David.Tanner@f210.n273.z1.fidonet.org (David Tanner) (06/25/91)
Index Number: 16398
[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]
After reading some of the messages here about the worries about what an
employer might or might not do in terms of accomidating a blind employer
I guess I am a little more than highly concerned.
We seem so concerned about how employers will accomidate us in the
everyday sighted work place, but I can tell you about agencies for the
blind that are so over heavily stacked with sighted employees in the key
decision making positions within the agency that the agency has no
problem providing anything a sighted employee thinks they need, but
never seems to have the funds to provide needed accomidations for their
blind employees and expects the state agency for the blind to provide
needed accomidations for the blind workers.
Maybe we need to start by kicking up our heels about the pathetic
condition of the majority of the rehabilitation centers around the
country that have no more idea that a blind individual can hold down a
job in the sighted world than the sighted world. Maybe we should demand
that these institutions place blind or visually impaired persons with
good qualifications and good busof how to economically ruess knowledge in
It seems most agencies for the blind are run by a group of sighted
individuals who have their own ideas about what a blind person can and
cannot do, and they are usually about as far from reallity as a majority
of the sighted employers out in the normal business world. Add to that
that most of these wonderful rehab people have absolutely no business
sense when it comes to management of employees or management of their
funds and that is why so many of them turn out so few blind people who
can do anything but go back home and twittle their thumbs after going
the grand rehab program that is suppose to get the blind person to a
place that they are employable and independent.
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Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!273!210!David.Tanner
Internet: David.Tanner@f210.n273.z1.fidonet.orgDavid.Tanner@f210.n273.z1.fidonet.org (David Tanner) (06/28/91)
Index Number: 16559
[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]
BH> David; you are absolutely right that rehab agency's have many
BH> sighted people running them, and on staff, who know nothing
BH> about blindness. All you're points ere well made, so I won't
BH> bore everyone by repeating them, great message. We must spend
BH> time educating and working with these agencies just like
BH> employers not int he blindness field, Beth.
BH> ---
The real problem is everyone who is blind seems to realize that these
agencies need educating, but nobody has any idea how we are going to
successfully get this done. Any suggestions are welcome.
D. T.
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