I'm not sure how to say this, and I don't mean to offend anyone if I do... but could someone give me some advice on maybe jobs/careers that you have had good success with while being legally blind?
The reason I ask is that I am currently 36 and being legally blind is relatively new to me (past three years)
I am working with the state to get me back in the workforce. I don't have any family members with visual impairments or are legally blind, so I thought maybe I should reach out and ask the community for some direction/advice/hear some success stories.
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Thank you for taking the time to read, your feedback is much appreciated!
Iamheno7 points1y ago
What did you do before? What are you doing now? What interests do you have?
NeuroticNomad5 points1y ago
If you can post on Reddit (and read/respond to follow-ups) then you have enough skills to do many computer-based jobs like data entry, research and documentation, and chat support. If you can also talk on the phone and you have enough Google Search skills to fake your way out of low level MS-Excel spreadsheet speed bumps, then you have enough skills to do most modern office jobs.
The two biggest issues you will face will be 1. Getting to/from work and 2. Convincing the interviewer you can perform your duties.
For the first one, there many solutions to that problem . I move to apartments SUPER close to work and take advantage of shuttles, short walks on warm day, and Uber/Lyft. Now, "work form home" makes it a non-issue.
...and for the second - I've found that if you don't say anything until your start day about your vision issue, then you've already proven you can manage just fine with minimal accommodations.
While it's true I can't do all of the same jobs I used to do when fully sighted (delivery driver; on-set production assistant for film/TV, etc.), I have no problem staying employed. At my current job, people keep forgetting that I can't see because the job is all e-mail, zoom, Microsoft Teams, and web-based workflow solutions like Salesforce.
When contemplating your career path, Standard Rules apply. What you are interested in and/or already good at are great places to start.
You can do this by REALLY examining what you do for free. When we aren't paying attention, we're following our bliss, but it can also be our career if you search hard enough Whatever you do for free "to help a freind of your mom's" is usually a marketable skill.
Most people have trouble knowing what they want to be 'when they grow up' (even people near retirement age) without the extra wrinkle of disability.
Prep cook, auto mechanic, YouTube editor, tech support, office manager, department administrator, legal assistant / paralegal /.lawyer, security dispatch, insurance actuary, medical processing, marketing and demographics, psychology, teacher, video game UX (user experience) consultant...
Blind people do these jobs every day. The real question is: What do you WANT to do?
I hope you find your clarity.
Good luck, and remember to breathe.
\-NN
Note: I work in a technical part of the marketing/advertising industry because I'm a networking nerd with a film and writing background and my weird combination of copyright/trademark law, DNS configuration, and data management made me uniquely qualified for an emerging field. \*shrug\*
lookbeforeyou_____ [OP]1 points1y ago
Holy cow, thank you for taking the time to spell that all out for me. I really appreciate all of the advice you put in the message above and I will use that advice to help me make a better/more informed decision when that time comes. I hope you are having a great day today and thank you for the top notich effort to help me think outside the box!!
Dry_Director_53205 points1y ago
Working from home in a computer has been helpful to me. Can control a lot of your working conditions and no danger or other people to navigate around
EffectiveYak03 points1y ago
Before I lost my vision I was an attorney and then switched careers to work in tech. I think both tech and law work perfectly well with vision impairment especially now with so many work from home options.
bottlesnthrottles3 points1y ago
Starting my own business making pottery. It's what I went to college for. I used to do retail, customer service and social services prior.
codeplaysleep2 points1y ago
I'm a software engineer working for a remote company. One of my co-workers is also blind and he's our security analyst.
I used to do EMS dispatching and had a blind colleague who was a dispatcher for the state police.
I have another blind friend who is a writer.
DrillInstructorJan1 points1y ago
I know someone who's just started to qualify to do simultaneous interpretation. OK, she already spoke French, Spanish and English, but she's learning Arabic... some people have extra brains they have to carry around in a backpack but if you are into languages look at that maybe.
WorldlyLingonberry401 points1y ago
What's your higher education background? What are your past job experiences? I know mechanics, teachers, lawyers, massage therapists,, they lost their vision at a later age and were able to go back to their profession. They received rehab training on blindness core skills.
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