That's impressive. On 5/22/2014 2:00 PM, Scott Granados wrote:
No I agree, a short over weight blind kid would have probably been passed around prison like a loose joint.:)
That being said though, we used to have a place called the Rock and Roll truck stop. The nice thing was you had the unlimited coffee and breakfast special, each table had a pay phone and power outlet and you could build your boxes, drink coffee and test them all at the same time. We used to dial around the world from one phone to another. One day we showed up and there were guys in suits with wingtips sitting there trying not to look like federal agents. allegedly we ran up 67,000 dollars worth of charges on the pay phone.
On May 22, 2014, at 2:33 PM, Chris Smart <csmart8@cogeco.ca> wrote:
hahaha I can do that. I'm one of those perfect pitch freaks, and I mean freak in that extra sense since I was in my teens as the analog phone switches were being phased out. *grin* It was neat using one pay phone to call the pay phone next to it, but having that call go back and forth across the Atlantic, so you'd hear your voice come back a quarter second later, sounding distant.
I never pushed my luck though, and never did that sort of thing from home. Two friends of mine did and ended up in court. The only thing that kept both of them out of a detention facility was pitty from the judge because, oh gosh, a short overweight blind kid wouldn't do too well inside.
At 01:45 PM 5/22/2014, you wrote:
Alright now, everyone whistle 2600 hz!
;)
On May 22, 2014, at 1:38 PM, John Heim <jheim@math.wisc.edu> wrote:
Amanda, no IT manager is going to disqualify a candidate because they include a link to a video of themselves putting a computer together. They might ignore the link but they're not going to discard a resume because of that. On the other hand, don't you think there are managers out there who would assume a blind person can't swap out a hard drive because they can't imagine how they'd do it themselves if they were blind?
Don't you believe there are a lot of misconceptions out there about what blind people can and cannot do? You may not be able to dispell those misconceptions but you may be able to turn them to your advantage. Somebody sees a video of you putting a hard drive into a PC and they think you are Geordi Laforge or that character Whistler from the movie "Sneakers". And even if they don't go that far, at worst you have shown some initiative and dispelled that one misconception. What I'm suggesting isn't that extraordinary. You want to convince your employer that where there is a will, there's a way (as someone else put it in this thread). I am saying you'd start off ahead if you've already demonstrated that you don't let anything stop you in your personal life.
If a manager truly wants to know, he or she will engage you and ask you questions about how you do thus and such. I'm not certain
On 05/22/14 11:23, Lee, Amanda wrote: that sending them links to videos will prove anything except that you or someone can produce a video for you. You know, acting is acting and doing is performing. If they ask you for an example of your work, then ask them if a video would suffice but a video out on social media somewhere personally gives me an uncomfortable feeling as here you are forcing a manager to use social media to learn about you. Just my two cents worth. I have held a number of jobs lasting for a number of years each. I've personally obtained those opportunities without assistance and obtained most jobs that I've applied for.
-----Original Message----- From: Blind-sysadmins
[mailto:blind-sysadmins-bounces@lists.hodgsonfamily.org] On Behalf Of John Heim
Sent: Wednesday, May 21, 2014 3:39 PM To: Jad Wauthier; Blind sysadmins list Subject: Re: [Blind-sysadmins] Questions about employment issues
Even if a manager knows abut screen readers, he's not going to know they don't work for configuring a BIOS. The real problem is managers who have never heard of screen readers and don't know blind people can use computers at all. Or else they assume you can't swap out a hard drive because they can't imagine how they'd do it without sight. That's why I think sending them a link to your youtube video on how a blind guy builds a computer is the right thing to do. If you don't have a video like that, send them whatever you do have. If you don't have anything like that, get something.
On 05/21/14 14:16, Jad Wauthier wrote:
Yeah, I've been cracking open devices for years. I change out RAM and drives and such. I actually went to school for computer engineering at first. I troubleshoot a lot of hardware issues by feel. I don't know how soldering or properly putting the connecters on Ethernet cable and such would work. I suppose employers would have the same questions. I am just curious as to how others convince people that there are ways of dealing with those situations and getting them past that stage so that there is an opportunity to prove it.
On 05/21/2014 1:59 PM, John Heim wrote: > 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 >>>> >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> Blind-sysadmins mailing list >>>> Blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org >>>> http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/listinfo/blind-sysadmins >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Blind-sysadmins mailing list >>> Blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org >>> http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/listinfo/blind-sysadmins >> _______________________________________________ >> Blind-sysadmins mailing list >> Blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org >> http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/listinfo/blind-sysadmins > _______________________________________________ > Blind-sysadmins mailing list > Blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org > http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/listinfo/blind-sysadmins
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