Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Curious just how many of you have positive things to say about your state services here in the US, especially employment services (self.Blind)
submitted by Orinks
Hi all,
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Just wanted to start a discussion here about this. I'm currently looking for employment, and they hire job coaches at the Arc here, which is primarily for people with developmental disabilities. We've been scrounging around for jobs on Indeed and have been getting nowhere, keep in mind it stopped pre-Covid. I'm going to call back tomorrow to see what the status of things are, but it doesn't sit well with me that they hire people who have no idea what we're capable of. After applying for several jobs and only hearing back from one months later, suddenly it's me who's in the wrong. It's me getting lectures on the fact that I'm not motivated.
​
Ever since I was a kid, state services finds ways to turn blame onto the client, I guess just to cover their ass. While I've only had the one interview that was a dud, I still appreciate the job coach to talk through this stuff with. Because of this stupid quota for hours voucher shit that the state services has for the arc in exchange for their services, they blame the client, in my case, because I had only had one company who wanted to see me and ultimately didn't hire me. If the quota expiration date fast approaches and I hadn't met whatever requirements they set, or if I hadn't made progress on the part of just waiting for perspective employers to call me after followups, somehow that's my fault.
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Have any of you had similar experiences? The worst part about all of this is, as I inferred above, is the lack of experience with coaches. Blind people can't stock shelves without sighted assistance, for example, unless there's something I don't know about, and my coach couldn't really help me with recommendations as I was struggling to come up with new leads to search, feeling depressed at the fact that most of the employers hadn't got back to me and then my counselor says I'm not motivated enough because I only got one interview. Oh yeah, and paratransit delays are also my fault that I was X minutes late because the driver decided to wait an extra 10 minutes on top of what he was supposed to wait per rules regarding no-shows. We cleared that one up, but my coach's frustrated response was, "Paratransit has 24-hours notice." That doesn't matter in the absolute slightest.
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Both positive and negative experiences welcome.
​
Just wanted to start a discussion here about this. I'm currently looking for employment, and they hire job coaches at the Arc here, which is primarily for people with developmental disabilities. We've been scrounging around for jobs on Indeed and have been getting nowhere, keep in mind it stopped pre-Covid. I'm going to call back tomorrow to see what the status of things are, but it doesn't sit well with me that they hire people who have no idea what we're capable of. After applying for several jobs and only hearing back from one months later, suddenly it's me who's in the wrong. It's me getting lectures on the fact that I'm not motivated.
​
Ever since I was a kid, state services finds ways to turn blame onto the client, I guess just to cover their ass. While I've only had the one interview that was a dud, I still appreciate the job coach to talk through this stuff with. Because of this stupid quota for hours voucher shit that the state services has for the arc in exchange for their services, they blame the client, in my case, because I had only had one company who wanted to see me and ultimately didn't hire me. If the quota expiration date fast approaches and I hadn't met whatever requirements they set, or if I hadn't made progress on the part of just waiting for perspective employers to call me after followups, somehow that's my fault.
​
Have any of you had similar experiences? The worst part about all of this is, as I inferred above, is the lack of experience with coaches. Blind people can't stock shelves without sighted assistance, for example, unless there's something I don't know about, and my coach couldn't really help me with recommendations as I was struggling to come up with new leads to search, feeling depressed at the fact that most of the employers hadn't got back to me and then my counselor says I'm not motivated enough because I only got one interview. Oh yeah, and paratransit delays are also my fault that I was X minutes late because the driver decided to wait an extra 10 minutes on top of what he was supposed to wait per rules regarding no-shows. We cleared that one up, but my coach's frustrated response was, "Paratransit has 24-hours notice." That doesn't matter in the absolute slightest.
​
Both positive and negative experiences welcome.
DrillInstructorJan 3 points 2y ago
I've never tried to get government services in the USA, but I was born there and I have an American passport. This leads to fun getting into the country because my partner only has a British passport. Therefore he should theoretically go through the non resident channel and I should go through the resident channel, but I need to be with him for, you know, navigation and not leaving comedy Jan-shaped holes in walls. So in thepast, either I went through the non residents with him, and we got yelled at, or he went through the residents with me, and we got yelled at. The only time this has ever worked out properly is at Chicago, where we got permission up front to both go through the residents channel. Now we just both go through the residents channel and claim someone in a uniform told us to do it, and this has never been questioned.
In short if you're a bad guy trying to get into America, take a white cane and a British boyfriend in order to get expressed through immigration.
In short if you're a bad guy trying to get into America, take a white cane and a British boyfriend in order to get expressed through immigration.
achromatic_03 1 points 2y ago
I mean, location may make a difference here, but I have had good experiences with DOR in the states I've lived in. I found a blind organization that way that had a program to help people find employment, and the people leading it worked in HR before. I have also lived a lot in cities, so that probably helped...I agree about paratransit--I do whatever I can to avoid having to use it because it's so bad.
Drunken_Idaho 1 points 2y ago
They're crooks at worst and inept at best.
Best of luck to you and keep plowing ahead. It took me years as a totally blind guy but now I have a good job. The job coaches are not the way to go in my experience. Got to make your own way.
Best of luck to you and keep plowing ahead. It took me years as a totally blind guy but now I have a good job. The job coaches are not the way to go in my experience. Got to make your own way.
Envrin 1 points 2y ago
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No disrespect intended here, but have you ever tried going outside of social services and contract potential employers directly for a job? You are right though, job market is quite difficult nowadays. Has nothing to do with being blind though, nor immigrants, o or anything. It's mainly due to technology and automation.
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As for experience with social services, I can give two thumbs up for the Canadian health care system, if that helps any. About a month ago ended up in the ER due to a seizure, and they were beyond amazing. Ambulance was here in about 10 mins, and at the hospital was taken care of like a king. Excellent nurses always around, great and empathetic doctor, and had a full battery of tests -- vitals, blood work up, EKG, CT scan, MRI scheduled for weeks later (just had it a couple days ago), and so on. They were awesome, so two thumbs up from me for that nasty socialized Canadian healthcare system.
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For social services regarding blind folks here in Canada though, my experiences with CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Vlind) have been dismal to say the best. I have no idea why CNIB is even an organization, because they seem to do literally jack shit except waste people's time. I've tried to connect with them multiple times, and it's just a complete waste of time. No idea what they even do aside from sell shit to blind people through their shops.
No disrespect intended here, but have you ever tried going outside of social services and contract potential employers directly for a job? You are right though, job market is quite difficult nowadays. Has nothing to do with being blind though, nor immigrants, o or anything. It's mainly due to technology and automation.
​
As for experience with social services, I can give two thumbs up for the Canadian health care system, if that helps any. About a month ago ended up in the ER due to a seizure, and they were beyond amazing. Ambulance was here in about 10 mins, and at the hospital was taken care of like a king. Excellent nurses always around, great and empathetic doctor, and had a full battery of tests -- vitals, blood work up, EKG, CT scan, MRI scheduled for weeks later (just had it a couple days ago), and so on. They were awesome, so two thumbs up from me for that nasty socialized Canadian healthcare system.
​
For social services regarding blind folks here in Canada though, my experiences with CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Vlind) have been dismal to say the best. I have no idea why CNIB is even an organization, because they seem to do literally jack shit except waste people's time. I've tried to connect with them multiple times, and it's just a complete waste of time. No idea what they even do aside from sell shit to blind people through their shops.
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