Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Any good job suggestions someone who is visually impaired? (Mini rant) (self.Blind)
submitted by BabbitBurrito
Note: I am using Google speech to text, so if anything sounds funny that just might be Google misinterpreting what I'm saying.
Little bit of backstory before I start, I was born with cataracts and had my lenses removed when I was three weeks old. Pushed through grade school the best I could. Now I'm in the point of my life where I should be in college.
I spend most of my time either drawing or animating even with my visual impairment. Windows built in magnifier works wonders. I also raise Grand Champion show rabbits, these activities are fun for me but they do not pay the bills.
I need to lean how to be more independent and also find a way to support me and my struggling family. I hate sitting at my house and not being able to do anything. I can hardly see anything under a 16-point font and need to take constant breaks from daily activities to maintain the pressure in my eyes due to glaucoma. Counting change is extremely difficult for me and i'm worried I won't be able to see well enough to look at a cash register in a retail job.
Blind or visually impaired people of Reddit what is you do to keep food on the table and how are you getting around your visual struggles?
I'm terrified of my own future and how I would be able to support myself.
Little bit of backstory before I start, I was born with cataracts and had my lenses removed when I was three weeks old. Pushed through grade school the best I could. Now I'm in the point of my life where I should be in college.
I spend most of my time either drawing or animating even with my visual impairment. Windows built in magnifier works wonders. I also raise Grand Champion show rabbits, these activities are fun for me but they do not pay the bills.
I need to lean how to be more independent and also find a way to support me and my struggling family. I hate sitting at my house and not being able to do anything. I can hardly see anything under a 16-point font and need to take constant breaks from daily activities to maintain the pressure in my eyes due to glaucoma. Counting change is extremely difficult for me and i'm worried I won't be able to see well enough to look at a cash register in a retail job.
Blind or visually impaired people of Reddit what is you do to keep food on the table and how are you getting around your visual struggles?
I'm terrified of my own future and how I would be able to support myself.
CloudyBeep 16 points 3y ago
It seems like you need to receive rehabilitation services so that you can learn how to perform tasks with a vision impairment. Your choice of employment should not be limited by your vision, because there are people with all levels of vision doing all manner of jobs; so you need to decide what line of work you want to do.
quanin 12 points 3y ago
This is the correct answer. For context, also have glaucoma, no sight whatsoever though my eye pressure is under control, and I'm writing this from the office where I've somehow managed not to be up to my neck in networking issues for 5 minutes. Yes, because someone's going to ask, I'm working in IT.
aloe_chaos_lamb 6 points 3y ago
I am visually impaired and I work as a counselor. It works great for me because mostly I listen to people! I second other commenters that rehabilitation and/or occupational therapy could go a long way to helping you gain the skills to be independent. Look into vocational rehabilitation services in your area. In my community (southwestern US) there is a state agency that provides extensive rehab services free of charge to help people with disabilities work, including paying for training, helping you figure out what kind of jobs are the best fit, etc. Also, higher ed does not need to be out of reach for you--most schools provide very extensive accommodations for visually impaired students.
Best of luck to you!
Best of luck to you!
codeplaysleep 6 points 3y ago
Personally, I'm a software engineer. I know a few other blind programmers. I also know a blind police dispatcher, a blind x-ray tech, and a couple of blind professors.
Start by figuring out what you want to do - don't worry so much about eyesight. Determine what training/certifications/education is required for the job, and then see about getting accommodations and vocational rehab services to handle the visual impairment.
Your options aren't limited as much as you may feel like they are. Even if you can't do your "dream job" you can usually always find something related to it (e.g. I have a paraplegic friend who wanted to be a firefighter all through his childhood. He's now an instructor at the state fire school, maintains equipment and does community outreach for his local volunteer fire department).
Start by figuring out what you want to do - don't worry so much about eyesight. Determine what training/certifications/education is required for the job, and then see about getting accommodations and vocational rehab services to handle the visual impairment.
Your options aren't limited as much as you may feel like they are. Even if you can't do your "dream job" you can usually always find something related to it (e.g. I have a paraplegic friend who wanted to be a firefighter all through his childhood. He's now an instructor at the state fire school, maintains equipment and does community outreach for his local volunteer fire department).
psychgamer2014 5 points 3y ago
Personally, I’m a psychology professor and student clinical behavior analyst and SPED teacher (you need both licenses to work in a school setting as a BCBA). I’m also getting ready to take the licensing exam to be an EMT, so anything is possible.
I’d suggest getting low vision rehab as a good starting point. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
I’d suggest getting low vision rehab as a good starting point. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
CosmicBunny97 4 points 3y ago
I haven’t got a job, nor am I looking (full time student and uni is my main priority) but I did a pre-employment program at Vusion Australia last year that gave us skills and tips for gaining employment. Maybe something like that would be helpful?
I’m also in a similar situation vision wise to you - I also have glaucoma as one of my conditions, have my lens removed and can’t read large font as well as other stuff. I’m really scared I won’t be able to maintain a job. I definitely can’t do retail or fast food.
Maybe pick up some freelance and commission work? It won’t pay much but it’s a little bit of pocket money.
I’m also in a similar situation vision wise to you - I also have glaucoma as one of my conditions, have my lens removed and can’t read large font as well as other stuff. I’m really scared I won’t be able to maintain a job. I definitely can’t do retail or fast food.
Maybe pick up some freelance and commission work? It won’t pay much but it’s a little bit of pocket money.
BlueRock956 3 points 3y ago
There are all kind of jobs that blind people can have, but if one lacks core skills, those jobs won’t be suitable. I suggest rehabilitation training. Your state would have a program, and they can develop an individualized employment plan with you. I would encourage you to actually go to a rehab center, like the Louisiana Center for the Blind, if you want quality training and more importantly if you want to reach independence sooner, rather than later.
aaronespinozaca 3 points 3y ago
Get blindness training and you will be able to do any job you want to do. You will just need to do it differently. Training will help a lot.
U5efull 3 points 3y ago
I worked with a blind man in an insurance company who did all his work using dragon (yes long ago). He did underwriting and accounting and made more money than I did in IT.
There are options, you just need to find something you are interested in and study hard.
There are options, you just need to find something you are interested in and study hard.
beyondvision501c3 2 points 3y ago
Opportunities are out there! And you should certainly reach out to the resources and agencies in your area.
We're a non-profit that focuses on employment for people who are blind and try to provide a "career runway". Employees can try different jobs, learn skills, advance through the company or move on to job opportunities elsewhere. Everyone makes a market competitive wage and good benefits. There are all kinds of jobs available - production, machining, customer service, administrative, senior leadership, the list goes on. One of our Senior Directors is low vision, along with our Sales representative and Fund Development leader. Our IT Tech and Talent Acquisition specialist are both people who are fully blind.
Don't limit yourself, the tools and training are out there for you do do great things!
We're a non-profit that focuses on employment for people who are blind and try to provide a "career runway". Employees can try different jobs, learn skills, advance through the company or move on to job opportunities elsewhere. Everyone makes a market competitive wage and good benefits. There are all kinds of jobs available - production, machining, customer service, administrative, senior leadership, the list goes on. One of our Senior Directors is low vision, along with our Sales representative and Fund Development leader. Our IT Tech and Talent Acquisition specialist are both people who are fully blind.
Don't limit yourself, the tools and training are out there for you do do great things!
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