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February 27, 2007
Using Adaptive Technology as a Competitive Advantage
John Lewis, one of the eLearners currently involved in eSight’s 10-week “Online Networking as a Job Search Tool” course, recently observed:
“I think that simply losing nearly all my vision has made me a better writer. I say this because, if I had not utilized a screen reader (which affords me the opportunity to have my text read back to me), I wouldn't have improved as much as I have at this point.
“It's like having your own personal reader sound the sentences or paragraphs immediately back to you. If it doesn't sound right (you can always tell), you keep changing until it sounds just right.
“I can't tell you how huge the screen reader has been in improving my ability to write.”
In today’s mainstream workplace, communicating accurately online as well as in person and working well within a team (online and in person) are four essential skills for success.
For instance, in “Six Ways to Stay Competitive in an International Work Force,” Andrea Coombes states:
”The question is how do U.S. workers stay competitive when companies can pick and choose from workers across the globe? Talk to any expert in the field and the first words they're likely to say are ‘the ability to communicate well.’"
Here is one of recommendations Andrea picked up from Tom Kochan, a professor of management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School of Management and co-director of MIT's Institute for Work and Employment Research:
“At college, learn behavioral skills as well as skills related to your particular profession. That means learning the ability to work in teams and to communicate effectively, to write effectively, to resolve conflicts and work in a coordinated way... It's the combination of a particular discipline or specialization and these abilities to navigate the modern world that are key skills in a global workplace.”
Thank you, Jim Elekes, another eLearner taking the course, for leading me to Andrea’s article.
Maybe those of us who use screen readers have not fully demonstrated how adaptive technology, while helping us work at levels comparable to our non-disabled counterparts, can also provide us with unique opportunities to hone business skills sought by employers -– opportunities that are not available to non-users.
John believes using his screen reader has helped him find his online voice.
How has adaptive technology helped you gain a competitive advantage over your non-disabled counterparts in the mainstream job market?
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Posted by Jim at February 27, 2007 05:49 PM