Networking Forum

I agree with this person's comments totally. I believe the problem is that the focus is totally on putting people with disabilities into jobs at disability agencies--the needle of full employment for persons with disabilities is never going to start movng unless the counselors, rehap counselors, government workers begin to look at all aspects of the labor force as potential locations of work for people with disabilities. I have subscribed to eSight since its beginning, and am on listservs from the Dept of Labor, and other lists. ALL of them are focused on putting persons with disabilities into work settings related to disability. There is something almost pathological about this. The assumption that all individuals with a disability would necessarily have the skill set, knowledgebase, desire and internal capacity optimal for doing this is itself partly misguided thinking.

I also question whether electronic listservs are the best way to find positions in some career areas. We seem to have gone overboard with the net. It is a fine tool to help everyone but it is not the ONLY tool. When you have thousands of people looking for positions and sending in resumes etc, all you sometimes do is end up with your resume amid the pot of millions of others.

I also, hear no one asking our cadidates for president in both parties what initiatives they already have in their plans to stimulate job creation and hiring activity for individuals with disabilities. The community needs to be more vocal about this. I don't hear leaders saying one thing about this. If the goal is to really have persons with disabilities being self sufficient then they also need to be mentored, encouraged, and initiate individual initiative to look at job opportunities in other fieds besides the so-called "helping" fieds which often don't pay that well especially in entry level positions. Many jobs are found via networking. But if people are netwroking across career and job field or have employment counselors, coaches or rehab people who are connected in other fields the employment rates for those with disabilities will never go up. It is my strong belief finally, that the level of help, discussion about job, career (a group of jobs over time), and work life needs to be greatly elevated among the disability community. Much of the material is a re-hash, or as the previous writer said, it is of little value.

We need to get people into head hunter organizations and get people involved in increasing their level of education, training, and opening their horizons. Work can be an exciting, wonderful, renewing park of our lives. That so many of the jobs listed for persons with disabilities are ones which pay little, appear to have little stimulation or to be dead end, is reflective of the way society thinks about people who have disabilities. Steven Hawkins, the physicist and many like him have broken out of this mold. We are all different individuals with different levels of abilities, interests, skill sets etc. We need to push for greater ability, creativity, trained expertise in employment and rehab counselors and we need to upscale the discussion about work and finding jobs. Bottom line. We are all looking for jobs just like any other group of individuals. The focus needs to be on the quality of the job and secondarily on the fact that the potential candidate has a disability.

I believe that most of the old standard barrier's to accepting Blind or Disabled Worker's into the Labor Market have virtually disappeared.

Other factor's are more challenging. Many condition's that formerly caused disability are being eliminated through modern Surgery and Treatment. Disability is more complicated and cause's greater restriction's.

Jobs have become more complicated, requiring greater Technical Skills and greater Dexterity. Multi-tasking is required and greater Mobility is required for many Jobs.

Jobs requiring considerable Travel just aren't compatible for many People with significant Disabilities.

Specifically, Blind and Visually Impaired are dealing with one and usually multiple health, problems. These additional conditions often are the more serious and limiting than the Sight situation.

It is only natural that a Person will acknowledge the Sight loss, however, reluctant to reveal that the loss is due to Diabetes and a multitude of other potential conditions.

When I am out, People only see me as an old, White Haired, Man that is Blind. My real disabling problem is not the Blindness, but, my rather severe Heart condition.

The Disability Industry has become so large with so much Money at stake, I feel that much confusion and bad information and misinformation is causing more harm than good for the Disabled Individual.

C. Fred Stout

San Antonio, Texas

The Mainstream Supported Employment Programme has operated within the New Zealand State sector for the past thirty-two years. Almost certainly prior to the term "supported employment" being coined.

The Mainstream Programme:

· facilitates the placement of people with significant disability related issues into two year, integrated employment settings, within New Zealand's State sector;

· supports programme participants with the assistance of supervisors, other co‑workers and vocational placement specialists;

· ensures the payment of wages that are comparable with other staff; and

· enables programme participants to receive extra on‑the‑job training and disability related equipment or assistance, to ensure their ability to eventually compete for employment on merit.

For more information go to www.mainstream.ssc.govt.nz