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May 31, 2005
Summary for May: Transforming Vulnerability Into Authenticity
The discussions on the "Swimming in the Mainstream" blog and elsewhere on eSight during May created a synergy among our members which led to unexpected insight.
Our original discussion question was about instances in which those of us with disabilities have risen above the low expectations others in the workplace have placed on us because we were apparently vulnerable.
I think we’ve discovered that many of us have used our experiences with vulnerability to develop an authenticity in working with people.
Take a look at "‘Swimming in the Mainstream’ Insight: Tapping Job Candidates Who Have Transformed Vulnerability Into Authenticity."
That article discusses another reason why savvy employers include people with disabilities in their recruiting efforts.
This new article in eSight’s Employer Resources section illustrates these three benefits you gain by joining the discussion on eSight’s SiM blog:
1. You grow personally and help other eSight members find meaningful work.
2. You generate insights which can be transformed into employer resources, such as this week’s featured article.
3. You fully tap the Internet for showcasing your career accomplishments in a rapidly growing network.
We will again e-mail this week’s new Employer Resources article to our extensive outreach e-mail list, which includes a wide range of employers.
Note that this week’s featured article includes links to the offering statements of the eSight SiM blog participants it quotes.
You can also gain immediate visibility for yourself under this ongoing eSight networking initiative by submitting a two-sentence "offering statement" which describes what you can do for a potential employer.
Read the offering statements others have posted.
If you have further thoughts to add to the discussion capped by "‘Swimming in the Mainstream’ Insight: Tapping Job Candidates Who Have Transformed Vulnerability Into Authenticity," please do so here.
Posted by Jim Hasse at 06:02 PM | Comments (0)
May 24, 2005
Combating Isolation Through Value-added Networks
In today's New York and Chicago (and other cities), you see disabled people on the streets, in the shops and within the theaters because, due to the ADA and technology, major cities have become accessible in terms of mobility and transportation.
But overcoming isolation is still a personal skill we each need to cultivate.
The payoff: By jumping out of isolation, we surprise ourselves - and others - with what we can do and make it easier for those who follow in our footsteps.
When I visited Moscow in 1970, there were no disabled people to be seen on its streets. They were in state institutions.
On the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus 40 years ago, students with a disability were few and far between. In general, kids with disabilities didn't go to college.
Time has changed that somewhat. We no longer need to tolerate isolation imposed by others - or by ourselves.
As Jake says in one of his SiM blog comments, "...Those of us with disabilities don't deserve to live in isolation and not have anybody to talk to." He considers participating in eSight's forums as one way he can personally take to break down the isolation barrier.
See "Overcoming Fear and Isolation" by Liz Seger for other helpful tips for cracking isolation barriers.
Jake admits, "I am afraid to go out of my apartment complex alone because I have not had any formal O&M instruction for several years. There has been lots of construction in my area, and nobody wants me to get hurt or worse..."
But, also note that Jake realizes the skills he is developing on eSight. Frequent posting, he says, "on this and other forums might come in quite handy someday, perhaps in changing attitudes."
Last week's guest speaker for the eSight Phone Conference was Olegario "Ollie" D. Cantos VII, Special Assistant to Assistant Attorney General R. Alexander Acosta in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. He provided us with an excellent blueprint for avoiding isolation and changing attitudes.
Add value to your networking contacts through displays of genuine appreciation of another's strengths, Ollie advises. "That builds people up," he says. And then, he adds, "help develop partnerships by matching the strengths you discover in others with needs among the people you meet."
Not long ago, participants in eSight's Blindstorming also reaffirmed Ollie's premise. See "Networking: A Fair Exchange" by Nan Hawthorne.
But Ollie goes one step further. In an e-mail follow up to a question from Annette, one of the participants in the eSight Phone Conference, Ollie wrote:
Within that context, this week's SiM blog discussion question is this:
When have you felt good about networking in a job search or in a situation on the job because you received what you needed or met the needs of others?
Posted by Jim Hasse at 06:00 PM | Comments (2)
May 17, 2005
Dealing With the "Super Crip" Mystique
So far in May, as a "Swimming in the Mainstream" (SiM) blogger, you’ve had a chance to tell how you surprised others in the workplace by rising above the low expectations they had for you and tell how you have used eSight’s resources to create broader opportunities for yourself in today’s work world.
And, last week, we heard from two eSight members with mainstream work experience about how eSight has helped them in managing their careers.
Laura e-mailed us this announcement:
"Starting June 1, I will be Development Officer for the College of Natural Resources at the University of California, Berkeley. As you see from my (attached) resume, I've been in fundraising and non-profits for 20-some years. Much of this work has been for disability-related issues. My new job is totally unrelated to disability, which I am looking forward to.
"…I have been looking for a permanent position for the past year as I continued consulting -- not liking working alone. I found the eSight content on assessing one's strengths, skills, and work style very useful. Also, the articles (about) interviewing were helpful in keeping (me) positive through the process.
"I've used a number of job hunting resources over the years but have never run into one like eSight that deals with the nitty-gritty of being a blind candidate -- guide dog hair, non-verbal communications, and so on. Thanks, and keep up the great work!
Here are snippets of comments "Upstate" posted on this SiM blog:
"…This is not the same nation of 15 years ago. To 'create opportunity' will mean (going) outside of the business organization as (it) exists today…
"Many people have very little interest in (people with disabilities). (The) able-bodied are having a tough time of it themselves, and this trend may continue for many years...
"…My career will be ending in a few years. The job opportunities for near-blind people in their mid-50's will not be there. I must plan a career change now to create opportunities for me to continue to have some income…
"Creating an opportunity may require the disabled to (develop) micro-enterprises, (become) consultants, specialize (as) Internet resellers or (use) other advanced income generators…
"I think the strongest part of this (site) is the understanding that you are not alone. We, as a group, have (barriers) to overcome and situations that must be solved beyond what most people would ever think about. We do have (an) inner style that helps (us) to navigate…
"It is nice to know that I am not alone, (even though) the world may not want us near and do many things to keep us held back. My skills are strong, and my judgment allows me to move forward."
These are sobering but reassuring thoughts. They sparked this week’s two new opportunities for eSight members to further build eSight as a resource for themselves.
The comments by "Upstate" lead to a new Blindstorming issue for this week about how we can best use eSight to help one another find jobs.
And both "Upstate" and Laura extend May’s SiM blog topic about surprising others with what you can do at work. Those surprises or even a smidgen of success in a mainstream job can easily lead to "super crip" stories about you at work -– a context others perhaps use to reconcile your apparent physical disability with your ability to properly apply mainstream work skills.
I cringe every time I hear someone say about me, "Oh, he’s so smart," for instance.
So this week’s SiM discussion question is this:
When have others confused your interest in just working to fulfill your self-defined career goals with their need to view you as a "super crip" who is an "inspiration"? How do you handle that?
Posted by Jim Hasse at 08:58 PM | Comments (1)
May 10, 2005
Creating Opportunities for Yourself
I have a couple of new suggestions for using eSight’s "Swimming in the Mainstream" (SiM) blog as well as the overall resources of eSight to start creating opportunities for yourself this week.
The first is a learning opportunity. Be sure to register for the free eSight Phone Conference set for Thursday, May 19, between 1:00 and 2:00 EDT.
The guest speaker will be Olegario "Ollie" D. Cantos VII, who will offer you "tips for thriving in today's political, social and economic climate when you're a job seeker with a disability."
A soft job market, vital program cuts and unfriendly court rulings in the U.S. may not be too encouraging if you’re a current job seeker who has a disability, but Ollie maintains you can obtain meaningful work by "getting the most out of career-oriented mentoring opportunities and building a vast personal network of supporters."
Blind since birth, Ollie became one of the highest-placed people with a disability in today’s U.S. federal government when he accepted a commission from former Attorney General John D. Ashcroft in August 2004 to serve as Special Assistant to Assistant Attorney General R. Alexander Acosta in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
His responsibilities include fostering closer ties between the Department and disability rights leaders at all levels.
Add your one question for Ollie and reserve your place now for this toll-free eSight Phone Conference.
Ollie’s approach to job hunting is to take full advantage of the occasions that come your way for showing a key decision maker within a specific job sector how you can help extend his or her company’s success.
So, here’s my suggestion for putting into action what Ollie would probably suggest if he were visiting with you today about his main message for the May 19 eSight Phone Conference.
If you haven’t yet fully used eSight’s established educational and networking tools to further your career, you may want to consider this unique two-step opportunity for marketing yourself.
First, if you’re looking for a job and would like to network with other eSight members, participate in this blog this week by submitting your comments in response to the discussion question below.
Second, submit your "Job Wanted" posting on eSight. That posting should probably include an offering statement or a description of your skills.
That way prospective employers and other eSight members can get a quick glimpse of what you offer as a job candidate as well as how you express your thoughts in writing on this SiM blog.
Last week, on eSight’s "Swimming in the Mainstream" (SiM) blog, you had a chance to tell how you surprised others in the workplace by rising above the low expectations they had for you.
This week, we’re refocusing that topic a bit and asking you to briefly reply to this question on eSight’s SiM blog:
How have you used eSight’s networking tools and informational resources to create broader opportunities for yourself in today’s work world?
What has worked well for you could really help other eSight members take the next step up in their careers (and avoid the missteps you may have taken before you reached your present vantage point).
Jim Hasse
Posted by Jim Hasse at 05:50 PM | Comments (2)
May 03, 2005
Building Your Future on Positive Memories
There’s value in having a storehouse of positive experiences that are always on call when you most need them.
Remember, for instance, what you did and how you felt during a job interview which went exceptionally well for you? Keep that memory close at hand at your next job interview, and you’ll likely do equally as well.
That’s the recommendation John P. Zach, MS, LPC, Career Development Coordinator at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point offers his students.
"Use your positive memories to build your future," he urges them.
I believe that’s especially important for those of us with disabilities because we often hear negative talk – both from within ourselves and from others – about our prospects for gaining meaningful work and a fulfilling career.
On eSight’s "Swimming in the Mainstream" (SiM) blog this week, you have an opportunity to share a positive memory.
For an account about how I survived one of my first "tests" as a people manager, for instance, take a look at "Bungled Bluff," a true story from my book, "Break Out: Finding Freedom When You Don't Quite Fit the Mold."
Please share your own success story by briefly replying to this SiM blog question:
When have you surprised others in the workplace by rising above the low expectations they had for you?
Posted by Jim Hasse at 06:05 PM | Comments (3)