A good 99 percent of the time, the problem isn't the job itself. It's getting in the door. You *maybe* get one interview. Then the employer realizes you're disabled, and...suddenly, silence. They never get back to you. You don't get the job.

If you're not going to just start your own business, the best advice I can offer is: network. Who do you know? Where do they work? Can you get an in with them for a possible job?

I've done everything from freelance tech support to web development to copy-editing to writing (especially ad copy and template articles for SEO purposes) to cryptocurrency to podcast transcription to QA testing. Being a jack of all trades seems to have worked well, for me.

What are you studying? What would you like to do?

I am a public servant. I coordinate Parliament and Cabinet business for a state government department (Australia). This involves a lot of use of email, our Electronic Records Management System (ERMS), and Excel. I primarily provide advice on governce and high level policy. In the past I've done quite a bit of briefing writing for Parliament too, but that's not a core duty for me at the moment.

I got here via a Bachelor of International Studies, with Honours in International Relations (when I was at uni the BIS was really the new BA [Bachelor of Arts]). My focus was on Asia and I consider myself a political economist. I've had zero exposure to my field of expertise in the workplace. The general skills of organisation, research, analysis, and communication (written and verbal) are what I've used. I always wanted to get into foreign affairs or intelligence analysis, instead I got into intergovernment relations (relations between state and federal government), and made my way to Parliament and Cabinet via Ministerial correspondence. So I picked up first hand skills and experience in managing all the core governance functions, rather than specialising in delivery or management of a specific project.

I highly recommend the public service as an employer for people with disability - certainly in Australia, and I assume overseas would be similar. Low and middle tier wages are at worst equal and usually better than the private sector and the working conditions are significantly better (more leave, flexible working arrangements, and a supportive environment for people with disability or for any other diverse group). I know two other blind public servants, both working at the Federal level in preparing data sets and I suspected they'd say the same.

Keep in mind we're all vision impaired with similar-ish levels of vision (a mix of lack of field and lack of central), but all have RP (i.e. our sight continues to deteriorate). Could you do my job without sight? Most of it, yes. Use of the ERMSs I've used in government would likely be problematic for someone who was total, but I'm sure a solution would be found.

I hope that gives you some idea of what university might give you and what sort of skills you want to build to leverage yourself in the workforce.

I am currently a university student and I will be starting a new degree in the fall. I would agree with fastfinge that networking is key. For the short term and immediate jobs you may have some built in help.

I am going to suggest if you are looking for a part-time job or summer job you may want to check with the employment centre at your college. The accessibility centre at your college may also be worthwhile. Use these resources. You are paying for them. Often there are a lot of on campus jobs where you can gain experience in an area.

Another possibility is to sit down and make a list of instructors who you have had the best relationship with. Go and visit them. Ask them if they have any suggestions. They will likely have some ideas about the field you are studying. Even if it is outside the field you have already started a conversation that may at least make it easier to use them as a reference later.

My blind husband is a retired school teacher. He also worked in government for a decade in providing resources for blind children. Now, he volunteers in Louisiana government to help disabled people have those same resources.

In my experience, everyone loved his resume but when they met him for the interview all they could see was the white cane.

PM me if you would like to ask him for advice. He is very familiar with the process you are going through.

I lost my vision 4 years ago quite suddenly. I went to school to become an animator and VFX artist, graduated in 2005 and worked at a software development company that developed plug-ins and software for animation programs. I became a freelance animator in 2008 and worked my way up through the ranks of different companies and animation houses until 2013 when I was a Senior Animator. That's when my vision went awry, and after a few surgeries, it left totally in 2014.

After getting training from the Lighthouse here in SF through the Department of Rehab, I'm now working part-time as an accessibility specialist for Lyft, do consulting for other companies looking for accessibility end-user testers, and am learning how to code in order to become an accessibility engineer. Making things accessible and inclusive for all is quite rewarding, even though I absolutely loved every minute that I was animating. Getting into accessibility or advocacy for ADA rights are definitely options. Learning how to be a web accessibility specialist from Deque Univerisity is also free if you are blind or visually impaired, so I can't recommend that enough.

I work in IT. If you have good blindness skills there are a few nich options for jobs in college where your experience as a blind person gives you an advantage. When I was in college I had a summer job teaching O and M to middle schoolers, and the rest of the year I work for my university as an accessibility tester. The summer camp job was the most difficult thing I have ever done and it came with a huge amount of stress and responsibility, so I would not recommend it for the faint of heart; on the other hand, the accessibility job was really great. I was the screen reader expert on a really great team, and the job looked good on a resume when I finished school; it helped me get the job I have today.

I work as a Stevedore at a naval station in Florida, I was lucky enough that there were programs in place that hired disabled persons to work in federal capacity. As a second job I contract with the local blind services as an employment coach

I've worked in the IT field. I found that meaningful internships and good references were helpful in dealing with a potential employer's misgivings. Someone else had already taken the chance, and it worked out, so I must be worth consideration--I imagine the reaction to blindness was something like that.

Hi. You could have almost any job that you want. The key is for a blind person to be independent in the workplace is to have strong orientation and mobility skills, proficient computer and assistive technology skills, good communication skills, and excellent problem solving skills. If your vision is deteriorating, I would suggest looking into researching getting trained or self teach skills that are more oriented for those with little to no sight. I hope that this helps.