Swimming in the Mainstream

I had a bit of trouble with this one, since I am not working and right now I'm not really looking for work in the formal sense. Not only is my VR case still closed with no apparent results in sight, but I just found out that the job coach who had been working with residents of Center for Independent Futures, has not been heard from for awhile. At first my roommate and I thought it was just the two of us who hadn't heard a word from the job coach. However, upon talking with someone this past weekend we found out that nobody has heard from the job coach. I do, however, have something to contribute to this week's Swimming in the Mainstream discussion. It may not be work-related, but it certainly makes the point crystal clear that each of us needs to have basic survival skills. A few weeks ago, the vacuum store right next door was robbed. This happened at about 2:15 in the morning, so nobody was in the store. My bedroom window happened to be open at the time of the break-in, but when it happened I thought it was just somebody partying quietly outside. I probably should've thought twice about what was going on and possibly called 9-1-1, but at that hour one's brain isn't very functional. At least if you're like me this is true. When my roommate found out that it was actually a break-in and that a few valuables had been stolen, we began to question our survival skills. We then had our weekly apartment meeting, where each resident checks in and brings to the table any announcements or problems. We discussed the break-in and what we'd do in case of another break-in. Besides the obvious locking of apartment doors whenever any of us leaves for whatever reason, we are not to go out alone at night. This was particularly important for me and my roommate, both being visually impaired. To emphasize the point about safety even more, a parole officer came and talked to our group. She had handouts which were passed around. My life skills tutor was kind enough to dictate a couple of the handouts to me, and I have created an MS Word document containing their contents. I think we as visually-impaired people have to pay particular attention to our surroundings, particularly in unfamiliar areas. Fortunately I have always been accompanied by someone sighted whenever going out of my building. This also brings up the point about having an O&M instructor. I have lived in this apartment for just over a year, yet I have not even had a formal O&M assessment done on me. After all, I have not had any formal O&M instruction for a long time and I need a refresher course. When asked about this, my VR counselor said he'd look into it. However, his supervisor, who was previously my counselor, said that there was no way I could get an O&M assessment unless I had a paying job. I may have missed something somewhere along the line, but this makes no sense whatsoever. It is, as a matter of fact, seemingly counter-productive to tell someone that they need to secure a job, any job at all, and then learn their way around and get to know their surroundings. I am not stupid, in fact far from stupid. I've been around long enough to know that one cannot automatically know the location of places one has not been to previously. I have been blind all my life, and I previously had some top-notch O&M instruction. However, it has been about ten years since that time. Like anyone, visually-impaired or sighted, I forget things if I have not had practice doing them. For some reason, my state VR agency seems immune to anyone who thinks outside the box, and they don't want to change their ways. Will I still be safe without formal O&M instruction? Yes, but only if I travel with someone sighted who can walk sighted guide with me in unfamiliar areas. I am perfectly happy to use my cane in familiar surroundings, because it gives me freedom and I do not have to rely on someone sighted to go with me if I know where I'm going. If for some reason a sighted person is not available, however, then what? I could very easily take cabs or use paratransit, but I feel the O&M issue is very important. This agency emphasizes independence, which is a good thing, but there are just some circumstances where we as individuals cannot be as independent as we want to be. In most if not all cases, these circumstances are beyond our control, and unfortunately we have to rely on lame ducks to help us.
Jake

Rules for survival, wow.

The main rule I have is not to expect coworkers to accept you in the workplace. They have 'no concern' about the disabled. Non. State advocates tell me 'tell them you are visually impaired'. This statement is viewed as an admission of guilt that you have a problem. Other coworkers do not have a problem. Your admission allows others to disregard your human qualities and make every attempt to disallow your right to be employed or even befriended. Don't even try to have sex.

Don't expect a pleasing workarea. The law suggests the disabled be included in terms of employment. Coworkers can make this a tough space to be in.

Some workplaces have not changed from the 1950's. If you go back to this timeline and look at the difficult situations minorities had in employment then in the 2000 era the disabled would need to survive the same types of situations.

People do not care!

I don't have any special rules for working with people than I do living every day with people. My mum said to me very early on, the unfortunate thing is you'll have to do 99 per cent of the adapting to the world , they aren't going to do it especially for you. I've found that to be true. I don't go in with any pre-conceived expectations . I try to be friendly but also firm about my strenths and weaknesses. I know what they are . I don't tolerate bullies or nastiness towards me or anyone else and I'm not afraid to state my case . I do the most professional job I know how to do but I also make sure I'm kind and empathetic to others as well. I make sure I have interests outside my work so that I am able to converse with my colleagues. I don't always talk about me me me .I'll ask for help if I need it and I'll explain my accessiblilty issues I have but not with a sneer or a snarky attitude.

I guess the one rule is you choose how you're going to react to everyone and everything at work or anywhere else. You can be nasty and bitter and resentful and negative and reactionary because no one understands or you can choose not to be and help them understand while still standing your ground.

I am in between jobs right now, but I think I can add some survival tips based on my experiences.

Don't develop a chip on your shoulders. The world did not deal you a bad hand.

Depending on the extent of you disability ask for accommodations that you realistically need for the job, don't ask for extras that you don't really need. This means do your homework about the job ahead of time and be current on assitive technology available.

If someone treats you in a way that is uncomfortable, like treating you like a fragile child, speak up in an assertive and polite manner. Don't be confrontational and talk in private.

If someone asks you a question about you disability, even if you think it is ignorant, answer them. We can combat ignorance in small ways. Someone asked me how I ate since it was "obviously too dangerous for me to cook." I explained to the person that I had enough vision to operate most kitchen appliances, but I was not above burning my homemade lasagna on occasion.

That brings me to another point, have a sense of humor, it's a good ice-breaker

Get a mentor at work. If you are having a problem,they can be a good sounding board for you.

Be ASSERTIVE, not passive and not aggressive. If you don't know what I mean there are some good resources on E-Sight.

Liz is right, we have to do a lot of the adapting, but employers are more receptive if you are honest about your needs and clear about them. Otherwise, do whatever you can do to make your workspace fit your needs and ask others to respect that if they use the space too. Tell them you need them to put things back where they got them to make it easier for you to retieve them. People will get it if you are respectful to them. They cannot read your mind and are not experts on the needs of the visually impaired.

Show a positive attitude. Even when youare are ready to bite someone's head off. When you keep your cool and show tact, others respect you for it.

If someone is really making your work life miserable and nothing seems to work, check to see if your company offers any resources that could help. I had an employer that offered a hotline for all employees where they could anonomously get advice on work related issues. I used it more than once.

Remeber you are a viable member of the team. If someone is blatantly disrespectful or seems to be out to cause you problems. Handle as any other employee would. If you cannot work it out with the person in a civil way, follow the chain of command.

Don't forget the Human Resources Department. It's part of their job to provide for the needs of the employees.

I hope my rambling helps someone.

I have found that a little humor in appropriate places goes a long way toward easing tensions or fending off embarrassing moments in the workplace. I was a hospital chaplain and got caught trying to introduce myself to an empty bed! Nobody knew quite what to say till I quipped, "I was just offering a little comfort to that bed because I had the feeling it was getting pushed around a lot!"

I'd like to add a bit more to the comment that people don't care, and that disabled people are no better off than we or other minority groups were. I'd say this is true to a large extent. One place I see this is in state-run VR agencies. Granted, I'm no expert on the topic of vocational rehabilitation. However, I think we as VR clients past, present and future, are dealing with people who (1) have had very little experience with the disabled, if any at all, and (2) those VR professionals who have had experience with the disabled, and/or are disabled themselves, are far and few. In my state VR agency, for instance, I only know of one former counselor who was blind and who really extended herself above and beyond the call of duty. I only wish I could've had her as my counselor, but those friends of mine who did have her say she was the best. She is now working as a technology instructor for The Hadley School for the Blind. All the counselors I've had, possibly with the exception of one who it seems got transferred to another office, had no clue what they were doing. I apparently have another new counselor now, but I haven't heard from her. At this point I'm not that willing to give her a try, but I'm still mulling over the idea. It also seems that my state VR agency has a very high turn-over rate among counselors. Some of this I suppose, has to do with new retirement plans. But when my first counselor retired, he did so very quietly and none of his clients knew until quite some time after the fact. This was also true with my last counselor. He knew he was getting transferred, but failed to notify any of his clients. All this does is confuse the clients, and I think it makes us a bit apprehensive. I'm told the one blind counselor to whom I referred earlier, left the VR agency out of frustration. As you can probably tell by now, I am no fan of the VR system and I know I'm not alone. If we the disabled are ever to get anywhere, positive changes need to be made within the VR system. I suppose this reflects particularly on the blindness community, but I have heard that other disability populations don't have it made in the shade either.