Swimming in the Mainstream

Having my manager email staff meeting agendas so I can follow along like the rest of the club.

Hello. I hope I can be the first to say a big "thank you" for hosting this discussion on workplace inclusion. I am honestly so frustrated and a bit heartbroken about not having a job right now. It's not just that, but I have literally been screwed by my state VR agency. I think I've pretty much gotten to the point where I don't want to talk with any of them. There might be a few exceptions but I shall wait to find out on that one. I would love to talk with someone at the Client Assistance Program, but honestly I don't know at this point if that'll work or not. Illinois is probably ranked 49 or 50 in terms of state services for those of us with disabilities, and I think it's a monumental embarrassment and something desperately needs doing or else we may just be beyond repair, if we're not there already. I know I'm not the only unemployed person here, but I just might be the one and only person I know of who has been to 0 job interviews. I didn't really need to be interviewed for my position at Natural Ties, because I already had known some people who worked in management positions. I was "grandfathered in" by the young man who started out as the program director, but became the executive director. Quite possibly by accident, he came to CIF to work as one of the life skills tutors for a short while. They did ask me just a few questions though, and I was very prepared. I really wish more Natural Ties' and Center for Independent Futures' existed. I think that people could learn a lot from these two organizations. There is hope though on the job front for me, at least on a volunteer basis. One of the life skills tutors here has been working with me on some job leads, and yesterday I received an email application for a group operated by one of the many churches in my city. After talking with someone on the phone about this group, we discovered that the new group leader actually attends my church. So I am going to contact her and talk things over. My honest opinion about the current VR system in this country, is that it needs to be totally demolished. There are just too many of us being left out in the cold. People have tried to prove me wrong about this. To those people I have this to say. I was born blind, with only light perception in both eyes, and I am now almost 32 years of age. I know what I am doing. I have learned how to cope as a blind person, and how to function. I have learned that not everything is possible for a blind person without some sort of adaptations. Those who think and say otherwise are just plain wrong, whether they like it or not. It does not take a rocket scientist to understand that some of us are simply different than others.

Jake