Some of these questions are technical issues. For example, you can perform hardwaremaintenance tasks even if you are blind. I build all my own computers. The only thing I get help with is plugging in the cables to the reset, power-on, and hd indicator. A motherboard usually comes with a diagram on how to connect these and I have never figured out a way to interpret that. But you can learn to install a CPU, RAM, and a hard disk. In fact, I am actually better at this stuff than my sighted co-workers because so often this stuff has to be done, in part, by feel. There are also a lot of tricks to help with bioses and boot loaders. We can talk about that in another thread. But of course there are times when you simply are going to have to get sighted assistance. You have to convince a prospective employer that you will be worth that minor inconvenience. One way to do that is to have such great qualifications that they'll overlook your disability. Admittedly, that's pretty tough. I think the best bet is to kind of wow them with your determination to over come your disability. Turn it into an asset. On 05/21/14 12:25, Jad Wauthier wrote:
Thanks for the reply. I do take my laptop with me because it is much easier to show how I work than it is to explain. I usually have really good interviews, but I still find that people are hesitant to "take a risk". I have found in Tennessee, and to a lesser extent in Texas, that the interview goes much smoother when I disclose my blindness before the in person interview. If there is a problem, I would like to get it out on the table before hand. However, as technology grows and the markets become more competitive, it seems increasingly more difficult to find companies who will take someone who is at any disadvantage. Everyone seems to want developers to code everything, including the stuff screen readers can't handle. Is it the same for admins? How do you handle it when part of the job is hardware repair/configuration/installation or system level stuff before the OS loads? I was very interested in the thread about talking OS installations, but that doesn't cover interacting with boot loaders, BIOS, etc. How do you convince employers that "where there's a will, there's a way", even if it means grabbing a buddy to read things out to you?
On 05/21/2014 11:56 AM, Scott Granados wrote:
Hi there, I think this is ok and on topic. I know it’s been discussed before and there have been specific discussions and even groups formed to cover accessibility and it’s impact on the work place.
To answer your questions, there are no clear cut answers but here’s what my experience has been and what has worked for me. 1. I really don’t disclose my vision status during the interview process until the in person happens and then obviously everyone figures it out really rapidly. By that point hopefully your resume stands for itself and that helps to ease the situation. In some cases recruiters who I have worked for before are familiar with my situation and may on their own prep the possible client of the situation ahead of time. This has worked out well for me and the issue can be dealt with in a way that the recruiter has experience with. (they know their customer)
2. As for the discussing how you work I like to give the client a chance to ask questions in this area. I volunteer this though since I’m not sure legally how much they can ask about your disability. I find by bringing it up during the interview process it eases concerns. Maybe bring your laptop with you and demonstrate a screen reader and how it helps you work etc.
3. Finding people open to working with a blind engineer is tricky. I don’t know of a stock way of answering that. I’d say that geography place a part in this. Places like San Francisco or New England might be tending towards more integration than say Stillwater Oklahoma. This is of course a gross generalization though and you can find exceptions on either side. One thing I will say is the more work I successfully complete the easier this process gets. Now that I have over 20 years experience the clients tend to see this first and foremost and blindness is way down the list of things they worry about. I could be lucky though. I find though that searching for work in places where there are a concentrated amount of blind people can be easier. Not sure if that helps at all but that’s been my experience.
Thanks Scott
On May 21, 2014, at 12:45 PM, Jad Wauthier<jtwauthier@gmail.com> wrote:
I sincerely apologize if this is an inappropriate topic for this list. Does anyone know of any resources like forums, other mailing lists, etc which deal with issues regarding blindness and employment in tech industries? I am a developer, and I have always found it difficult to find employment in spite of my ability to demonstrate my skill sets.
Some of the questions I am looking for answers to are:
1. When is the ideal time to disclose my visual limitations 2. How best to approach the topic of how I work 3. How to find tech companies that are comfortable working with people with a different approach to interfacing with their technologies
I realize that some questions don't have clear cut answers. I'm really looking for various view points and possibly something that might prove helpful in my current job search. I've had so many close calls. I would appreciate any insight anyone could offer. You can contact me directly if you feel comfortable doing so.
Thanks.
Jad
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