Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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My Poor Eyesight is Holding Me Back (self.Blind)
submitted by Crotalus__atrox
Hey so I guess this is going to be a bit of a rant but bear with me. First of all, I'll list a few facts about me below.
1) I'm legally blind
2) I can't drive a car because of my blindness
3) I live in the US which doesn't have the best public transport plus Manhattan, NY and Seattle, WA is expensive.
4) I'm majoring in Wildlife Conservation and Management which is considered part of STEM
5) I'd like to work for a state or federal government, jobs are more stable than nonprofit organizations
So a few months ago, I applied for a paid internship with my state Game and Fish Department and by some miracle, I made the cut and four others out of some 200 plus applicants. For some background information, this internship involves teaching REMOTELY about the local wildlife. As far as prior experience goes I thought I had a fair amount since I just did a couple internships that involved teaching middle schoolers about all things biodiversity, as well as collecting field research for a PhD student which ended in a published article with my name on it!
Now based off my previous internships and the description of this one, it sounds great right?! I was finally proving people wrong, that I could get a proper job in my chosen field even as a blind person.
Unfortunately, I ended up not getting the internship and let's just say that after I found out why, I was a bit frustrated. Apparently, it was all down to experience and I just didn't have enough knowledge of the local wildlife. Mind you, this was all based off my interview portion and my guess is that I somehow should've brought up the topic of animals even though all the questions involved people and technology. Personally, I find it a bit ridiculous to judge after only one interview and if they really wanted to know, I could talk to them for like ten hours about vultures, bison, snails, etc.
So you're probably wondering how this relates to blindness right? Well my struggles involve the inability to travel to all these national parks and such since I can't drive and there's no way public transportation can make it out that far. Plus, the majority of jobs I'm interested in all require drivers licenses as if I can't have another person working with me to drive instead. I'm getting real sick of this; only getting hired to check that diversity box, being told I'm an "inspiration" because I can do the most basic things, and constantly being suggested to do something else for my career. I'm so exhausted from having to fight for basic accommodations like higher contrast in lecture slides or help with labs. For all that talk about inclusivity in STEM, it sure doesn't really apply to the disabled community.
TLDR: I didn't get an internship that I had my heart set on and would've been perfect for me. Now I'm frustrated at myself for choosing to major in STEM and the overall lack of inclusivity for the blind/disabled community.
1) I'm legally blind
2) I can't drive a car because of my blindness
3) I live in the US which doesn't have the best public transport plus Manhattan, NY and Seattle, WA is expensive.
4) I'm majoring in Wildlife Conservation and Management which is considered part of STEM
5) I'd like to work for a state or federal government, jobs are more stable than nonprofit organizations
So a few months ago, I applied for a paid internship with my state Game and Fish Department and by some miracle, I made the cut and four others out of some 200 plus applicants. For some background information, this internship involves teaching REMOTELY about the local wildlife. As far as prior experience goes I thought I had a fair amount since I just did a couple internships that involved teaching middle schoolers about all things biodiversity, as well as collecting field research for a PhD student which ended in a published article with my name on it!
Now based off my previous internships and the description of this one, it sounds great right?! I was finally proving people wrong, that I could get a proper job in my chosen field even as a blind person.
Unfortunately, I ended up not getting the internship and let's just say that after I found out why, I was a bit frustrated. Apparently, it was all down to experience and I just didn't have enough knowledge of the local wildlife. Mind you, this was all based off my interview portion and my guess is that I somehow should've brought up the topic of animals even though all the questions involved people and technology. Personally, I find it a bit ridiculous to judge after only one interview and if they really wanted to know, I could talk to them for like ten hours about vultures, bison, snails, etc.
So you're probably wondering how this relates to blindness right? Well my struggles involve the inability to travel to all these national parks and such since I can't drive and there's no way public transportation can make it out that far. Plus, the majority of jobs I'm interested in all require drivers licenses as if I can't have another person working with me to drive instead. I'm getting real sick of this; only getting hired to check that diversity box, being told I'm an "inspiration" because I can do the most basic things, and constantly being suggested to do something else for my career. I'm so exhausted from having to fight for basic accommodations like higher contrast in lecture slides or help with labs. For all that talk about inclusivity in STEM, it sure doesn't really apply to the disabled community.
TLDR: I didn't get an internship that I had my heart set on and would've been perfect for me. Now I'm frustrated at myself for choosing to major in STEM and the overall lack of inclusivity for the blind/disabled community.
Amonwilde 1 points 2y ago
There's a long way for others to go in understanding blindness andmaking accommodations. But you're also going to have to take responsibility for figuring out something that works for you, or you're going to miss out on a lot. None of this stuff is going to get fixed anytime soon. You're probably going to need to find a job running analyses or doing field work within a city like NYC, the driving issue is a big one that won't go away. I do admit the slides stuff is a major headache, a big reason I went into the humanities even though I have a head for math, in retrospect. Looking back I wish I had bought some equipment to help me, even if it meant asking for help from my parents, which seemed unthinkable at the time. Recording lectures with a high-powered camera and reviewing them after would probably have been the best way to deal with things with the vision I had back then, because teachers were always crap at sharing their slides and notes, and the slides and notes were also pretty useless without the lecture.
I'd take a step back and think laterally. Having something to blame is feels great, and you're not wrong, but it's also not really going to help you. When you get your stuff together you might be able to turn around and help fix structures, but for now, just think about how you can get your feet under you, and be practical. Really am wishing you the best of luck, I've been there, and it wasn't fun, but ten years and more skills and infrastructure make a big difference, even as eyesight gets worse (in my case).
I'd take a step back and think laterally. Having something to blame is feels great, and you're not wrong, but it's also not really going to help you. When you get your stuff together you might be able to turn around and help fix structures, but for now, just think about how you can get your feet under you, and be practical. Really am wishing you the best of luck, I've been there, and it wasn't fun, but ten years and more skills and infrastructure make a big difference, even as eyesight gets worse (in my case).
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