November 09, 2007
My Predicament: Job Interviews without my BrailleNote
My name is Jessica Barr. I graduated from Keene State
College in May with a B.A in French and a minor in
German, and I am currently seeking a job which will
allow me to use my language skills.
I am totally blind, and I use a BrailleNote mPower and
a computer with JAWS for Windows.
A few weeks ago, my BrailleNote, which plays a vital
role in many of my daily tasks and activities, stopped
working and had to be sent in for service. I am having
trouble getting a loaner because I am no longer in
school and I am not working yet.
I usually bring my BrailleNote and my laptop to job
interviews to demonstrate how they work and explain
how I would use them to do my job effectively.
Although I have not gotten an interview since I sent
my BrailleNote in, I am sure that I would look bad, if
I told a perspective employer that one of the devices
I would rely on a great deal was being repaired, since
most employers already seem to think blind people are
incompetent.
What would you do in this situation? If you have had
similar experiences, please share them!
Posted by Jessica Barr at 03:11 PM | Comments (6)