Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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New job and afraid of looking different (self.Blind)
submitted by picture_a_vacuum
I’m starting a new job as a software developer next week. For me to use a computer comfortably, I have a huge 42 inch display, which makes the text large enough so I can read it at a decent distance away.
I’ve told the manager about this and he was cool with it.
I’ve always had this strong dislike for looking different, for standing out, or looking obviously disabled. I worry about what other people must think of me, and whether it will cause me to be some kind of outcast amongst the group.
At the last place I worked, I got by without this large display because the screens they already had were large enough already, but not ideal. My coworkers cracked the odd blind joke, but I knew for certain they were supportive, and liked me. So it’s certainly possible that these fears of mine are entirely unrealistic, based on my past experiences.
All of those anxieties, like feeling like you’re less competent than other coworkers, taking longer to do things, feeling like you have suboptimal productivity for the company.... those worries pile up in my head and make me want to just run away from it all. Perhaps this is internalised ableism?
Advocating for my access needs, and not feeling ashamed about adaptive technologies is definitely a skill I need to work on, and believe my success depends on it.
I’ve told the manager about this and he was cool with it.
I’ve always had this strong dislike for looking different, for standing out, or looking obviously disabled. I worry about what other people must think of me, and whether it will cause me to be some kind of outcast amongst the group.
At the last place I worked, I got by without this large display because the screens they already had were large enough already, but not ideal. My coworkers cracked the odd blind joke, but I knew for certain they were supportive, and liked me. So it’s certainly possible that these fears of mine are entirely unrealistic, based on my past experiences.
All of those anxieties, like feeling like you’re less competent than other coworkers, taking longer to do things, feeling like you have suboptimal productivity for the company.... those worries pile up in my head and make me want to just run away from it all. Perhaps this is internalised ableism?
Advocating for my access needs, and not feeling ashamed about adaptive technologies is definitely a skill I need to work on, and believe my success depends on it.
Rw0004 15 points 4y ago
I’d say embrace the difference and have a sly joke of your own every now and then. When at their desk ask them why their display is so small 😂
I’m a fully sighted person and I got a 27 inch monitor on my desk just because it’s awesome when my coworkers are all stuck with their little possibly 17 inch ones. Nothing says overcompensating like a massive monitor haha.
I’m unsure about your experiences as a child but as an adult people would tend to treat you as such. Monitor helps you work so that can only be a good thing.
Good luck in your new job. And enjoy that screen!
I’m a fully sighted person and I got a 27 inch monitor on my desk just because it’s awesome when my coworkers are all stuck with their little possibly 17 inch ones. Nothing says overcompensating like a massive monitor haha.
I’m unsure about your experiences as a child but as an adult people would tend to treat you as such. Monitor helps you work so that can only be a good thing.
Good luck in your new job. And enjoy that screen!
picture_a_vacuum [OP] 3 points 4y ago
I think each time I explain this to someone, and they reassure me it’s nothing to worry about, it makes me more confident and less likely to feel worried about this stuff. So thanks for that!
codeplaysleep 4 points 4y ago
Fellow blind programmer here... programmers are all about solving problems. Being blind just presents another engineering problem and your 42in monitor solves it for you. That's cool.
If anybody gives you a hard time about it, tell them to engineer a better solution.
If anybody gives you a hard time about it, tell them to engineer a better solution.
LanceThunder 4 points 4y ago
> I’m starting a new job as a software developer next week.
thats awesome man. i think i have read a few posts from you before on this topic. really nice to read about other people overcoming barriers and doing well.
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its all about presentation. when people ask about your monitor if you get all awkward and go into a deep medical description of why you are blind you are going to teach them that this is a subject that they should feel strongly about. they will also learn that its something that should make them mildly uncomfortable.
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alternatively, when they ask if you just laugh a little and tell them it helps because "my eyes aren't so great". this will let them know its not really something to concern themselves with. everyone knows lots of people with "bad eyes" so its not really anything new to them.
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i hear what you are saying about disabilities though. its not easy to accept your limitations. you just have to take the good with the bad. it sounds like you are an outstanding programmer but you will never be a pilot. its ok. you don't have to be everything to everyone. just make life easier for people in the ways that you can and try to avoid making life harder for them. if you can do this they will love you. they are too busy worrying about their own issues anyway to really pay much mind to your vision.
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to change the topic a little, have you tried jaws or NVDA? they take some time to get used to but once you start using them they will take a lot of strain off your eyes.
thats awesome man. i think i have read a few posts from you before on this topic. really nice to read about other people overcoming barriers and doing well.
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its all about presentation. when people ask about your monitor if you get all awkward and go into a deep medical description of why you are blind you are going to teach them that this is a subject that they should feel strongly about. they will also learn that its something that should make them mildly uncomfortable.
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alternatively, when they ask if you just laugh a little and tell them it helps because "my eyes aren't so great". this will let them know its not really something to concern themselves with. everyone knows lots of people with "bad eyes" so its not really anything new to them.
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i hear what you are saying about disabilities though. its not easy to accept your limitations. you just have to take the good with the bad. it sounds like you are an outstanding programmer but you will never be a pilot. its ok. you don't have to be everything to everyone. just make life easier for people in the ways that you can and try to avoid making life harder for them. if you can do this they will love you. they are too busy worrying about their own issues anyway to really pay much mind to your vision.
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to change the topic a little, have you tried jaws or NVDA? they take some time to get used to but once you start using them they will take a lot of strain off your eyes.
picture_a_vacuum [OP] 3 points 4y ago
Thank you, I think your advice is really insightful. And yeah, I have been posting on here a fair bit, trying to get as much advice as possible to maximise my chances of success.
Your comments about managing other people’s perception is very valuable; I hadn’t thought about that, and I think adding ‘spin’ to how I explain it to others will work really well. I sometimes forget that it’s possible to influence the opinions of others, just through how you present information to them.
I haven’t tried screen readers yet. I don’t think my vision is quite bad enough for it yet, but it is getting close. It’s something I will probably have to learn in the coming years.
And I’ll do everything I can to make life easier for others. Solving problems is what I love doing :)
Your comments about managing other people’s perception is very valuable; I hadn’t thought about that, and I think adding ‘spin’ to how I explain it to others will work really well. I sometimes forget that it’s possible to influence the opinions of others, just through how you present information to them.
I haven’t tried screen readers yet. I don’t think my vision is quite bad enough for it yet, but it is getting close. It’s something I will probably have to learn in the coming years.
And I’ll do everything I can to make life easier for others. Solving problems is what I love doing :)
vwlsmssng 3 points 4y ago
> I haven’t tried screen readers yet. I don’t think my vision is quite bad enough for it yet, but it is getting close. It’s something I will probably have to learn in the coming years.
Learn now.
With some sight you can see what the screen reader is trying to tell you and you can see when it is going to let you down. There are a lot of keyboard shortcuts to learn. I just help someone who uses one so I get called in to help sometimes when things go wrong. Windows updates? Things go wrong. Apps update? Things go wrong. IT policies change? Things go wrong. A critical deadline approaches? Things go wrong.
A decent accessibility app would also offer screen colour changing and magnification which could also help.
Learn now.
With some sight you can see what the screen reader is trying to tell you and you can see when it is going to let you down. There are a lot of keyboard shortcuts to learn. I just help someone who uses one so I get called in to help sometimes when things go wrong. Windows updates? Things go wrong. Apps update? Things go wrong. IT policies change? Things go wrong. A critical deadline approaches? Things go wrong.
A decent accessibility app would also offer screen colour changing and magnification which could also help.
LanceThunder 2 points 4y ago
give the readers a try. i use them because i am dyslexic and heavy reading can cause me a lot of mental strain. if its just light reading i'll power through it but when i have to read more than a page i will fire up the reader and it helps a lot.
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the down side is that they take some getting used to. their interface is designed such that you can use them without a monitor or mouse which makes the controls feel a little alien at first.
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the down side is that they take some getting used to. their interface is designed such that you can use them without a monitor or mouse which makes the controls feel a little alien at first.
picture_a_vacuum [OP] 2 points 4y ago
Okay, I’ll give it a shot. Your logic makes a lot of sense. I should be using every tool out there in order to maximise accessibility.
bscross32 1 points 4y ago
Try each and see what it does for you. I think NVDA is better for coding because it has the ability to report indents either using speech, ascending tones or both at once. Though, your company might not be enthusiastic about it because being open source, and seeing how its addons can basically do anything, companies are skittish about the security of that.
TK_Sleepytime 3 points 4y ago
About 6 years ago I was recruited by a team I had worked with remotely for a couple years. I interviewed with them and it was the first time they realized I am legally blind. I didn't ask for anything special, I had gotten by ok up to that point. When I came in for my first day of work there was a giant tv on my desk complete with remote. "Do you like your monitor? We wanted you to be able to see ok," they told me. The thing is, I only have one eye so I could only see a quarter of that screen at a time lol.
So, yes it can be uncomfortable to be seen as different but it's more uncomfortable when others try to guess your needs for you. As a bonus, once people know you are low vision, it becomes a lot easier to request things that would have felt selfish before, such as printouts of slide presentations so you can follow along in real time rather than trying to memorize every word and figuring it out at your desk later.
So, yes it can be uncomfortable to be seen as different but it's more uncomfortable when others try to guess your needs for you. As a bonus, once people know you are low vision, it becomes a lot easier to request things that would have felt selfish before, such as printouts of slide presentations so you can follow along in real time rather than trying to memorize every word and figuring it out at your desk later.
codeplaysleep 3 points 4y ago
>The thing is, I only have one eye so I could only see a quarter of that screen at a time lol.
LOL I love that someone else understands this. I'm the same way - limited central vision in only one eye. I use a 29in widescreen monitor. Anything bigger causes too much neck strain from all the head turning.
LOL I love that someone else understands this. I'm the same way - limited central vision in only one eye. I use a 29in widescreen monitor. Anything bigger causes too much neck strain from all the head turning.
43wrox 2 points 4y ago
I am a VI software development manager. I recommend you work hard and dedicate yourself to the success of your boss and your company in that order.
In addition, I suggest you budget 3-4 hours a week outside work to learn new skills (business or programming related)
As you progress you will become known as the “star performer” not the “VI guy”.
Good luck.
In addition, I suggest you budget 3-4 hours a week outside work to learn new skills (business or programming related)
As you progress you will become known as the “star performer” not the “VI guy”.
Good luck.
picture_a_vacuum [OP] 1 points 4y ago
This makes a lot of sense. Thanks for that!
aaronespinozaca 2 points 4y ago
"All of those anxieties, like feeling like you’re less competent than other coworkers, taking longer to do things, feeling like you have suboptimal productivity for the company.... those worries pile up in my head and make me want to just run away from it all. Perhaps this is internalised ableism?"
There's is a reason you got hired because you can do the job. You are over thinking it.
There's is a reason you got hired because you can do the job. You are over thinking it.
picture_a_vacuum [OP] 1 points 4y ago
That’s probably true. I do overthink things a lot!
U5efull 2 points 4y ago
I worked at a company with a blind worker who used dragon naturally speaking and had a seeing eye dog. Nobody cared. Nobody will care about your monitor, other than being jealous.
I realize saying 'don't worry about it' may seem flippant, so it's fine if you worry, just realize nobody else cares and will only want to help.
I realize saying 'don't worry about it' may seem flippant, so it's fine if you worry, just realize nobody else cares and will only want to help.
AmAsabat 1 points 4y ago
Just tell them it’s in proportion to your dick.
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