Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Jobs for visually impaired and discrimination (self.Blind)
submitted by kibblekatt
Hello,
To start, I am a sighted spouse. My husband who is visually impaired. Very little sight mostly gets around in public by sighted guide by me. Enough to play video games and he is able to use JAWS and NVDA for his PC.
With that being said, he currently has had a job since July with a company. They have transferred him plenty of times, and they will not give him JAWS for his work PC. They have been doing him dirty for a while now, he has not quit because he is getting paid good money but all he is doing is sitting around and listening. Unable to participate. He doesn’t complain about this since he IS getting paid. However, it’s the fact that today they kicked him out of a meeting because he didn’t have access to his work PC (since lack of JAWS they have been approved to buy for him by the way).
Essentially, we know this is discrimination but they’re not firing him. So they’re trying to get around the BS. But at the same time, it doesn’t feel reliable to either of us. (We will be taking legal action if this continues, 6 months is long enough!)
Do y’all know of any work from home jobs that could work for him? Mainly using a screen reader? Accessibly testing jobs do not want to hire him since he’s not certified in that.
To add, There is no public transportation in our town that is reliable. He did that in college and was many times hours late for his classes which caused him to fail (and lack of accessibility) and I’m the only one who can take him to and from work and I work a full time job that can possibly have me working long hours. It’s one of those “you get off when you get off” kind of jobs.
He will have the link to this thread to read what you guys say, he doesn’t really know how to use Reddit too much.
Thanks you guys. (:
To start, I am a sighted spouse. My husband who is visually impaired. Very little sight mostly gets around in public by sighted guide by me. Enough to play video games and he is able to use JAWS and NVDA for his PC.
With that being said, he currently has had a job since July with a company. They have transferred him plenty of times, and they will not give him JAWS for his work PC. They have been doing him dirty for a while now, he has not quit because he is getting paid good money but all he is doing is sitting around and listening. Unable to participate. He doesn’t complain about this since he IS getting paid. However, it’s the fact that today they kicked him out of a meeting because he didn’t have access to his work PC (since lack of JAWS they have been approved to buy for him by the way).
Essentially, we know this is discrimination but they’re not firing him. So they’re trying to get around the BS. But at the same time, it doesn’t feel reliable to either of us. (We will be taking legal action if this continues, 6 months is long enough!)
Do y’all know of any work from home jobs that could work for him? Mainly using a screen reader? Accessibly testing jobs do not want to hire him since he’s not certified in that.
To add, There is no public transportation in our town that is reliable. He did that in college and was many times hours late for his classes which caused him to fail (and lack of accessibility) and I’m the only one who can take him to and from work and I work a full time job that can possibly have me working long hours. It’s one of those “you get off when you get off” kind of jobs.
He will have the link to this thread to read what you guys say, he doesn’t really know how to use Reddit too much.
Thanks you guys. (:
CloudyBeep 13 points 1y ago
Discrimination lawyers would salivate at this case. I encourage you to get in contact with the National Federation of the Blind. Check out their past presidential reports to see their approach to discrimination—when they get involved in a case, there's metaphorical bloodshed.
kibblekatt [OP] 6 points 1y ago
Maybe it’s time to do this. I’ll talk to him about it again and try to give him a push. He doesn’t want to do this because of mental exhaustion and stuff. Which I understand. But these companies need to realize they’re not as good as they state in their orientations. Instead they’re just a bunch of POS.
oncenightvaler 9 points 1y ago
I had a really frustrating experience in August. I was looking forward to this interview for a position where I would be working customer service via the phone. (My good friend works for this company and had a fairly rapid advancement) So the interview goes great and I go to pick up technology from the company a few days later. When I walk in and talk to people their reaction was "Oh, you're blind...." I respond "Yes, I said so in my interview over the phone and in my application email." So they politely ask me what I'll need and I explain that it's just a piece of software that reads my screen. They say they will have to check back with their superiors, so far everything makes sense. Their superior emails me and says they will test software on my behalf and will see how well it works with their other program, and to give them two weeks. I follow up with them and they never give me a straight answer, just saying that they think that the program will be too slow, not understanding that I can adjust speed of speech. I don't know even, I was just very annoyed and think they should have given me training to see how well that went.
kibblekatt [OP] 2 points 1y ago
Ugh. I seriously hate how blind people are treated. I’m sorry you had to go through that. To add also— we have reached out to the state commission about this and they have just decided to close his case and don’t want to listen. I’m seriously close to fighting people over this kind of stuff. Y’all don’t deserve this kind of treatment!
oncenightvaler 2 points 1y ago
I am very sorry to hear that! Also, look up a company called Owlware, they have a course at my local college, (but it's also through Zoom) that's all about making technology accessible. So it's about how to build better web pages, better documents, transcribing and making videos and podcasts, as well as information about how to fight discrimination. It's my plan c currently if other jobs don't work out.
xmachinaxxx 1 points 1y ago
Wow. That sucks sorry! I’m hoping to work again soon with the help of vocational rehabilitation, and these kind of experiences are not making me very optimistic.
oncenightvaler 3 points 1y ago
Well, I am waiting on hearing from a recent interview I had on Christmas Eve, that I hope and think went well. And there's also a small chance I might work editing audio books for the Canadian Centre for Equitable Library Access.
MostlyBlindGamer 6 points 1y ago
Your husband should definitely pursue legal action. This kind of behavior needs to be so dramatically economically dangerous, so that companies will stop it. In a perfect world people would be good to each other, but things being the way they are, they can use a tough lesson.
As far as work a blind person can do from home, it really depends on your skills. Don't look for work that can be accommodated, instead look for remote positions that anybody else could apply to. Ideally, he wouldn't even mention his disability until the onboarding process.
Here are a few fields to consider: copy writing, editing, language services, like translation and localization, software development, sales, call center work, etc. In fact, he could start freelancing, while figuring things out with his current company.
When looking at job listings, it's always worth checking for a note on accommodating disabled workers. It could be virtue signaling, but it's always a good sign.
As far as certifications for accessibility testing, you can only get certified after a number of years in the industry. You can, however, get quality training for free, through $1. You'll want to know some HTML, CSS and JavaScript for some of the courses, but anybody can get a lot out of this training.
I'm also gonna let you in on a little secret: instead of having the company pay for JAWS, he can load up $1 on a USB drive for free and learn it at home.
Ultimately, you don't want to be working for a monster who resents you for winning in court, so I'd suggest the two pronged strategy of taking legal action and looking for a better job, at the same time.
One more thing: this is directed at you, not your wife. You can use Reddit. You can use your computer and your phone, you can go grocery shopping on your own, and you can use a white cane and get orientation and mobility training. Your wife sounds like a great lady and marriage is all about supporting each other, but I want you to take charge of this situation and all the other ones. We'll be here to welcome you with open arms, fight along side you and push the metaphorical darkness away, as independent equals, never as needy or helpless individuals.
As far as work a blind person can do from home, it really depends on your skills. Don't look for work that can be accommodated, instead look for remote positions that anybody else could apply to. Ideally, he wouldn't even mention his disability until the onboarding process.
Here are a few fields to consider: copy writing, editing, language services, like translation and localization, software development, sales, call center work, etc. In fact, he could start freelancing, while figuring things out with his current company.
When looking at job listings, it's always worth checking for a note on accommodating disabled workers. It could be virtue signaling, but it's always a good sign.
As far as certifications for accessibility testing, you can only get certified after a number of years in the industry. You can, however, get quality training for free, through $1. You'll want to know some HTML, CSS and JavaScript for some of the courses, but anybody can get a lot out of this training.
I'm also gonna let you in on a little secret: instead of having the company pay for JAWS, he can load up $1 on a USB drive for free and learn it at home.
Ultimately, you don't want to be working for a monster who resents you for winning in court, so I'd suggest the two pronged strategy of taking legal action and looking for a better job, at the same time.
One more thing: this is directed at you, not your wife. You can use Reddit. You can use your computer and your phone, you can go grocery shopping on your own, and you can use a white cane and get orientation and mobility training. Your wife sounds like a great lady and marriage is all about supporting each other, but I want you to take charge of this situation and all the other ones. We'll be here to welcome you with open arms, fight along side you and push the metaphorical darkness away, as independent equals, never as needy or helpless individuals.
kibblekatt [OP] 3 points 1y ago
I appreciate this. And he uses Reddit to scroll. But usually doesn’t post. He does the same thing with all social media. I did pass your words along to him though to make sure he would see it. Thank you (:
MostlyBlindGamer 3 points 1y ago
No problem. For what it's worth, it's easy to feel powerless and get stuck in a rut, in his position. Getting back as much independence as possible and getting out there (physically or otherwise) and doing stuff helps with that and with getting motivated and finding more self worth. It's also never a great idea to get your self worth from your job, by the way: that's just one part of your life and of your impact on the world.
And don't get me wrong, you're doing a good thing by fighting for him and with him. Literally everything is harder when you're disabled and fighting together is what relationships are all about.
And don't get me wrong, you're doing a good thing by fighting for him and with him. Literally everything is harder when you're disabled and fighting together is what relationships are all about.
kibblekatt [OP] 3 points 1y ago
I agree. He has advocated for me during doctors appointments. Sometimes it just takes someone there who wants what’s best for you instead of yourself because you are down in the dumps and depressed. We are great about advocating for each other. And we are stronger for it. (:
No-Satisfaction7842 3 points 1y ago
Assuming you are in the United States (please let me know if that’s not true), yes, this is still discrimination. It doesn’t require the person being terminated for it to be discrimination. Your husband is entitled to reasonable workplace accommodations under the Americans with disabilities act, and by all means, access to a screen reader so he can use his computer is like the textbook definition of a reasonable accommodation. I wouldn’t wait to take action if I were you. These companies need to be sent a clear signal that they can’t get away with this BS. Good luck
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