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This is my first entry to any blog ever. I am really excited and really nervous at the same time, as I have never really written to people before in a style like this. As the subject says, I am blind. The reason I make this post to be my first one is because I want to help dispel some misconceptions that people could have about blindness for whoever may read this who is not blind, as I plan to distribute this to a great number of people in the coming days.
First, some of you may be wondering about how I use a computer. I have heard people ask about this, and I really want to get this out of the way. I am not annoyed by any question that people might ask, it is just that people ask, so I figure I should answer. I use a screen reader called JAWS, and what it does is that when I read something like my Desktop or a webpage, even when I am writing now, it allows me to know what is on the screen. This may seem obvious to many people who are blind, but for sighted people, this may be something that isn't well known. Let me give you an example, as I am typing now, when I press down on a letter, it tells me which letter I typed, and I can review what I have typed, so that I can go through and make sure that there are no spelling errors in the document, and that it sounds good, and because I am typing in to the edit box on the website, I am able to add whatever I believe should be in the blog post itself.
Second, blind people can travel by themselves. A lot of people who I have met have found it really inspirational that I can get up and go to places. I really don't know why this is except for I
know that it happens. The way we travel is really easier than you may think. We use a cane to travel, and the way we use it depends on the way we were trained to use it. However, I am aware of what was previously called White Cane Safety day and so people know about canes and there use. Depending on the person who trains you, you are taught to use a GPS, Cardinal directions, and/or memorization to find your way. These are all good tools, and they really help to make yourself in to a better traveler, in fact, I would even recommend that sighted people use cardinal directions to get around, as I have noticed that you get lost less when you use the directions instead of just using the directions Left and Right. I use the metro everyday to get to my classes, it takes me an hour and a half to get to class, and sometimes, I do not make it on time, but I do my best. I can get around DC by using my app called Nearby Explorer (as a side, I really recommend this app to people who are blind or visually impaired, I will write a post about this soon after this one explaining why you should fork over the cash to get it), and my knowledge of cardinal directions, and I can get around most anywhere, getting lost is just part of the traveling experience, even though it does suck sometimes.
My third and final point, blind people do have jobs. I must admit, the unemployment rate among blind people is 70%, and this is because we are not being taught how we can get and maintain jobs, but as a part of the 30%, I can tell you that getting jobs isn't and doesn't have to be as hard as it is made out to be. I used to work at Harvard when I was in Boston for training, and that was a fun job. I read lots of books, and transcribed them, but I didn't get that job in some hard process. The first way to find a job is to go to different websites that offer jobs. Many of the job sites are accessible, and it is really easy to apply. However,before you even consider getting a job, you need to have gained or are getting experience that you can put on your resume. Let's say that you don't really have much though, you can volunteer for stuff, go to the food bank and pack stuff, clean up your church building, and do many other different activities to help make your way in to a job. When you apply and if you get an interview opportunity, go in with confidence, remember, if they looked at your resume, and they want to interview you, it means that they really want you, so you should be proud that you are even getting an interview. You must go in with confidence, and find your way with ease, (This may take a few tries and you may fail sometimes), but if you go in with confidence, tel them about yourself and answer the questions that they ask (There are plenty of trainings that you can find that tell you how you can answer these questions successfully), and if you dress up nicely (not in some rags or baggy clothes, but in a nice suit or casual wear that looks nice on you) then you can get a job. It does take work to get a job, but one of the things that I really hate about the blind community is the excuse that because you tried to get a job and they discriminated against you because of your blindness, that you shouldn't try to get a job. There are plenty of jobs in the United States for people who want them, all you have to do is tell the interviewer about your skills, and about you as a person, and you will get a job. Please don't end up like those people who sit at home collecting checks for no work, it is not fun to have to pay taxes to those sorts of people who refuse to work, be proactive and find a job that will be fun and that will fit your skillset. I can't lie, it feels really awesome to get a pay check, because you know that you earned that. I have been working since I was 16, and since my first job at NIB, I have felt the incredible happiness that a pay check brings you. It sure as heck feels better than an SSI check.
You see, blind people can do a lot in their lives. I know because I am blind myself. I know that I needed to provide this small training on jobs and how to get one in the middle of this post explaining what blind people can do, but this doesn't mean blind people are lesser people just because they need more information. Instead, we are people who can do anything a sighted person can, just differently, and blindness isn't what controls our lives and makes us who we are, we are people first and blind second, blindness is just a
characteristic.
First, some of you may be wondering about how I use a computer. I have heard people ask about this, and I really want to get this out of the way. I am not annoyed by any question that people might ask, it is just that people ask, so I figure I should answer. I use a screen reader called JAWS, and what it does is that when I read something like my Desktop or a webpage, even when I am writing now, it allows me to know what is on the screen. This may seem obvious to many people who are blind, but for sighted people, this may be something that isn't well known. Let me give you an example, as I am typing now, when I press down on a letter, it tells me which letter I typed, and I can review what I have typed, so that I can go through and make sure that there are no spelling errors in the document, and that it sounds good, and because I am typing in to the edit box on the website, I am able to add whatever I believe should be in the blog post itself.
Second, blind people can travel by themselves. A lot of people who I have met have found it really inspirational that I can get up and go to places. I really don't know why this is except for I
know that it happens. The way we travel is really easier than you may think. We use a cane to travel, and the way we use it depends on the way we were trained to use it. However, I am aware of what was previously called White Cane Safety day and so people know about canes and there use. Depending on the person who trains you, you are taught to use a GPS, Cardinal directions, and/or memorization to find your way. These are all good tools, and they really help to make yourself in to a better traveler, in fact, I would even recommend that sighted people use cardinal directions to get around, as I have noticed that you get lost less when you use the directions instead of just using the directions Left and Right. I use the metro everyday to get to my classes, it takes me an hour and a half to get to class, and sometimes, I do not make it on time, but I do my best. I can get around DC by using my app called Nearby Explorer (as a side, I really recommend this app to people who are blind or visually impaired, I will write a post about this soon after this one explaining why you should fork over the cash to get it), and my knowledge of cardinal directions, and I can get around most anywhere, getting lost is just part of the traveling experience, even though it does suck sometimes.
My third and final point, blind people do have jobs. I must admit, the unemployment rate among blind people is 70%, and this is because we are not being taught how we can get and maintain jobs, but as a part of the 30%, I can tell you that getting jobs isn't and doesn't have to be as hard as it is made out to be. I used to work at Harvard when I was in Boston for training, and that was a fun job. I read lots of books, and transcribed them, but I didn't get that job in some hard process. The first way to find a job is to go to different websites that offer jobs. Many of the job sites are accessible, and it is really easy to apply. However,before you even consider getting a job, you need to have gained or are getting experience that you can put on your resume. Let's say that you don't really have much though, you can volunteer for stuff, go to the food bank and pack stuff, clean up your church building, and do many other different activities to help make your way in to a job. When you apply and if you get an interview opportunity, go in with confidence, remember, if they looked at your resume, and they want to interview you, it means that they really want you, so you should be proud that you are even getting an interview. You must go in with confidence, and find your way with ease, (This may take a few tries and you may fail sometimes), but if you go in with confidence, tel them about yourself and answer the questions that they ask (There are plenty of trainings that you can find that tell you how you can answer these questions successfully), and if you dress up nicely (not in some rags or baggy clothes, but in a nice suit or casual wear that looks nice on you) then you can get a job. It does take work to get a job, but one of the things that I really hate about the blind community is the excuse that because you tried to get a job and they discriminated against you because of your blindness, that you shouldn't try to get a job. There are plenty of jobs in the United States for people who want them, all you have to do is tell the interviewer about your skills, and about you as a person, and you will get a job. Please don't end up like those people who sit at home collecting checks for no work, it is not fun to have to pay taxes to those sorts of people who refuse to work, be proactive and find a job that will be fun and that will fit your skillset. I can't lie, it feels really awesome to get a pay check, because you know that you earned that. I have been working since I was 16, and since my first job at NIB, I have felt the incredible happiness that a pay check brings you. It sure as heck feels better than an SSI check.
You see, blind people can do a lot in their lives. I know because I am blind myself. I know that I needed to provide this small training on jobs and how to get one in the middle of this post explaining what blind people can do, but this doesn't mean blind people are lesser people just because they need more information. Instead, we are people who can do anything a sighted person can, just differently, and blindness isn't what controls our lives and makes us who we are, we are people first and blind second, blindness is just a
characteristic.
