helped you recover quite quickly from what with most people would have devastated them for months.

I do think that that may also be part of the problem for those who are depressed or who have mental health issues, because of their illnesses and disabilities it is hard to put on a positive spin to your abilities and who you are.

However, I also believe in what Oprah characterizes as the ' secret', the law of attraction. What you think about and how you think about it, attracts experiences and things and people to you . The old idiom what you resist , persists. And like is attracted to like.

The Universe Will provide for you , just what you ask for or how you ask for what you want.

If you can change how you look at something or someone from the "woe is me" to "wow look at me" I think our opportunities as people with disabilities can change.

We, unfortunately , have to adapt to the world, no matter how unfair it seems , rather than the world adapting to us.

We are the ones who have to make non disabled and as silly as it sounds , disabled employers comfortable with us not vice versa.

Hello friends,

I am a visually impaired person.

I red this mail.

It is wary nice to listen that there is a good response for visually impaired people in U.S.

The situation is entirely different in India.

Hear no companies are ready to take the visually impaired for employment.

It is wary difficult to get job for visually impaired person in India.

Many people are struggling for employment in India.

Please give some suggestions to the visually impaired friends who are staying in India.

Hi, M. Sureh Kumar:

You may want to read this article in our eSight database: "India's First Blind Computer Programmer" by Harishkumar P. Kotian. It's at http://www.esight.org/View.cfm?x=65

To access all of the articles in the Career Management Resources, go to eSight's Main Menu at http://www.esight.org and select the link, "Read more related articles in: Career Management Resources" under the first article featured on that Main Menu.

Feel free to e-mail me anytime about specific questions you may have about searching for a job.

Jim

Like Bill, I tend to be very proactive about getting people to interact with me. I smile and put out my hand to shake their hand, and often initiate a comment or question to get conversation going. The simple act of smiling seems to often make a person stand out and put the other person at ease. I also use humor, especially if I can find a way to highlight a common human experience, like my computer being slow to boot up--people never tire of complaining about computer tech--or snarking about the commute--another topic everyone loves to complain about, especially here in Boston, where the MBTA is a common enemy of the people.

As someone who comes from a media background, I also pay attention or try to bring up media as something of itnerest, a book or movie or television show I may have in common with the speaker. Ironically, it is not always the on-topic conversation that people remember me for, but the fact that we had some favorite book or movie in common.

All these other subjects aside, I try to be well-researched in the subject I am talking about with the person, mentioning either some new project of the company they are associated with that may have been in the news, or some online comment the person may have majde in a personal blog or online article. This is one of the up sides to my fields of media and technology: a lot of it happens online and it is usually very simple to research the movers and shakers or the hot topics.

Dear Mr. Hasse:

Thank you for this story about the person with low vision who is also an amputee. I admire his spunk and drive. I believe I possess these qualities, not to mention my education and 30-plus years of professional experience, but, sadly, I am working in a job that pays peanuts.

My biggest barrier is although I have several years of case management experience, I invariably run into the same old caveat potential employers use. That is, they stipulate one must posses a valid driver's license. I believe this to be not only in violation of title 1 of the Americans With Disabilities Act, but perplexing because the very agencies I wish to work for provide services for people with disabilities, and (face it) they discriminate.

I took the liberty of contacting an attorney with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and explained this issue to her. She agrees with me that unless it is truly an "essential function" of a job, then she suggested I might file an EEO compliant. I am not a litigious person but mark my words I intend to do just that.

Making light of one's disability might work for some (and I am somewhat self-effacing in certain circumstances), but not in all situations.

Best Regards

i am physically handicap

i want to start a small bussiness

but how can it start
pls give me guidence

Hello, I'm a blind programmer who will be working on a database with Microsoft's SQL Server software soon. Can anyone tell me if JAWS works well with this software? Thank you in advance.