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36 episodes with job insights
2 episodes with job insights
2 episodes with job insights
In this inspiring episode of Bean There Done That, Phillip Di Bella sits down with Giorgina Venzin, a dynamic hospitality entrepreneur, to discuss her journey from washing dishes at age 13 to owning multiple successful cafes by her early 30s. Giorgina shares valuable insights into the hard work, sacrifices, and creative vision that fuel her success. From her first venture, Pawpaw Café, to her innovative approach of flipping cafes like houses, Giorgina's story reveals how passion, family support, and perseverance create the foundation for a thriving career in hospitality. Whether you're an aspiring business owner or simply love a good success story, this episode offers essential lessons in resilience, adaptability, and the importance of starting with strong foundations.Key Topics and Themes:Early Foundations: Giorgina's first job washing dishes at her father's restaurant and how it shaped her work ethic.Entrepreneurial Journey: The launch of Pawpaw Café and how Giorgina adapted her father's struggling venue into a profitable business.Learning on the Job: Insights into running lean operations, dealing with early challenges like customer reviews, and leveraging social media for growth.Creative Business Strategies: The innovative "cafe flipping" approach and how Giorgina expanded her business.Personal Growth: Giorgina's evolving definition of success, focusing on holistic work-life balance and personal fulfilment.Mentorship and Leadership: The importance of building a supportive team, mentoring the next generation, and staying true to her values.About Our Guest:Giorgina Venzin is a Brisbane-based hospitality entrepreneur and the owner of multiple successful cafes, including the well-known Pawpaw Café. Starting her career at age 13 washing dishes at her father's restaurant, Giorgina quickly developed a love for hospitality. Her innovative approach to business—flipping cafes like houses—has made her a respected figure in the industry. Giorgina is passionate about mentoring the next generation of leaders, fostering team culture, and maintaining a work-life balance that includes time for creativity and personal fulfilment.Key Takeaways:Start Early, Learn Everything: Giorgina's story underscores the importance of starting with humble beginnings and learning the ropes from the ground up.Adapt and Innovate: From flipping cafes to using social media to grow her brand, Giorgina demonstrates the value of being adaptable and creative in business.Mentorship Matters: Giorgina attributes much of her success to the mentorship and support of her father, and she now seeks to mentor her own staff.Stay Relevant: Giorgina stresses the need for continuous innovation, whether through menu changes or unique marketing strategies, to keep her businesses thriving.Work-Life Balance: A more holistic approach to success includes personal growth, health, and making time for family and friends.Links and Resources:Pawpaw CaféDarvella PatisserieThe Coffee CommuneTime-Stamped Key Points:00:00 – Introduction to Bean There Done That and guest Giorgina Venzin.01:40 – Giorgina's early days working at her father's restaurant at age 13.03:20 – The value of independence and the foundation of Giorgina's work ethic.05:20 – Pawpaw Café: How it all started and her father's role in enabling her first venture.07:20 – Managing early challenges: Running lean, dealing with customer feedback, and growing the brand through social media.09:40 – Expanding the business: Giorgina's journey to owning multiple cafes.11:40 – Creativity in cafe flipping: The adrenaline behind the expansion.13:00 – The importance of building unique identities for each venue and staying relevant.16:20 – Building emotional engagement with customers and staff through storytelling.18:40 – The value of hospitality as a foundational career, especially for young people.22:00 – Giorgina's personal approach to leadership, mentoring staff, and fostering a positive work culture.25:20 – Future vision: Training staff, creating a long-term impact, and possibly shifting to an educator role.Don't miss out on this episode filled with invaluable lessons from Giorgina Venzin. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur or simply curious about the inner workings of successful cafes, this conversation offers rich insights. Produced by The Podcast Boss.
In dieser Folge tauchen wir ein in die Welt eines der größten Gaming-Technologiekonzerne der Welt - der NOVOMATIC AG. Mit einem beeindruckenden Umsatz von rund 3,2 Milliarden Euro im Jahr 2023 hat das 1980 gegründete Unternehmen einen festen Platz an der Spitze der Gaming-Branche. Von seinem Hauptsitz in Österreich aus erstreckt sich der Einfluss des Konzerns über Standorte in rund 50 Ländern und exportiert hochmoderne Gaming-Technologie in mehr als 120 Staaten. Petra Freydorfer (Head of HR Business Partner & Employer Branding) und Antonio Cvitan ( HR Business Partner ) geben uns spannende Einblicke in das Unternehmen und zeigen uns warum es sich lohnt Teil des NOVOMATIC Teams zu werden! Wir erhalten interessante Job-Insights, Informationen zu Karrieremöglichkeiten und Weiterbildungsmaßnahmen sowie einen genauen Überblick über die Benefits und den Bewerbungsprozess bei NOVOMATIC! Du möchtest mehr über die Karrieremöglichkeiten bei NOVOMATIC erfahren? bit.ly/NOVOMATIC-Karriere Alles über AdOnly www.adonly.at
Welcome back to Expats in Netherland! I hope you've had a chance to digest all the insights from Part 1. Now, in Part 2, we're diving even deeper with Charlotte, professional career coach, and Skyla, behavioral neuroscientist into the world of job hunting in the Netherlands. Without further ado, let's pick up where we left off… YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7_EOjp5I47Sq629kNdF6kQ Do you want to contact Charlotte for Career Coaching? Visit: https://intussentijd.com/en/home-english/ Questions or Suggestions? Send us an email: expatsinnetherlands@gmail.com Or DM us on Instagram @expatsinnetherlands --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/expats-in-netherlands/message
In today's episode Charlotte, Dutch professional career coach, and Skyla, American behavioural neuroscientist. Together, they're here to share invaluable insights on how to land your dream job in the Netherlands. Our discussion is so packed with valuable information that we've split it into a two-part episode. Don't forget to subscribe to our channel and hit the notification bell so you won't miss out on Part 2. Video podcast on YouTube
In today's episode, I have the pleasure of inviting Faiza Siddiqui. Faiza Siddiqui ranks among the top 10% of restaurant reviewers on Google with 5 million photo views. She recently delivered a talk at ILMA University in Karachi on the topic 'Becoming an Influencer.' She also introduced her digital product, titled 'The Ultimate Guide to Embark on Your Influencer Journey.Don't miss this golden opportunity to learn, grow, and get inspired! Connect with Faiza Siddiqui on her social media platforms:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wynd.online/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wynd.onlineTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wynd.onlineLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wynd1/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/WhatsYourNextDestinationWebsite: https://wynd.online/ The Podcast is available in the following locations: Anchor FM: https://anchor.fm/anees-merchant Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7J60vbVgw8vaLs05x4gYj3 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/masters-decoded/id1497451286 Google: https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8xMzZiN2EwYy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw%3D%3D Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2873effc-3ea4-4123-b823-044ca31387bd/Masters-Decoded Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/masters-decoded Breaker: https://www.breaker.audio/masters-decoded Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1497451286/masters-decoded Pocket Cast: https://pca.st/f2isa733 Radio Public: https://radiopublic.com/masters-decoded-Gb497N IHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-masters-decoded-59418392
Von Trüffelschwein-Gen bis zu einer gehörigen Portion Strukturiertheit und Organisationstalent: Der Job von Festival-Booker*innen ist vielfältig. Wir haben mit Ariane Mohr, Bookerin für das Reeperbahn Festival über ihre spannende Arbeit gesprochen, erfahren, welche Acts ihr besonders im Gedächtnis geblieben sind und warum es beim Booking schon lange nicht mehr nur auf die Musik ankommt.
The Pre Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) Team helps students between the ages of 14 and 21 build confidence, explore career possibilities, and expand horizons of opportunities. You will get to know 3 new Pre-ETS counselors, Deanna , Sam and Kate. You will get a sense of how excited they are about your future and offering resources to help you achieve your dreams. Full Transcript Check out SSB on the web at: https://mn.gov/deed/ssb/ Read the Latest Issue of The Spectacle from SSB: The Spectacle is our newsletter for families, teachers, and students.. Listen to our most recently released podcasts: In this episode of Job Insights we talk about job readiness, confidence, accepting one's blindness and how these play an important role in one's job and career search. College101: 3 Unique Perspectives, 3 Unique Journeys, Sharing their Unique Experiences from Their College Success Sarlie Drakos – Disability Employment Coach: Helping people get past their limiting beliefs and get their dream jobs Thanks for listening! Episode Web Site we would love to hear from you! Send us an email at info@BlindAbilities.com or give us a call and leave us some feedback at 612-367-6093
In this episode of Job Insights Serina Gilbert, Sarlie Drakos, Dacia Vanalstine and Jeff Thompson talk about your presence on Social Media platforms and how your profile, your presence can influence job recruiters, potential employers, and decision makers during the job interview process. How to clean up your past and build a purposeful and positive presence on social media that may help you land that job you are seeking. Resources What is LinkedIn? the Job Insights team shares their knowledge and experience to help you succeed and prepare for the job interview and help you set a pathway to the career you want. Be sure to contact your Vocational Rehabilitation Services in your state and see what they can do for you. Sarlie Drakos is a Disability Employment Coach and you can reach her at SarlieDrakos.com and inquire how she can help you land that dream job. Be sure to check out all of our Job Insights episodes and give us a call at 612-367-6093, we would love to hear from you. Send us an email at info@BlindAbilities.com or give us a call at 612-367-6093. Thanks for listening! Episode Web Site we would love to hear from you! Send us an email at info@BlindAbilities.com or give us a call and leave us some feedback at 612-367-6093
In this episode of Job Insights Sarlie Drakos, Dacia Vanalstine and Jeff Thompson talk about following-up after a job interview and dive into the "white elephant" in the room, If, When, why and how to, if one decides to, disclose a disability during the job interview process. the Job Insights team shares their knowledge and experience to help you succeed and prepare for the job interview. Be sure to contact your Vocational Rehabilitation Services in your state and see what they can do for you. Sarlie Drakos is a Disability Employment Coach and you can reach her at SarlieDrakos.com and inquire how she can help you land that dream job. Be sure to check out all of our Job Insights episodes and give us a call at 612-367-6093, we would love to hear from you. Send us an email at info@BlindAbilities.com or give us a call at 612-367-6093. Thanks for listening! Episode Web Site we would love to hear from you! Send us an email at info@BlindAbilities.com or give us a call and leave us some feedback at 612-367-6093
In this episode of Job Insights Sarlie Drakos, Dacia Vanalstine and Jeff Thompson talk about preparing for the job interview. How quality preparation will build the confidence one needs to succeed in putting their best interview forward. From research, logistics, Mock interviews, Zoom and Teams technology, to dress and attire, the Job Insights team shares their knowledge and experience to help you succeed and prepare for the job interview. Be sure to contact your Vocational Rehabilitation Services in your state and see what they can do for you. Sarlie Drakos is a Disability Employment Coach and you can reach her at SarlieDrakos.com and inquire how she can help you land that dream job. Be sure to check out all of our Job Insights episodes and give us a call at 612-367-6093, we would love to hear from you. Send us an email at info@BlindAbilities.com or give us a call at 612-367-6093. Thanks for listening! Contact Your State Services If you reside in Minnesota, and you would like to know more about Transition Services from State Services contact Pre-ETS Program and Transition Services Manager Sheila Koenig by email or contact her via phone at 651-539-2361. Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Storeand Google Play Store. Check out the Blind Abilities Community on Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, and the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impaired
In this episode of Job Insights Serina Gilbert, Sarlie Drakos and Jeff Thompson will talk about how the Résumé is an important role in one's job and career search. The résumé is designed for companies to select the best of the best applicants and having an effective résumé will increase ones opportunities for gainful employment. Sarlie Drakos is a Disability Employment Coach and you can reach her at SarlieDrakos.com and inquire how she can help you land that dream job. Be sure to contact your Vocational Rehabilitation Services in your state and see what they can do for you. Be sure to check out all of our Job Insights episodes and give us a call at 612-367-6093, we would love to hear from you. Send us an email at info@BlindAbilities.com. Thanks for listening! Episode Web Site we would love to hear from you! Send us an email at info@BlindAbilities.com or give us a call and leave us some feedback at 612-367-6093
In this brief episode from Blind Abilities, Jeff Thompson takes a look at the Sony WH- 1000XM4 Noise Canceling, Dual Pairing, Alexa ready Headphones he bought during the Amazon Prime Day sale. Right now you can get them refurbished for massive discounts as well. Jeff gives an overview of the Blind Abilities Podcast and where they are and what you can find in the Blind Abilities 880 plus episodes. This includes the Tech Abilities and Job Insights shows, the iPhone101/QuickBytesSeries, Success Stories, STEM, College and Careers and much more available from the Blind Abilities library of episodes. You can search and check out the category listings on the web at BlindAbilities.com. Subscribe to the Blind Abilities podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. That's 2 words, Blind Abilities. we would love to hear from you! Send us an email or give us a call and leave us some feedback at 612-367-6093 Thanks for listening!
In this Job Insights episode, Serina Gilbert and jeff Thompson welcome Sarlie Drakos to the Job Insights Team. We are excited to have Sarlie on our team and excited to bring back the Job Insights show after a 2 year hiatus during the pandemic. In this episode of Job Insights we will talk about how accepting ones Blindness, job readiness and confidence can play an important role in one's job and career search. The interviewing process is designed for companies to select the best of the best applicants and being prepared will increase ones opportunities for gainful employment. Sarlie Drakos is a Disability Employment Coach and you can reach her at SarlieDrakos.com and inquire how she can help you land that dream job. Be sure to contact your Vocational Rehabilitation Services in your state and see what they can do for you. Be sure to check out all of our Job Insights episodes and give us a call at 612-367-6093, we would love to hear from you. Send us an email at info@BlindAbilities.com. Thanks for listening! Read more we would love to hear from you! Send us an email at info@BlindAbilities.com or give us a call and leave us some feedback at 612-367-6093
Blind Abilities welcomes back to the podcast, Beth Gustin, licensed professional counselor, a nationally certified mental health counselor, to speak about the impact that the prolonged pandemic is having on our mental health. Beth was a guest on the Job Insights podcast show back in October 2018 where she spoke about mental health and job searching with Jeff and Serina. Beth addresses the stress imposed by restricted access to our favorite places, such as coffee shops and other activities, and more importantly, the isolation we experience by not enjoying the availability of our social connections, friends and family. This can easily cause anxiety, anger and even depression. Be sure to listen as Beth offers multiple ways to relieve these symptoms and to find a much needed respite from the pressure caused by these stressors. Beth also suggests that one can seek out professional help if one feels down during the pandemic, offering a resource where one can find a therapist or other mental health professional, at typing in a zip code and querying for whatever kind of issue they wish to address, such as anxiety, depression or loss. If one is outside the US, they can use Google to search for “"need a therapist” and type in their country, etc. Beth is also embarking on a new business venture in the not too distant future, called, “Breaking Down Barriers with Beth", a two-fold concern to include training and consulting for businesses to familiarize them with proper disability etiquette such as how to relate to customers with disabilities and to increase awareness of “implicit bias”, a concept which holds that we all have preconceived notions about people, or groups which we need to better understand. She also hopes to start a podcast in which she speaks with folks in an effort to educate and familiarize non-disabled people with what it is like to live with a disability. We wish Beth the best in this endeavor and encourage all of you to do whatever is necessary to not only persevere through this pandemic, but to thrive. You can find out more about Beth and her professional activities on her web site, Transitioning Through Change. Send her an email at Beth@TransitioningThroughChange.com. Check out her Facebook Page, TransitioningThroughChange. Contact Your State Services If you reside in Minnesota, and you would like to know more about Transition Services from State Services contact Transition Coordinator Sheila Koenig by email or contact her via phone at 651-539-2361. Contact: You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Storeand Google Play Store. Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, and the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impaired group
Full Transcript Show Summary: Business Relations Specialist, Pam Gowan, has worked at State Services for over 45 years and with retirement just around the corner. Lisa larges, Outreach Coordinater at SSB, sat down with Pam to talk about Pam’s history at SSB and walk through the process a customer/client would experience or expect when a counselor enlist the services of an employment specialist such as Pam Gowan. With October being National Disability Employment Awareness month, we thought Pam would be the one who could best talk about preparing for the workforce and Pam does a great job. Not only working with individuals to help them with the job search and application process, Pam works with businesses and employers to educate them about the possibilities and abilities of the Blind and Visually Impaired. Pam has seen a lot of changes evolve over her 45 year career and shares with us some memorable moments. She also gives us some great tips and suggestions for job seeking and putting your best self forward. Contact Your State Services If you reside in Minnesota, and you would like to know more about Transition Services from State Services contact Transition Coordinator Sheila Koenig by email or contact her via phone at 651-539-2361. To find your State Services in your State you can go to www.AFB.org and search the directory for your agency. Contact: Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Storeand Google Play Store. Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impairedand the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
Serina, Brian and Jeff with some cameos from Marlon, went into the studio for far too long and it begs me to question if it is the pain or the joy of podcasting that drives them to do what they do. Brian even upped his game with a new microphone. And stay tuned for a headset burning later this fall. Serina pitches her view of a Dominos Pizza in the Supreme style in court. Brian slightly, just slightly, sweetens up his view of the world and actually is now purchasing old movies with audio description legally! An Orcam overview with Monty from Orcam. A look at the Apple Card sign up process and when you do get the card in the mail. Do not toss the card packaging that contains your card. It is needed to activate your new Apple Card. Why are people upset about Aira giving everybody 5 minutes free? How do you slice up the Dominos debate with accessibility? Have you ever thought about losing your Air Pods? Some actually dream about it! Apple TV is coming and it’s nearly $10 a month. Hmm. Do you have a mid-2015 MacBookPro waiting to blow up? Jeff is returning his for the fix. Smart Speakers listening to us? Is the VERSE going to revolutionize deep smart speaker navigation on web sites? Job Insights co-hosts talk about Back to School and Back to Work. Fantasy Football from Yahoo is accessible and working great for the Blind Abilities Football league, Yahoo! A huge awkward shout out to the Islands and some senior excitement about TBTS! Jeff once again saves the day with the editing magic whilst his so called partners tap their fingers anticipating how well they will sound. It is all about them and Jeff is dearly underpaid, on acknowledged and under respected. Ok, surely as I write this, I am tired and have had Brian and Serina plus Marlon in my head for too long. They are great people to have as friends and although you may think Serina just took over these show notes, actually, it is a lot of fun with this crew. Join the TBTS team for this drawn out long, oops, this very intensively resourceful look at tech, the industry, and what the heck is happening and affecting the world from a blindness perspective. Here are some links from the show: Mangotek Apple Watch Stand Wireless Chargerfor iPhone and iWatch, 4 in 1 Phone Charging Station with Lightning Connector and USB Port for iPhone 8/X/XR/7/6 and iWatch Series 4/3/2/1 MFi Certified Are you having stress dreams about losing your Air Pods? If so, you are not alone! Apple 11 Event Set for Sept. 10th. Do you care? Apple TV Plus rumored to cost $9.99 a month How does TSA know what Mac Book model people have? Siri, A Lady, Facebook listening to us but what about dictation? Dominoes petitions the Supreme Court to over rule that their website must be accessible to the Blind. New tool aims to make web searching friendlier to the blind What would happen if the whole internet shut down Contact Thank you for listening. Send us Feedback via email Follow us on Twitter @BlindTechShow That Blind Tech Show is produced in part with Blind Abilities Network You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store
Serina, Brian and Jeff with some cameos from Marlon, went into the studio for far too long and it begs me to question if it is the pain or the joy of podcasting that drives them to do what they do. Brian even upped his game with a new microphone. And stay tuned for a headset burning later this fall. Serina pitches her view of a Dominos Pizza in the Supreme style in court. Brian slightly, just slightly, sweetens up his view of the world and actually is now purchasing old movies with audio description legally! An Orcam overview with Monty from Orcam. A look at the Apple Card sign up process and when you do get the card in the mail. Do not toss the card packaging that contains your card. It is needed to activate your new Apple Card. Why are people upset about Aira giving everybody 5 minutes free? How do you slice up the Dominos debate with accessibility? Have you ever thought about losing your Air Pods? Some actually dream about it! Apple TV is coming and it’s nearly $10 a month. Hmm. Do you have a mid-2015 MacBookPro waiting to blow up? Jeff is returning his for the fix. Smart Speakers listening to us? Is the VERSE going to revolutionize deep smart speaker navigation on web sites? Job Insights co-hosts talk about Back to School and Back to Work. Fantasy Football from Yahoo is accessible and working great for the Blind Abilities Football league, Yahoo! A huge awkward shout out to the Islands and some senior excitement about TBTS! Jeff once again saves the day with the editing magic whilst his so called partners tap their fingers anticipating how well they will sound. It is all about them and Jeff is dearly underpaid, on acknowledged and under respected. Ok, surely as I write this, I am tired and have had Brian and Serina plus Marlon in my head for too long. They are great people to have as friends and although you may think Serina just took over these show notes, actually, it is a lot of fun with this crew. Join the TBTS team for this drawn out long, oops, this very intensively resourceful look at tech, the industry, and what the heck is happening and affecting the world from a blindness perspective. Here are some links from the show: Mangotek Apple Watch Stand Wireless Chargerfor iPhone and iWatch, 4 in 1 Phone Charging Station with Lightning Connector and USB Port for iPhone 8/X/XR/7/6 and iWatch Series 4/3/2/1 MFi Certified Are you having stress dreams about losing your Air Pods? If so, you are not alone! Apple 11 Event Set for Sept. 10th. Do you care? Apple TV Plus rumored to cost $9.99 a month How does TSA know what Mac Book model people have? Siri, A Lady, Facebook listening to us but what about dictation? Dominoes petitions the Supreme Court to over rule that their website must be accessible to the Blind. New tool aims to make web searching friendlier to the blind What would happen if the whole internet shut down Contact Thank you for listening. Send us Feedback via email Follow us on Twitter @BlindTechShow That Blind Tech Show is produced in part with Blind Abilities Network You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store
Serina Gilbert and Jeff Thompson once again join forces in the Blind Abilities Studio to bring you the latest Job Insights podcast, Working From Home. By popular demand our followers and members of the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impaired Facebook Group have been asking about working from home and the resources available in the job market. Serina and Jeff give an overview of the environment of working from home and what expectations one may find when considering working from home. Serina gives us some resources that will assist one looking for employment and looking for flexible job opportunities. Flex Jobsis a resource that one can subscribe to and search for jobs that are flexible in hours and offer remote working opportunities. Glass Dooris a resource for job seekers to find more information about a job and an inside look at the working environment of the company itself. Join Serina and Jeff in this comprehensive look at working from home. If you have ideas and thoughts that you want to share with us and the listeners, be sure to drop us a line at info@BlindAbilities.com ***** Contact Your State Services If you reside in Minnesota, and you would like to know more about Transition Services from State Services contact Transition Coordinator Sheila Koenig by email or contact her via phone at 651-539-2361. To find your State Services in your State you can go to www.AFB.org and search the directory for your agency. Contact: Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Storeand Google Play Store. Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impairedand the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
Show Summary: NCSAB Keynote speaker: Paul Schroeder, Director, Public Policy & Strategic Alliances at Aira Tech Corporation,and spent over 22 years at American Foundation for the Blindin charge of Programs and Policy and Government Relations and more. Paul was asked to speak before the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind in Washington D.C. Paul spoke about his schooling, his training challenges with limited expectations and how together we can all make a positive impact on enhancing the opportunities for future generations and today as well. Join Paul in this lunch hour speech as State Agency Directors, Policy Specialist, Officials from RSA, the Department of Education listen on. And yes, grab a snack because this is an Academic Luncheon Speech event. Blind abilities NCSAB coverage is sponsored in part by Be My Eyes. Be My Eyes is a free app that connects blind and low-vision people with sighted volunteers and company representatives for visual assistance through a live video call. Download for iOS Download for Android Contact: Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store.
FUll Transcript Below Show Summary: Serina Gilbert is always coming across great stories and this one from Erin and Bob at White Cane Coffee is as good as it gets. Taking a Bad Day and transferring that into the launching of a new company, Erin and Bob, a daughter and son team, tell us why they wanted to start White Cane Coffee and how they want to impact others with the opportunity through the affiliate program coming soon. You can check out the line of White Cane Coffee on the web at www.WhiteCaneCoffee.comand find the coffee that best suits you. Here is an overview of White Cane Coffee taken from the web: Hi, I’m Erin from White Cane Coffee. I, with the help of my parents, started this company to provide great coffee to our customers and provide self sustaining jobs for people with disabilities. We have a variety of coffee roasts for your enjoyment. Colombian Supremo is sweet, smooth and bold. We also have a Colombian Supremo Decaf which gives you all the same great flavor without all the caffeine. But, if you want that caffeine boost, try our High Octane. Our Donut Shop blend gives you that fruity, clean taste you expect to find in your neighborhood pastry shop. If you like a bold, earthy cup of joe, try our Dark Roast, it is roasted from 100% Indonesian Sumatra beans. French Roast gives you that rich, robust flavor you may crave. Or if you prefer a Breakfast Blend, ours will give you that tangy, fruity flavor you will love. All of our beans are organic and micro-roasted, using hot air to give you the very best quality and flavor. There is nothing worse than waking up in the morning and discovering you are out of coffee. (I shudder at the mere thought of it). So, that is why we offer a subscription service so you can receive your favorite White Cane Coffee right on your door step every month. If you make your subscription for a full year, we will cover your shipping. You will also notice that, other than our sample box, (which I highly recommend so you find the right blend for you), our coffee arrives in 1 pound and 2 pound packages. You will actually get what you expect you are paying for. Now a bit about White Cane Coffee, and why we standout. The reason I wanted to start White Cane Coffee is because, number one, “Who doesn’t love coffee.”. But most importantly, my brothers and I are all on the Autism Spectrum and I am also blind. We have found that finding jobs extremely difficult. In our experience, employers didn’t want to provide full time or a living wages to handicapped individuals. Or because of bullying on the job site staying at some jobs unbearable. So, at 22, I started to ask, “When you have the right people around you, the question stops being, What can I do? but What’s stopping me”. So here we are. Our goal is to provide a welcoming environment to all people and provide jobs to the handicapped community at a living wage. Most of all, we want to provide you with a Great cup of coffee! Check out this episode of Job Insights and send us your feedback and topic suggestions by email. Follow the Job Insights team on twitter @JobInsightsVIP Job Insights is part of the Blind Abilities network. Contact: Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Full Transcript Jeff Thompson: I saw one on there that was called the high octane. Bob: Yeah, that one's double the caffeine, double have fun. Serena Gilbert: Do not ship that one to Jeff. Jeff Thompson: Job Insights, a podcast to help you carve out your career pathway and enhance the opportunities for gainful employment. Serena Gilbert: I saw a post from White Cane Coffee, and I was intrigued because the name, I think it's like a super awesome name for a company. Jeff Thompson: Learn about resources for training, education and employment opportunities. Erin: I swear, the excitement for me is just constant, because again, I'm just branching out on new things, I'm meeting with people in the community, I'm on podcast now. There's always new things that we're doing, so one part of it may not be as flashy or exciting as it was, but there's a new part that's brand sparkling new and just like, yeah. Jeff Thompson: You will hear from people seeking careers, employment from professionals in the educational field, teachers, and innovators in this ever changing world of technology. Speaker 5: That's an easy one to remember, because everyone knows the white game, everyone loves coffee and.com there you go. Jeff Thompson: For more podcasts with the blindness perspective, check us out on the web at www.blindabilities.com, on Twitter @BlindAbilities and download our free Blind Abilities App from the APP store, that's two words, blind abilities. Now please welcome Serena Gilbert and Jeff Thompson with Job Insights. Erin: If they do find work, it's for absolutely a pittance amount of money, so we're just like, let's employ them and pay them fairly. Jeff Thompson: Welcome to the Job Insights. I'm Jeff Thompson and with me is Serena Gilbert. How are you doing Serena? Serena Gilbert: I am doing absolutely fantastic, Jeff, how are you? Jeff Thompson: I'm doing good. You came across a great company on Facebook and invited them on. Tell us a little bit about it. Serena Gilbert: I was scrolling through Facebook like I do for, I don't even know how many hours a day at this point, and I saw a post from White Cane Coffee and I was intrigued because, well of course, first the name, I think it's like a super awesome name for a company, and secondly, what their mission was and how they started a company to be able to have nice jobs for individuals with disabilities to be able to be a little bit more self-sustaining. I really, really liked that idea. Jeff Thompson: Entrepreneurship right there. I like it. Serena Gilbert: Of course. Jeff Thompson: Well we got them here in the studio. Let's welcome. Erin and Bob from White Cane Coffee. How are you guys doing? Erin: We're doing well. Bob: Doing wonderful, glad to be here. Jeff Thompson: Well, thank you for taking the time, coming on to Job Insights. It's exciting, it's exciting. I read Erin's article on Facebook and yeah, I really liked it. Bang, here we are. Let's start it out by what got you started with White Cane Coffee? Erin: Well, honestly it started with me having a bad day, and so just it's hard when you're disabled and trying to find a job and just, it's frustrating. When I'm frustrated like that, me and my dad will play games, like we'll create [inaudible] or in this case we were just like, if you had x amount of money, what would you do to grow it? And so one day we started with a coffee company and then we just kept talking about this coffee company just like, well, what would you do with this, or what would you do with that? It's just like, well, why not hire people with disabilities for one thing, and just it kept growing until eventually were just like, Oh, we're actually doing this, aren't we? Bob: Yeah. That was about six months ago, and so then it was just doing research, figuring out exactly what it was going to take to create this coffee company. And so that meant we needed an accountant, we needed an attorney, we needed to figure out how we were going to get our coffee roasted, packaging, getting the shipping, getting the website up. It became a creature unto itself, but the best part was we had fun doing it and right now, I mean, the response we're getting, even from our local community, they love our coffee. We did a couple of hundred sample bags or whatever, and we just gave them out to everyone, and everyone said, "Oh isn't that [inaudible]." Bob: And then they called back and said, "You know, that was really good coffee. I need more." Bob: Now every time we turn around, somebody's calling us up saying, "We need more." That's our whole thing is getting the word out, letting people know we have great coffee. Serena Gilbert: That's fantastic, Bob, and I know you have kind of a unique business model. Do you want to share with us some of the services that customers can receive from your coffee business? Bob: The key is, they can go online at whitecanecoffee.com, and one of the first things that shows up, the first item there is a sample box because people always say, what is your best coffee? Well, they're all great, so it all depends on the customer. We suggest to them, order up the sample box, try them all, find the one that fits your likes, then order whether it's subscription or it's a [inaudible], whatever the case may be, but we want them to find the one they like the best. That's really our model, that in a nutshell is our coffee is roasted fresh for them. Most coffees that you get, say at a grocery store and some of the big names that I'm not going to mention but we all know who they are, those sit in a warehouse for up to a year before they even get to the store. We like our coffee what, how old Erin? Erin: About a week fresh, so from the time we package that to the point where it gets to your door, it's only about a week old, so you know you're going to get the freshest cup of coffee that you are able to have. Jeff Thompson: I couldn't help it but I saw one on there that was called high octane. Bob: Yeah, that one's double the caffeine, double the fun. Serena Gilbert: Do not ship that one too Jeff, Oh my goodness. Bob: Don't ship that one. That one is actually very popular, especially the people work like third shifts or you know- Erin: The mid night hour [inaudible]. Bob: They're the ones who order it and they go, the flavor's great [inaudible] and we're awake. And I said, well that's pretty much what it does. Erin: [inaudible] through testing. Bob: Yeah, that one was hard. Jeff Thompson: You mentioned earlier you had a tough three weeks of testing coffee and that must've been fun, because none of these go out without you guys knowing what exactly you're selling. Erin: Exactly. Bob: Exactly, that's I mean each time ... We roaster whatever, we sample it. It doesn't just like oh it's good enough. The good enough is never good enough. The product has to be right every time it goes out, because that's our reputation that's on the line here. We're not some huge mega corporation where you get a bad pot of coffee and lose a customer they go, eh. With us, that doesn't work that way. Every customer needs to be happy. Jeff Thompson: And they can find this at whitecanecoffee.com. Bob: Correct. Erin: Yup. Jeff Thompson: That's an easy one to remember, because knows the White Cane, everyone loves coffee and .com, there you go. Bob: That was even our reasoning of naming the company and with our logo, with the young girl, with the white cane, we want people to know exactly who we are, when they see our logo, they know. Erin: It was [inaudible] a blind disabled person or blind disabled people, people and just disabled people, and people, people. Jeff Thompson: People, people. I like it. Bob: But that was it. We want people to know exactly who we are and what we're about, the transparency, I guess is the new buzzword that everybody uses, but that is important. They need to know who we are. When they go on our Facebook page or whatever, and even once the about page is done finally on the website, there's a picture of Erin right there. She is the face of our company, this is her baby. There's no big corporate board room back here where everybody's hanging out. Jeff Thompson: Yeah. Erin: Home grown. Jeff Thompson: It's amazing the way you can start by just having a bad day, right Erin? Erin: I know. Bob: Isn't that how all the great companies have started though, is somebody sitting around saying there's a problem and then eventually somebody says, Hey, I think we can fix it. Jeff Thompson: Solution based, there you go. Serena Gilbert: Well, I understand that you guys employ a few individuals that also have disabilities. Is that correct? Erin: Yes. Bob: Yes. Serena Gilbert: Tell us a little bit about what made you design your business in that way? Erin: Well, if I was having trouble finding a job for my disability, and there is a huge population in our town of disabled people on who just cannot find work, or if they do find work, it's for absolutely a pittance amount of money, so we're just like, let's employ them and pay them fairly. Jeff Thompson: I like that. Bob: We're all about living wage. People sit in and say, well, like I said, you know, if you have a sheltered workshop, there's no bottom to how much they can pay their employees. Like ours, we have one here nearby and they pay about a dollar, dollar 10 an hour is what they pay their employees. You can't live on that. And second of all, with social security at 750 a month, I think it is, you can't live on that. I mean, you can't pay rent, you can't pay utilities, you can't do anything. They're all into survival mode. Well, there's more to life than just survival mode. We want people to have a decent wage, so at the end of the week they can pay all their bills and you know what, there's still some money left-over to do what they want to do and have some fun. Jeff Thompson: And buy some coffee. Bob: Buy more. Jeff Thompson: There you go. Serena Gilbert: Very smart business model there. Bob: That's what it really was all about. Not only have we found work for Erin and her brothers now, but we're finding work for people who are just like her because that's what you're supposed to do. Jeff Thompson: Erin, on your picture on Facebook, you do have a cane here wearing sunglasses, so you are blind? Erin: Correct. I only have 5% of my vision left. Jeff Thompson: When did that start? Erin: I started to lose my vision when I was about 15. Jeff Thompson: Did it affect you in how you did your education at school? Erin: Yes actually. I had to, with assistance, essence basically people reading me the questions on the test. I graduated high school at 15. Serena Gilbert: Look at that, wow. That's not an easy accomplishment. That's awesome, Erin. Erin: Thank you. Serena Gilbert: Yeah, I could not imagine. Jeff Thompson: That's awesome for anybody. Serena Gilbert: Yeah, it's a big deal. Jeff Thompson: Wow. Bob: Well, Erin was in the gifted program when she was in school, and so it wasn't much of a challenge for the school just to allow her basically to test out. It was interesting and it's like, okay, here's all the subjects you can pass everything, you can graduate and she did. Erin: Through the first try and they're just like, yeah, okay, that's fair. Bob: She had her diploma and we moved on. Jeff Thompson: There you go. You might want to give that college thing a try, that might be a piece of cake too. Bob: Someday. Jeff Thompson: There you go. Bob: But right now, like I said, we're challenged in what we're doing and I think right now as this company is growing here, this is going to keep her busy for many, many years to come. Jeff Thompson: That's great. Erin: We're hoping the best for this. Jeff Thompson: It's nice to have a challenge, and to challenge yourself and that's what we all kind of look for, is to accept the challenges and it keeps you waking up in the morning with a good cup of coffee, that helps too, right Serena? Serena Gilbert: Of course. Now if you guys start shipping out hot chocolate I'm in, because I'm not much of a coffee drinker because it makes me completely stay up for days. But some hot chocolate, I'll be totally about it. Erin: [inaudible] considered it yet, but maybe in the distant future, we're thinking maybe hot chocolate or teas or something like that, but for right now we're strictly coffee. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, I'm sorry, I didn't know she wasn't a coffee drinker. I would've got someone else to come on the podcast, sorry Bob. Serena Gilbert: Oh Jeff. Bob: On of the other things we are trying to do here is, hopefully within the next week is we are setting up affiliate programs so that other people who are blind and disabled all across the country can also be a part of this company, because we would love to see White Cane Coffee basically in every town, business, home across this nation. I want people, no matter where they go, they're going to see White Cane Coffee on Facebook, on Instagram, Twitter. That's the name of this game here. We have a great product, and we want to be able to share that with everyone in the United States, and we also want people to be able to earn a living as affiliates across the country, because let's face it, people like Erin and you guys or whatever all over, and so that the name of the game is let's create as many jobs as we can. Bob: People who will be able to sign up as affiliates on the website and what will happen is, they'll be given basically their own code that'll go on the end of whitecanecoffee.com, it'll be like, let's say in Jeff's case it might be whitecanecoffee.com/Jeff. Now Jeff's going to sit there and say, hey, all my friends, guess what? White Cane Coffee, great stuff, give it a shot. Here's their email address, and it'll be that one there. Any sales that those make, Jeff would then get a commission on. Does that make sense? Serena Gilbert: Yeah. I think that's awesome that you're building that, because a lot of the big company, like obviously Amazon, they have an affiliate program, target all kinds of places. I think it's great that you're seizing that opportunity to allow some of our audience to be able to have some fairly passive income coming in with being able to share their affiliate links and things like that. That's very unique to small businesses and I like that. Bob: Yeah, because we all have our own networks. I have my friends who are on Facebook and on Twitter and everything like that. You have your friends and acquaintances and business contacts on yours and Jeff does. We all have these little things, that's why they call it the web. The more that web over it goes on each other, then guess what? That's when the company grows. Erin: This way, we're not just helping our towns own disabled group, we're helping other towns and the State disabled groups. Jeff Thompson: Oh, that's great. I like that idea. It gives me something, you know, I never wanted to do an Avon, Mary Kay or stuff like that, Tupperware. Now I can do White Cane Coffee. Serena Gilbert: But just this morning, Jeff, you were giving me some makeup tips, so I don't know. Bob: That's one of the things that people always, you know, because we've talked to a few people on the go, well, what's it going to cost us? It doesn't cost you anything. I mean that's the whole key. We'd like you to try our coffee, but if you don't drink coffee or whatever, that doesn't stop you from- Erin: Getting the word out there. Bob: And being involved. Jeff Thompson: Awesome. I like it. Serena Gilbert: I for one, when you guys get that up and running, please send us a link or message in that group chat that we have going, because I will definitely spread the word for you guys. I think that's awesome what you're doing. Bob: Absolutely. We'll make sure you guys get the invite to it and that, and that's the goal, we want as many people as we can. If 10,000 people sign up as affiliates, fantastic. Because that's 10,000 people who are going to try to do something and that's what we want to see. Jeff Thompson: I like it. Let's check it out, whitecanecofee.com, you go there, it says buy coffee. I clicked on buy coffee and I had eight choices. The first one was the package box and for $20, no tax, no shipping, it's delivered to your door. You can sample all the flavors, and the flavors come in, Colombian Supremo, Colombian Supremo Decaf, Breakfast Blend, Dark Roast, Doughnut Shop, French Roast, and my future favorite, High Octane. You have a choice of 16 ounces or 32 ounces. 16 ounces is going to run you $14.99, and 32 ounces is discounted a little bit at $27.99 and you can opt for a one month, three month, six month up to a 12 month subscription. That means it will be delivered to your door once a month and you don't have to lift a finger. Jeff Thompson: An incentive to do the 12 months subscription is there's no shipping costs, thus allowing you to save $7 and 50 cents every month just by subscribing to a 12 month. That's quite a savings. At $14.99 I think it's very affordable. When you click on one of these flavors such as the High Octane, it'll take you to the page and they'll do a write up on what that flavor is all about, probably high octane I imagine, or the French Roast, or the Breakfast Blend. They'll all have a description there. Check out the about page, because that talk about Erin and her story and what the company's all about and it'll have some of this information then it just relayed to you. With that in mind, let's get back to the show. Jeff Thompson: Erin, I want to go back to something, do you use an iPhone? Erin: I use an iPad, it seems to work best for me. Jeff Thompson: Oh, that's good. With voiceover. Erin: Oh my gosh, yes. Jeff Thompson: There you go. Erin: So much voiceover. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, we're all about tech and we love our voiceover stuff with the iPhones. Not knocking any of the android stuff, it's coming along. Erin: Yeah, but Apple just seems to have, it has everything that you need for that. Jeff Thompson: Yep, they're doing good, and so are you guys whitecanecoffee.com, everyone go check it out, go sign up, get the sample pack, you can figure it out which one you like best and then place your orders. It comes once a month, right to your doorstep, and if you order annually, they knock off the price of shipping so you can save a little money there. Erin, Bob, I want to thank you for taking the time to coming onto Job Insights and sharing with us your, well Erin's bad day innovation, her entrepreneurship and starting this company. Serena, do you have anything else you want to ask? Serena Gilbert: Just do us a favor and tell our audience where they can find you on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram. Erin: You can find us at White Cane Coffee on Facebook. You can find this on White Cane Coffee on Tumbler, weirdly enough. Bob: We're setting up our Twitter and Instagram pages because Instagram and Facebook kind of work hand in hand together now, so when you advertise on one, you advertise on both. It's always funny, we always say, we need to get some of the big influencers on Instagram or something of that nature, one of the Kardashians. [inaudible] say, hey White Cane Coffee, and things would go insane at that point, but no, the goal is we're getting the word out and we're really happy that you guys contacted us and wanted to hear what we're doing. Serena Gilbert: We absolutely love sharing what individuals in our community are doing, especially when it comes to employment and being able to live a little bit more independently, so we were happy to have you on. Erin: We were absolutely ecstatic to be on. Serena Gilbert: Do you guys have any questions or any additional information that you'd like to share? Bob: We look forward to seeing your podcast, because you're on YouTube, is that correct? Jeff Thompson: We're on YouTube, we're on Apple, you can download the Blind Abilities App right to your iPad and iPhone, any device like that. Pod Catchers just search for Blind Abilities, that's two words, Blind Abilities. Serena Gilbert: He's so trained over there. Oh my goodness. Bob: Sounds great, we look forward to that. Keep in touch with us, we like talking to people who are in the community, kind of how we find out what's going on. We hope that these conversations will go on for long time in the future. Serena Gilbert: Of course. Bob: It's funny, since we went on Facebook and started doing this, you guys just kind of caught our attention. It's like okay let's do this and- Erin: Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Bob: Absolutely. Serena Gilbert: Next step is shark tank, right? Bob: Oh God no. No, never Shark Tank. Venture capitalists are about making money, we're about making a difference and so that would probably never happen. Jeff Thompson: I like that line. Put it on my tee shirt, or my coffee cup. There you go. Serena Gilbert: I will definitely be checking out your guys' website because I do have coffee drinkers in my family, so I might even show it to my husband, because we have a Keurig, but we have the little thing where you can put the coffee beans or in it and trick it. Jeff Thompson: Well, Serena, if you check out the website, they do have a coffee that has low caffeine. Serena Gilbert: Even for you, that would be too much caffeine. Bob: I'll tell you, if your husband likes that robust flavor, get the Colombian. If you like a coffee that's real smooth, you don't need milk or anything, look at the Dark Roast, it is so smooth. There's no bitterness to it. Serena Gilbert: Oh Wow. Jeff Thompson: Well I think I'm going to try the sample because I've always liked looking for that coffee that it tastes good and it does everything that you want it to do in the flavor without having to add the cream or this or the other thing. I just want that perfect blend. Erin: Yeah. We hope you like it. Bob: Yeah, get online after you're done with us, just go right to White Cane Coffee, you order tonight, they'll be out in the mail in the morning. Serena Gilbert: Oh Wow. That's fast. Jeff Thompson: There we go. The UPS or FedEx, one of those businesses know where you live, right? Bob: Absolutely. They're here up quite a bit, picking up boxes. Jeff Thompson: That's cool. Bob: They're happy, it keeps them working I guess. Serena Gilbert: Exactly. Erin: [inaudible] when we first started, they were so confused. Bob: They really were, but now they're just kind of used to it, they bring the truck up and get the boxes. Jeff Thompson: Is the excitement gone? I mean, usually if the UPS truck pulls up in front of my place, I'm like, oh. Serena Gilbert: What did I order? Jeff Thompson: Yeah, I'm like rubbing my hands together. Erin: I swear, the excitement for me is just constant because again, I'm branching out on new things, I'm meeting with people in the community, I'm on podcast now. There's always new things that we're doing in the company to sort of get the word out, so yeah, it's just like, okay, so one part of it may not be as flashy or exciting as it was, but there's a new part that's brand sparkling new and just like yeah. Bob: Like in November, the Pennsylvania National Federation for the Blind has their convention in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Well now they're talking about having Erin come and speak at the convention. Jeff Thompson: Oh, that's great. Serena Gilbert: That's huge. That's awesome. Bob: I wish she can make a difference. We really are looking forward to this, it's amazing. Everyone in this country drinks coffee, 90% of the people truly do have coffee first thing in the morning, that's what starts their day. Jeff Thompson: Take notes Serena. Erin: It's something that's so ingrained into our society, that coffee [inaudible] to help people with disabilities was just a no brainer. How many times have you heard in cartoons like, don't talk to me before I've had my coffee. I mean, when I was a little kid, on Christmas, we weren't allowed to open our presents until mum and dad had their coffee. I learned how to make coffee at age eight. Bob: No coffee, no presents. Erin: Just like brothers have already sorted out the gifts, specialized mugs in each hand they come downstairs, here you go, let's open presents. Jeff Thompson: There you go, and now you can do it with White Cane Coffee. Serena Gilbert: Exactly. Bob: Exactly. It's fun for everyone. I like seeing Erin excited. I like seeing her brother's excited. I like seeing the other workers excited because when they come to work, they're excited to be useful and to have a purpose. You know, that when they're here that they're welcome here, and we adapt to their needs instead of like a lot of jobs you have to adapt to the company. We kind of do it the other way around, we adapt to each person individually. What are their needs, what's going to make their experience here working better for them because we found if they're happy, they're much more productive, and so it's a win-win on both sides Erin: This may sound odd, but with some people's disabilities they have such strengths and others are like one of our workers, even though they are very autistic, they are also very hyper focused and are perfectionists, so we know every label is going to be on perfectly just like, alright, you do you man. Jeff Thompson: There you go. I like that where you're creating opportunities and not limiting them but enhancing their opportunities by embracing their set of skills that they have. Bob: Oh exactly. Erin: Exactly, and once you have the right people around you, it really is, you can do almost anything with it. Jeff Thompson: I like what you're doing Erin. Bob: We don't sit around and say, oh, what can I do? It's more of what's stopping us from moving on, changing things and making things better for everyone involved, and coffee is that venue that is allowing us to do that. Jeff Thompson: Oh, I tip my cup to you guys. Serena Gilbert: We really appreciate your time. Bob: Absolutely. Jeff Thompson: Thanks Bob. Thanks Erin. Bob: You all have a good evening. Erin: It was great talking to you guys. Jeff Thompson: All right. [Music] [Transition noise] -When we share -What we see -Through each other's eyes... [Multiple voices overlapping, in unison, to form a single sentence] ...We can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations, and the realities of Blind Abilities. Jeff Thompson: For more podcasts with the blindness perspective: Check us out on the web at www.BlindAbilities.com On Twitter @BlindAbilities Download our app from the App store: 'Blind Abilities'; that's two words. Or send us an e-mail at: info@blindabilities.com Thanks for listening.
Show Summary: son. We focus on Employment, Careers, enhancing opportunities and bringing you the latest innovations from across the Vocational Rehabilitation field to ensure your choices lead you down the career pathway that you want and succeed in gainful employment. From getting started with services, to assessments, Individual Plan for Employment (IPE) to gaining the skills to succeed and tools for success, Job Insights will be giving you tips and tricks to help your journey to employment and break down the barriers along the way. In this episode Serina and Jeff talk about Reasonable Accommodations for the workplace. What is a Reasonable Accommodation? What is a Hardship? What can we bring to the table when Accommodations are being investigated and what solutions you may already have. Sometimes creativity and innovations can bring about a solution and some of the common apps we use on a daily basis can be a tool for the workplace/ It’s not always a major purchase that is needed when considering accommodations. While the word, “Reasonable” and “Hardship” can be defined from so many different perspectives and from company to company, Serina and Jeff explore solutions and encourage one to contact and work with their State Services, Voc-Rehab specialist and their company to find the best solution. Join us for this Job Insights podcast and check out the other Job Insights podcast on the web at www.BlindAbilities.comand select Job Insightsfrom the category drop-down menu. You can find out more about the ID Mate from En-Vision America, thePenFriend,Aira, and BeMyEyes App, EnvisionAI appand the over40 App. Check out this episode of Job Insights and send us your feedback and topic suggestions by email. Follow the Job Insights team on twitter @JobInsightsVIP Job Insights is part of the Blind Abilities network. Contact: Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store.
Show Summary: Welcome to Job Insights with Serina Gilbert and Jeff Thompson. We focus on Employment, Careers, enhancing opportunities and bringing you the latest innovations from across the Vocational Rehabilitation field to ensure your choices lead you down the career pathway that you want and succeed in gainful employment. From getting started with services, to assessments, Individual Plan for Employment (IPE) to gaining the skills to succeed and tools for success, Job Insights will be giving you tips and tricks to help your journey to employment and break down the barriers along the way. In this episode Serina and Jeff talk about Networking and Social Networking. The internet has really enabled us to reach more groups, more people and more resources than most of us could have imagined 15 years ago. Sure, we shake hands, trade business cards and meet and greet on occasions, and in between those moments, the internet has brought on an entire new capability of exchanging information and accessing resources. But, we are not alone. Most of our interactions on Social Networks are logged and cast in stone for the world to observe and recall. This brings a responsibility to one’s use of Social Networking as more and more people, companies and agencies use the network for their data gathering, just as easy as doing a Google search, yes, a Google search on you. Join the Job Insights team, Serina and Jeff, as they build upon some strategies and suggestions for navigating the networking field. Get Networking! And remember, Social Networking is a resource for you and your potential employer. Keep your presence on the up and up. Check out this episode of Job Insights and send us your feedback and topic suggestions by email. Follow the Job Insights team on twitter @JobInsightsVIP Job Insights is part of the Blind Abilities network. Thank you for listening! Contact: You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store.
Show Summary: Welcome to Job Insights with Serina Gilbert and Jeff Thompson. We focus on Employment, Careers, enhancing opportunities and bringing you the latest innovations from across the Vocational Rehabilitation field to ensure your choices lead you down the career pathway that you want and succeed in gainful employment. From getting started with services, to assessments, Individual Plan for Employment (IPE) to gaining the skills to succeed and tools for success, Job Insights will be giving you tips and tricks to help your journey to employment and break down the barriers along the way. In this episode Serina and Jeff talk about the importance of weaning yourself off the services provided by your college student services office. How to take charge of your independence and hone the skills that you will be transferring into the workplace and the career that you want. Disability Services at colleges are needed, and can be a tool for you to use; however, for your own success in the workplace, learning the skills for the services you receive from Disability services will serve you better once you leave college and enter the workforce. Join the Job Insights team, Serina and Jeff, as they leave the Disability Services Office behind. Get Prepped, you’re seeking employment. Check out this episode of Job Insights and send us your feedback and topic suggestions by email. Follow the Job Insights team on twitter @JobInsightsVIP Job Insights is part of the Blind Abilities network. Contact: You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store.
If you’re a newbie or an emerging professional who wants to position himself in the mining industry, then the guest for today’s episode of “Dig Deep” - The Mining Podcast Dennis Thomas, the Chief Executive Officer for Phoenix Global Mining can surely help you! Rob chats with Dennis about his experiences in the mining and recruitment industry. He has had directorial jobs for mining companies in the UK and other foreign countries throughout the years. He has visited sites and had hands-on experiences. This is in addition to what he’s been doing in his recruitment business: scouting the best mining team and advising the mining executives in improving their operations. Aside from these, Dennis also gives pieces of advice to the incoming professionals and shares his insights on the future of the industry. Make sure to listen in to decide on what steps you should take for your career. KEY TAKEAWAYS From mining to recruitment. Dennis’ fascination with rocks when he was a child led him to pursue mining engineering. He practised his profession in different countries including Uganda, South Africa, Russia, and Nigeria. It was when he got back to the UK for good that he was given a directorial job that involves recruitment and consulting. How's the mining industry in terms of recruitment? According to Rob, it's different and difficult recruiting in the mining industry. there's a lot of factors to consider - salary, living conditions, security, roster, etc. Lessons that he's learned along the way. Remember to be patient with people in the recruitment business. Treat people with a certain degree of empathy and always try to help them. What's mining's future like in the next 3-5 years? One of the developments in the world is the move to green energy - electrical vehicles, wind farms, etc. In the midst of a trade war, there's also a shortage of copper and other significant minerals that need to be addressed. From a recruiter's perspective, there's a lot of juniors out there entering the industry. Dennis: "We've got to represent ourselves a lot better than we are." One of the things that need improving in the industry is how to show valuable mining is to the world. People are unaware of that so promotion and advertising are needed. BEST MOMENTS "I think the thing about the mining industry is it's full of characters... some good ones, some bad ones... most, I would say, mining people are of the highest ethical standards. that's something that's imbued in us." "People have to live. A lot of people don't realize that the world wouldn't exist without the mining industry." "The first great industry in the world is agriculture and farming because we have to eat and the second great industry is mining." VALUABLE RESOURCES Telex Phoenix Global Mining (PGM) Cliffs Natural Resources Phoenix Global Mining (PGM) ABOUT THE HOST Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community an insight to people’s experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics. Rob is the Founder and Director of Mining International Ltd, a leading global recruitment and headhunting consultancy based in the UK specialising in all areas of mining across the globe from the first world to third world countries from Africa, Europe, Middle East, Asia and Australia. We source, headhunt and discover new and top talent through a targeted approach and search methodology and have a proven track record in sourcing and positioning exceptional candidates into our clients’ organisation in any mining discipline or level. Mining International provides a transparent, informative and trusted consultancy service to our candidates and clients to help them develop their careers and business goals and objectives in this ever-changing marketplace. ABOUT THE GUEST A well-known industry expert, Dennis Thomas has over 40 years of experience in the mining and recruitment industry having trained as a mine engineer but later went into the recruitment industry and successfully built a recruitment business over 30 plus years and was the leading mining recruitment consultancy in the UK. This led to further exploration, curiosity and extensive learning around the identification of new mining businesses and global opportunities worthy of potential investment. Having sold his recruitment business 4-5 years ago, Dennis now serves as the Chief Executive Officer for Phoenix Global Mining and more recently they listed on the New York stock exchange. He possesses considerable experience gained via both Executive and Non-Executive Directorships for a number of UK, North American, Australian and Far East mining companies. Dennis is well-versed in the evaluation of mineral opportunities including assessments, feasibility studies, negotiating lease agreements and contractual arrangements, establishing new companies and directing start-up and development of new projects. CONTACT METHOD Rob Tyson Email Rob at rob@mining-international.org Rob’s LinkedIn Mining International Official Website Mining International’s Twitter Mining International’s Facebook Dennis Thomas Email Dennis at thomas@pgmining.com Dennis’ LinkedIn Phoenix Global Mining (PGM)
Full Transcript Below: Show Summary: In this Job Insights episode, Serina Gilbert talks about her job interview process and the rejection she experienced and more so about what she learned and gained from the interview process. Serina goes into the details when she found out about a position opening in her work place. How she prepared for each step of the process and what she gained from taking the risk of challenging her self and wanting to stretch her possibilities. Join Serina Gilbert and Jeff Thompson in this Job Insights episode and learn how landing on the Moon is not so bad when you were shooting for the stars. We hope you enjoy this Job Insights episode and you can send your feedback and suggestions to the Job Insights team by email Follow the Job Insights team on twitter @JobInsightsVIP Job Insights is part of the Blind Abilities network. A big Thank You goes out to CheeChaufor his beautiful music! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store Full Transcript: Serena Gilbert: Recently, I was presented with an opportunity to apply for a position that was not one level, but two levels above where I'm at right now. I am not joking you guys, there were literally nine people on my interview. Jeff Thompson: Job Insights, a podcast to help you carve out your career pathway and enhance the opportunities for gainful employment. Serena Gilbert: You will never know what you can do until you try. Even just the interview process built my confidence up. Jeff Thompson: To help you navigate the employment world and give you job insights and enhance the opportunities to choose the career you want. Serena Gilbert: It's a really good experience that helps me see that that interview process, wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it was going to be. Jeff Thompson: You could find the Job Insights podcast on blindAbilities.com. Part of the Blind Abilities network with host Serena Gilbert and myself, Jeff Thompson. You can contact us by email at jobinsights@blindabilities.com. Leave us some feedback or suggest some topics that we cover on Twitter @jobinsightsvip. Check out the job insight support group on Facebook where you can learn, share, advice and interact with the job insights community. Serena Gilbert: There's lessons to be learned in every single life experience that we go through. Sometimes they're easier to find, and sometimes they're a little bit harder to look for, especially when it's news that we don't like. Jeff Thompson: Learn about resources for training, education, and employment opportunities. Serena Gilbert: Especially you, Jeff. I keep you on your toes. Jeff Thompson: Now please welcome Serena Gilbert and Jeff Thompson, with job insights will come to job insights. Welcome to Job Insights, I'm Jeff Thompson. We're back with a brand new show with my co-host, Serena Gilbert. Serena, how are you doing? Serena Gilbert: I'm doing good, Jeff. How are you? Jeff Thompson: I'm doing really good. I'm glad to be back in the studio with you, and we're going to talk about a topic that's quite personal to you as of late. It's about rejection during a job interview. Serena, I really want to thank you for sharing this with the listeners. Serena Gilbert: Yeah, it's something we all go through. It's not super fun, but I really wanted to ... Jeff and I talked about this podcast is like our therapy session in a way. So I wanted to take some time to share my experience and also talk about what do we do when we hear no, and when we get a little bit ahead of ourselves when we're looking at, oh my gosh, that'd be really cool to have that opportunity, and how do we make the best of those opportunities. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, and sometimes opportunities turn into lessons that we learn. What do we gain from them and I'm sure there's a list of stuff that you have gathered lately and are going to use them for in the future. If you don't get out there and try, if you don't challenge yourself, then you're not putting yourself out there. You're not making opportunities so good for you. Some people that have a job, they get complacent and they just want to keep that job, but I think when someone looks at the job and sees that this is not the peak of the mountain, they want to keep climbing a little bit further and you did just that. Good for you. Serena Gilbert: Yeah, and it's perfectly normal to want to advance your career. Sometimes when we get into the, "Oh my gosh, it was so hard for me to get this job. I'm just happy to be working. I'm happy to be earning an income," we do get a little bit complacent like Jeff said. It's something that I'd like to avoid because if you're not growing and moving forward, then why are we here? I really strongly feel that it's important to advance our skills and abilities, even if it's in our same position or if it's promotional opportunities like the one that I went for a few weeks ago, that Jeff helped me with. Jeff Thompson: That's right, and I would do it again. Serena, you shot for the stars, landed on the moon. That's not a bad thing. Let's take our listeners back to when all this started. Serena Gilbert: So why don't we start with my story from the last few weeks, because that's part of the reason we haven't been recording in a while. Right, Jeff? One of us, I don't know who, was a little bit distracted with some things going on. Right, Jeff? That was totally you. Jeff Thompson: Plus, who had a cold for a while too? Serena Gilbert: I was sick and then I was feeling better, and then what a month later I was sick again. So that was fun. So for those of you that have been listening to the podcast, you know that I am currently a rehabilitation counselor here in Colorado. Recently I was presented with an opportunity to apply for a position that was not one level, but two levels above where I'm at right now. In our State, we have counselors and then we have supervisors of the counselors and then above that, we have program managers which is middle and high management level positions. So I thought, "You know what? I'm going to try for it, see what happens." If nothing else, this is me showing, hey I would like to at least be considered for upcoming leadership opportunities and get the experience of interviewing on such a different level of the interview process. Serena Gilbert: It was a little bit intimidating until I was actually sitting there and then I was like, "There's nine people sitting around me." This is awesome, but it's a great experience for what I went through. One thing that happened with me is the position posted early October and they did interviews late October, mid to late October. In that time from when I applied to when I had the interview, as is normal and human nature, I started thinking, "Oh my gosh, what if I get this position? What are the things I want to do? What are some things that would be different for me? How would our life look different," because it would have been a commute for me from where I live up to Denver, which I had already figured out. Serena Gilbert: I'm a researcher when it comes to at least figuring out what are my options. That in a way made it a little bit harder to take the, "We're sorry, but this isn't quite right for you right now," kind of conversation that was hard with me and that's tricky. Jeff Thompson: Because you put all that work into it. Serena Gilbert: Yeah, because you start thinking about it. You know when you apply for that position that you're like, "Oh my gosh, this would be so cool." You start imagining yourself in that position. So in some ways, that's great because it shows that you're really thinking about what you'd like to do with that position, and the goals, and things that you have but then in other ways, it makes that fall a little bit further when you don't hear the news that you wanted to hear. Jeff Thompson: But you did hear some positive news. Serena Gilbert: I heard some great news. So I got really good feedback on my interview. It wasn't that I bombed my interview or anything. I was really well prepared. If you guys have listened to other podcasts that we've done on job interviewing and preparing, as you know I researched all kinds of really difficult interview questions that might be asked at the management level. I can answer lots of different questions from the counselor level, but there's a different way that you're looking at and approaching situations when you're interviewing for a management level position. So I did a lot of research with that and I knew that I did not have a lot of the management leadership experience that they would traditionally be looking for in candidates for that position. Serena Gilbert: So I took it a little bit above and that's just me, and I wrote a little at least two or three pages proposal for what I thought some of the important goals would be for one year, three years, five years down the road in that particular position. I presented that as part of my interview. I got really good feedback on that. I know that that was something that they appreciated, because it shows that you're looking forward and you're not just thinking of the two weeks from now or a month from now. It really just came down to you. I just don't have that experience that they need for such a high-level position running literally an entire unit at this point in time, but the really whole news is the director of my agencies specifically gave me some tips and complimented me on my interview. That really made the blow a little bit easier to take, even though I didn't get the news that I wanted. Jeff Thompson: What was some of those tips that you got? Serena Gilbert: It was really just that I needed to develop more management leadership experience. I have some ways that I'm going to go about that and partner with some staff that's within our agency that can be really supportive of that and look forward to the next opportunity down the road because our agencies go in through lots of changes out left and right. There's always changes with any government agency, so I never know what might come about down the road. Jeff Thompson: There might be a supervisor position opening up. Serena Gilbert: You never know. Jeff Thompson: Keep your ears spilled. Serena Gilbert: I was lucky in my agency that I got that feedback so openly. I didn't even have to request that it was just provided to me by the person that let me know, "Hey, here's what happened and here's the feedback that I have for you." If you're not lucky enough where that feedback it's not just given to you, then just ask. If there was nothing that I learned in the situation that I was just in is that you will never know what you can do until you try and ask for what you want. It definitely built my confidence up, even just that. Even just the interview process built my confidence. Jeff Thompson: That's great because now you're willing to share that experience with all the listeners here. I listened to you because when you're talking, you're invested in this all the time and I was really rooting for you to take this challenge. You did take the challenge. You got different news, but you're another step forward, I think. Serena Gilbert: Well, and I left the situation knowing that I literally did everything I possibly could to show my passion for that position. I researched, I talked to stakeholders, I put together that proposal. I prepared for really common interview questions and that they helped, because even if I didn't get asked that exact question, some of the scenarios that I came up with were still applicable to the questions that were asked of me. So I did not leave with any regrets. I don't feel like, "Man, I should've done this better. I should have done that better." I literally put my best foot forward and I'm proud of that, and that's a really good experience that helps me see that that interview process wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it was going to be. Don't get me wrong. It was a hard interview, but I was prepared for it. Jeff Thompson: Only nine people, huh? Serena Gilbert: Only nine. There were nine people. I'm not joking you guys, there were literally nine people on my interview. Jeff Thompson: All in the room? Serena Gilbert: All in the room, in person. They were all very nice, very supportive. There were many times when we were making jokes and things like that. I never felt like anyone was out to get me, it's never ... That's the thing that I want our listeners to hear is when you come into an interview panel like that, nobody wants to see somebody fall on their face. They want to see you do your best. They want to see you put your best foot forward. One of the people that was interviewing me, saw me when I arrived and said good morning to me. They asked, "How are you doing?" I was like, "I am really nervous." He said, "Don't be nervous. It's just a conversation between friends, and we all want you to do really well." That helped a little. Jeff Thompson: That was great. Serena Gilbert: Yeah, I mean that's how supportive of an environment that I'm lucky enough to have to be in. That's why I'm like, uh. I was sad for a little while, I went through all those stages of no, man. At the end of the day, I really do feel that that's the case, that they really do want to see us succeed. Jeff Thompson: You're more prepared for next time this opportunity comes up that you decided to take the challenge, and put yourself out there again. You have gone through it once, this won't be your first rodeo? Serena Gilbert: No. Jeff Thompson: No. Serena Gilbert: No. Far from it, you know me. I don't give up. Jeff Thompson: That's right and it's the tenacity. Now someone that's out there that doesn't have a job to fall back into that is trying and tries again, I've known people who have tried eight, nine times. They keep that tenacity, the move forward and they're gaining from each time and they'll land a job. Serena Gilbert: It's really important to in my situation I was lucky enough that I'm in the agency. So I don't have, I have no problem. If I wasn't offered the feedback, I had no problem picking up the phone and saying, "Hey, how did I do? I need your honest feedback. I just want to be able to take that to improve the next time I go for something like this." We're not all applying for jobs that are within the agency, or the field that were already working in. So when that happens, I would still say do not hesitate to try to get that feedback from the employer that you interviewed with. You just say, "Hey, totally understand. I'm super grateful for the opportunity to have been able to interview with you, but so that I can move forward and improve upon myself, can you tell me a little bit about what I can improve on. What are maybe some skills and abilities that I need to work on?” Serena Gilbert: Maybe they'll have some feedback about your interview, and maybe you do have those skills and abilities but had a hard time selling them in the interview room. So that does two things for you. The first is if there were other positions that maybe they thought you might be a good fit for, they might give you a second look because they're like, "Wow, this person really wants to seek some feedback and show that they're able to improve upon themselves." Be humble about it, not angry and bitter about it because yes, that's definitely an emotion that is going to come up, but you don't want the employer to see that ever. Then number two, if there's not an opportunity in that particular company, then use that feedback to improve for the next job interview that you have, and the next after that because there will be lots of them. All you need is one person to say yes. Jeff Thompson: I got to hand it to you, because that is stressful to go through, put yourself through. I know over the last month that off and on you were talking about it, sending me emails on this and that and the other thing and it was consuming. Serena Gilbert: That is a little bit of a weakness for me. I do tend to go full on into stuff, like it's either all or nothing with me. I'm either completely and totally committed to it, or I'm just completely and totally disinterested in it and do nothing towards it. So there's no in between for me. Jeff Thompson: That's a good something to have or to illustrate on your resume. It's a good quality to have because people like to see finishers. People who go into something, invest into it and see it through. I know you gave 110% on this and I know it must have hit hard. When you got the news, how did you gather yourself after that? I mean you had to take a few minutes to just reflect. Serena Gilbert: It was kind of, it's going to sound really weird, but it was nice in a way. So I interviewed on a Tuesday at 9:00 AM. I knew by the following day, literally the next day at 9:00 AM that I did not get the position. I was at work, there was a handful of friends at work that knew what I was up to and helped me prepare and things like that. So I immediately went and chatted with them and I was like, I'm okay with it because they did tell me the individual that got it, and that person was well deserving of it. Think that person will do a fantastic job, and there was truly no hard feelings. It's still just the, "Man, I went for it and I didn't get it." It's not like I was truly slighted I guess is not the right word, because I knew even in the back of my mind, I was always telling everyone, "This is going to be a long shot, this is going to be a long shot." Serena Gilbert: As I prepared more and more forward, I was like "Maybe it's more reachable. Maybe it's more, maybe it's more realistic than I think." Then you get in your head. Really what helped me a lot is being able to chat with friends and reflect upon the feedback that I got that truly was really positive, and that helped during the work day. Then that night, I got home, and you start to ruminate about things. I had my little, I call it a blue funk for just that night. The next day was perfectly fine. I think that that's okay to go through that and be like, "I don't really want to talk to anyone right now for a few hours. I'm just going to go, listen to an audio book for a few hours. Just escape for a little while." That's okay. That's where I usually go when I need to regroup and things like that. This was almost a week ago now and I'm not letting it keep me down. Jeff Thompson: Serena, with this experience that you just went through, does any of this help you at your current job that you're doing today? Does any of this roll over into it? Serena Gilbert: With the position that I applied for is management level, so you're looking at things from a much more strategic perspective. I'm starting to look back and look at the job that I'm doing and starting to think, "How can I do this better? What are some strategic things I can do to expand what I'm already doing in my current role, and also serve the clients that I'm working with a little bit better?" Just look at that from more of that leadership slant on things, as opposed to just being the counselor. I think that that's going to help me down the road when it comes to being able to demonstrate some of that leadership experience. So it's just changed my perspective a little bit, because I put a little bit of a different hat on when I was looking for getting into that opportunity. Jeff Thompson: So all that work and all that studying, and all the questions that you went through and research that you did may be paying off today. Serena Gilbert: Yes sir. Darned schooling. Jeff Thompson: I tell you. That's the trouble with students, they lack education. Serena Gilbert: Just can't stop learning. Jeff, have you ever gone through some disappointments with a job search or business opportunities you were hoping to get into? Jeff Thompson: Of course there has been. There's been positions like even in the workforce when you want to move up a step, or a grade, or ask for a raise, or do something. You challenge yourself and you put yourself into that, to go into your supervisor's office or like you did. You went into a job interview with a panel of people talking to you. To go into those situations, you have to be thinking about yourself, putting your best foot forward. When it doesn't happen, you have to walk back out to where you were and do the best you can. Typically like you did, you improve upon what you're doing, and you take on extra steps, and other people will notice. I'm glad people noticed and gave you some good feedback in your situation as well. Serena Gilbert: I think it's important. One thing you just said is that other people will notice. People are watching you. When you have that kind of thing happen, people are watching what your reaction is going to be. Especially if you're already in the workplace, and you had gotten from promotion like we were talking about. If you react poorly and speak negatively of the individual that got the position, or down the road start talking negatively about that particular person, people are going to take note of that. They're going to start to wonder, "Well, how are they going to react if things don't go their way in the future?" They're going to fill in the gaps. They're not going to let you have that opportunity to demonstrate or show them, because they're going to look at your historical behavior. Jeff Thompson: Yeah. Earlier episodes we've talked about what they're really looking for. One of the key things they're looking for is someone who fits the culture. Someone who is a team player and even though you're doing a job interview, it's always related. It's always 100%, you're on the clock. I mean there's no, that was during this situation. No, they'd look in at a comprehensive view of you whether your in this situation, the other situation, they want team players and there's no room for negativity. Did I say that word right? Serena Gilbert: Did you say negatitivity? Jeff Thompson: I think I did. Serena Gilbert: We're totally leaving that in there. Jeff Thompson: There's no room for negativity. Serena Gilbert: Yes, there you go. Good save. Jeff Thompson: Well Serena, I'm glad you went through this experience and I'm glad you took from it and came out of it with a great positive, and you're willing to come back here. It's only been a week and you're here talking about it. So I think this was really good experience for you. Serena Gilbert: Yeah, I think so. Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm not going anywhere. When I got into working for Vocational Rehabilitation, I already decided, and I even said this in my interview. I was like, I don't know if there's a really nice way to say this. I didn't want to say I'm an old timer or whatever, but I was like, "I'm not going anywhere." I plan on retiring from Vocational Rehabilitation, so this is a position or an opportunity that I'm committed to and that's why went for this opportunity, because I see myself being able to contribute to the agency on a little bit more strategic and larger scale. Not that I don't like my counseling job. I love it, but there's other ways that you can also contribute in that position. Jeff Thompson: I think it's really good. Here you're the host of Job Insights and usually talking about people going out and doing what you just did. So you actually experienced exactly what we've been talking about, and you're going to bring back this information and you're going to carry it with you. So like you said earlier, we both have been talking about it. The experience you gained from these, even though it doesn't come out the way you want it, there's so many little gems in there that you can take with you that enhances your job that you're in right now, and your opportunities for the future. Serena Gilbert: Yeah and not to sound too cheesy, but there's lessons to be learned in every single life experience that we go through. Sometimes they're easier to find, and sometimes they're a little bit harder to look for especially when it's new is that we don't like. Having that true growth comes from looking at, well what lesson can I learn here? How can I improve? What can I do better the next time? Jeff Thompson: That's good and I'm glad you came back and talked about it. Serena Gilbert: I honestly want to take the time too to thank all of the people out there that helped support me from that first day when that job was posted, and I sent all these frantic text messages out saying, "Oh my God, that position's posted. I thought I had time to think about it. What do I do?" Every single person that surrounded me said, "Go for it. Try it. I support you." I had lots of people offer to write me letters of recommendation, and I just really appreciate every single one of you guys. I thank you for encouraging me and lifting me up to go for that opportunity. Jeff Thompson: You did a great job. Serena Gilbert: Especially you, Jeff and Pete from the Blind Abilities team. Jeff Thompson: Well, it's not hard to speak highly of you because you do such a great job. Serena Gilbert: I keep you on your toes. Jeff Thompson: Yes you do. Yes you do. Well I want to thank all of you for coming on the Job Insights. You can check out more of the Jobs Insights on the Blind Abilities website, that's at www.blindabilities. com and follow us on Twitter @jobinsightsvip. Serena Gilbert: Well, don't forget about our Job Insights Facebook page and Facebook support group, and you can also follow me on @BlindyBlog that's on Twitter and Facebook. Jeff Thompson: And @KnownAsJeff on Twitter for myself. A big thank you to Chee Chau for his beautiful music. You can follow Chee Chau on Twitter @lcheechau. I want to thank you all for listening, we hope you enjoyed. Until next time, bye bye. [Music] [Transition noise] When we share -What we see -Through each other's eyes... [Multiple voices overlapping, in unison, to form a single sentence] ...We can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations, and the realities of Blind Abilities. Jeff Thompson: For more podcasts with a blindness perspective check us out on the web at www.blindabilities.com. On Twitter @BlindAbilities. Download our app from the app store, Blind Abilities, that's two words. Or send us an email at info@blindabilities.com. Thanks for listening.
That Blind Tech Show 18: My TV’s On Fire! GPS, GPS, GPS 3 Times Fast, Lazarillo App, Pete’s Amazon Fire Cube Demo and BETA, BETA, BETA. That Blind Tech Show sneaks right up to the start of conventions and on Episode 18 Serina Gilbert struts her microphone magic and puts the boys in their place. Join Brian Fischler, Serina Gilbert and Jeff Thompson as they roll out some pretty good news, opinions and possibly a little humor to bring a little sunshine into your day. From the Amazon TV, the Amazon Fire Cube, in which the totally awesome Pete Lane demonstrates, to some neat little gadgets Brian is collecting, sharing and keeping the economy moving by purchasing anything under $35. Oops, he may of blew that budget. J Jeff gives a little peek at the LazarilloApp that rivals the BlindSquare App but does it really? Download this free app and find out yourself. Lazarillo on the App Store. Serina, Co-Host of the Job Insights podcast on Blind Abilities does a sensational job and if she could just laugh a little bit more… Believe me, her laugh is infectious! Join the That Blind Tech Show crew and kick back for a good listen and be sure to check out some of the links from the show below: Did you hear the one about the all you can eat Chinese Restaurant that went out of business? Don’t Take your iPhone to World Cup. Is there anywhere you won’t take your iPhone? Do you plan to run the iOS 12 public beta on your devices Talk Smart Wearable Bluetooth Button Reizen Talking Wand Thank you for listening. Send us Feedback via email Follow us on Twitter @BlindTechShow that Blind Tech Show is produced in part with Blind Abilities Network. You can follow Blind Abilities on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store.
Job Insights #9, A Success Story: Meet Emily Zimmermann – One in a Million – Survivor, Advocate and Accessibility Tester Full Transcript Below. Welcome to the 9th episode of Job Insights with Serina Gilbert and Jeff Thompson. We focus on Employment, Careers, enhancing opportunities and bringing you the latest innovations from across the Vocational Rehabilitation field to ensure your choices lead you down the career pathway that you want and succeed in gainful employment. From getting started with services, to assessments, Individual Plan for Employment (IPE) to gaining the skills to succeed and tools for success, Job Insights will be giving you tips and tricks to help your journey to employment and break down the barriers along the way. On this 9th episode of Job Insights Serina and Jeff bring you a success Story from Emily Zimmermann. Emily survived 4 major surgeries to remove a Softball-size brain tumor which ultimately left her totally blind and having to face major changes in her young life. Emily took on the challenges and transitioned from high school to college and is now approaching her year mark of her internship. She never imagined herself working with accessibility, computer coding and making a difference in the world of accessibility. Emily has a passion of telling her story and that is how Serina hooked up with Emily. After listening to Emily speak at a conference, she contacted Emily and asked her to join us in the Job Insights Studios. From her childhood to her graduation from college and her work testing accessibility, Emily will take you on her journey and give us great advice first hand on what it was like and is like to day doing what she does. It is not what she dreamed of doing but it must be what was meant to be. We hope you enjoy this Job Insights episode and you can send your feedback and suggestions to the Job Insights team by email Follow the Job Insights team on twitter @JobInsightsVIP Job Insights is part of the Blind Abilities network. A big Thank You goes out to CheeChaufor his beautiful music! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store Full Transcript: Job Insights #9, A Success Story: Meet Emily Zimmermann – One in a Million – Survivor, Advocate and Accessibility Tester Emily Zimmermann: I got the call saying that the MRI showed that I had a brain tumor, and it was pushing on my optic nerve. At that point, it was the size of a softball. Jeff Thompson: Job Insights, podcast to help you carve out your career pathway and enhance the opportunities for gainful employment. Emily Zimmermann: It was a long time where it was very hard. You're angry and upset and you don't understand. Now, I can look back, but that's certainly a process. It's not something you can just be at that point, and I think that's how a lot of things in life are. Jeff Thompson: To help you navigate the employment world and give you job insights and enhance the opportunities to choose the career you want. Serena Gilbert: But in middle school, you're really not ... for me, I just wanted to be, quote, unquote, "Normal." Jeff Thompson: And you can find the Job Insights podcast on BlindAbilities.com, part of the Blind Abilities Network with hosts, Serena Gilbert and myself, Jeff Thompson, and you can contact us by email at jobinsights@blindabilities.com. Leave us some feedback or suggest some topics that we cover on Twitter @JobInsightsVIP, and check out the Job Insights support group on Facebook where you can learn, share, advise, and interact with the Job Insights community. Emily Zimmermann: Going back to your home but small city, and you having all that independence just taken away is very difficult. I mean I'm definitely not super, super tech savvy, so half the stuff that's out there, I don't even really know about, which is super sad. Serena Gilbert: Oh, just keep listening to the Blind Abilities Network. You'll learn all kinds of new stuff. Shameless plug there. Sorry. Emily Zimmermann: Then I've gotten to do some coding, some different JavaScript and HTML and BSF, just different things like that. So it's so cool because there's such a variety of different things. I love it all. It's been great. Jeff Thompson: Whoa. Whoa. Let's back up here, Emily. You were just saying that you're low tech- Serena Gilbert: Yeah, I'm confused. Jeff Thompson: ... low tech, and now she's coding and going into [crosstalk] Serena Gilbert: JavaScript. Jeff Thompson: Learn about resources for training, education, and employment opportunities. Emily Zimmermann: Just many difficult things to get through, but you work through each one, and yeah. Jeff Thompson: Now please welcome Serena Gilbert and Jeff Thompson with Job Insights. Jeff Thompson: How you doing, Serena? Serena Gilbert: I'm great, Jeff. I am really excited today. We have a special guest with us. Her name is Emily Zimmerman, and I met her at a conference that I attended her in Colorado, and she shared an amazing story of her journey from the first diagnosis that she received all the way through finishing college her at Metro State University, and I'd thought it'd be a great idea for us to hear from her and have her share her journey with our listeners. Jeff Thompson: Great. Serena Gilbert: So, welcome to the podcast, Emily. Emily Zimmermann: And thank you all so much for having me here tonight, and very excited to be a part and to be able to share some of my story. Serena Gilbert: Well, we are definitely excited to have you. Jeff Thompson: Yes, we are. Nice to meet you, Emily. Emily Zimmermann: Nice to meet you all. Serena Gilbert: So I guess the best place to start, and I was just fascinated by your story, Emily. You did such a fantastic job over at the conference, and you captivated me from the moment you started talking. I don't know if you realized this, but everyone, there was not anyone in the room that was playing on their phone or doing something else. They were all super into your story because I know that you have a different type of story than most individuals that are in our field in regards to when your vision impairment began to onset. Do you want to start [crosstalk] Emily Zimmermann: Right. So I had grown up living a very typical childhood, and then when I entered high school, I went to a small public high school, and I never had any vision problems or medical issues, but I started to have trouble seeing the board in my classes. So my dad and sister both had glasses, of course. We thought I just needed glasses of some kind. Emily Zimmermann: So I went to the eye doctor, and they did tons of tests, one of which I can distinctly remember because I was looking at those famous eye charts that we all know so well, and with one of my eyes, I couldn't read the big E on the eye chart, and after growing up always having perfect vision, it was quite a shock. But then the worst part was the eye doctor said there's nothing he could do to correct my vision with glasses. So then we go to an eye specialist, and beginning to get a little more concerned because I just thought I needed glasses, which didn't thrill me, and now I'm finding out they can't fix it with glasses. Emily Zimmermann: So several visits to the eye specialist, many, many tests, and he finally said, "I don't think we'll find anything, but we have to start ruling some things out." So he suggested getting an MRI done. At that point, I was 14, and an MRIs a huge machine, super, super loud, and it was so scary. We actually got one. It was the last one of the day. They were just getting ready to close, and on the way home that night, we got the call saying that the MRI showed that I had a brain tumor and it was pushing on my optic nerve, and it was a one-in-a-million tumor, and at that point, it was the size of a softball. So it was going to require several surgeries. Emily Zimmermann: So, again, it was a complete shock and a huge adjustment to go from thinking life's all normal and then all the sudden it's not. So the first two surgeries, I actually came out seeing better than I had going in. There were many side effects to deal with, but they were things we could deal with, we could handle. We were working through them. We were just getting through it. Then, over the summer between my freshman and sophomore year, the tumor grew back and the doctor believed after a second surgery that he had had it all. They're not sure if there was maybe a small piece left. They're not sure if it was a new tumor that grew. They don't know, and ultimately, it doesn't matter. Emily Zimmermann: But the third surgery, the possibility that was always there happened, and I came out of the operation unable to see. The doctors and surgeons talked to my parents, and even though it was incredibly risky, they asked about going in a fourth time, just two days later, to try to repair my vision. And they did go in a fourth time, but it was too late and the damage was permanent. Emily Zimmermann: Now, on top of having to recover from two back-to-back brain surgeries and having to start to relearn how to live life, I mean completely relearn how to live life. I mean I can very vaguely remember nurses and people coming into the hospital room and they showed me basics of how to eat and orient myself with the food on my plate, things that seem so elementary to us, but here I was at 16 years old and I needed to relearn all these things. Emily Zimmermann: And then going back to school was a whole new thing, and, again, I had to relearn how to read using Braille and I had to relearn how to get around with a cane and all of those things, which was incredibly difficult. And, yes, we can't change the situation we're in. We can't change the situation we're given, but it's wonderful having had been able to see colors and see things, but the transition was very, very hard. Serena Gilbert: Now, Emily, you mentioned that you went back to school. So did you go back to the same high school that you were at prior to the diagnosis? Emily Zimmermann: I did, yes. I grew up in a small city, so they didn't have a ton of options to begin with, and while I could have, I suppose, gone to ... they had a school for the blind in Columbia, which would have been an hour and a half away or something like that, at that point, we didn't really think about or consider me going away during the weeks and stuff like that. So we made it work. Jeff Thompson: Emily, with all this happening so suddenly and so tragically, where did you find the drive to move forward, and where did you get the information to find a pathway forward? Emily Zimmermann: Honestly, for me, a big part of it is I have a strong faith, so my faith is a big part of what helped me just get through, but, like you're saying, I had a huge support system. Even though it was a very small city, I found through my church a visually impaired lady who gave me information on the National Federation for the Blind and the chapter for the area and just the community gathering around me and a closer knit community, people like that, just was a huge, huge help besides, like I said, my faith was a tremendous help. Serena Gilbert: I have another question for you, Emily, before we move past your high school days. Emily Zimmermann: Yeah. Serena Gilbert: Did you find that your close friends treated you any differently, or were they pretty supportive? Because sometimes that transition can be difficult not only for the individual experiencing the sudden loss of vision but also those around that person. Emily Zimmermann: Yes. So I'm going to say it was difficult for them as well because they were not there. They just were not supportive at all, and every one of my quote, unquote, "friends" left, and that also made just the transition and everything about it very difficult. It was a long time where it was very hard and very ... you're angry and upset and you don't understand. Now, I can look back, and be like, "If that's how they are, I'm better off without them," but that's certainly a process. It's not something you can just be at that point, and I think that's how a lot of things in life are. Yeah, they were, unfortunately, not supportive. Jeff Thompson: Emily, was there a sense of loss? I'm not talking about just a loss of vision, but a loss of identity, who you were, and how you would define yourself at that time? Emily Zimmermann: Very, very much so, just because everything I knew was different, and, to some extent, I mean not because of anything I could but because that desire was gone. All of my dreams were gone because they just had all changed. So I think very much so there was that feeling and that loss at first. But you refind yourself and you refind yourself in different ways, and you have to believe that those different ways are just what's supposed to be. Jeff Thompson: Do you have any key turning points that you remember? Emily Zimmermann: Well, one key for sure, I lost my vision as a sophomore in high school, and that after high school, I knew I needed some training, and that's when I came out to Colorado from South Carolina to the Colorado Center for the Blind. And I was out there one year at the training program they have because I just had so much I needed to learn. I was learning things in school, but it was just a half hour each day or something. So being in the intense, intense training program was a huge help, and at the same time, it was obviously incredibly difficult. Yeah, I think that was just one of the huge points where extremely difficult but totally paid off in the end. Jeff Thompson: You mentioned that you had someone from your hometown that was visually impaired, and she gave you some information. What was it like when you went to the Colorado Center for the Blind and found so many other students, so many other people that had blindness as well? Emily Zimmermann: It was honestly very different. I mean it wasn't, obviously, bad or good or anything like that. It was just different for me because being in a small town, there was just so little of that and just so few of us. I mean I know when I went out I was stared at, and, obviously, probably still am to some extent today, but we were just a very, very, very minority there. I mean the two of us probably were two out of maybe 10 in the whole city limits, all that area, and that's a big stretch. Jeff Thompson: So when you got to Colorado, that must have been a big change when you had so many people. Emily Zimmermann: Exactly. So when I got to Colorado, and then, like you said, was surrounded by them at the Colorado Center for the Blind, it was just a huge change, and not good or bad. It was just a huge change. Jeff Thompson: Did you find any role models? Emily Zimmermann: Definitely, and different things in different people because some people were extremely just adventurous in their traveling whereas other people just amazing in their cooking. So I totally had role models just with different skills and abilities, which was great. I liked that a lot. Serena Gilbert: Emily, what was the hardest part about transitioning to the Colorado Center for the Blind? Emily Zimmermann: Ooh, the hardest part. I mean I'm trying to think of the best way to put this. I think the fact that, for your own good, they push you so hard, but then if you break, they're not necessarily going to be there to help wipe your tears. You know what I mean? The pushing had to happen, and I understand that, but I never felt necessarily ... I don't know. I don't know how else to put it, but it was just a very tough program, but I think the toughness of it is what helped build the character. Jeff Thompson: I can understand exactly where you're coming from. I taught at Blind Incorporated. I taught woodworking, and I was a student there at one time, and I think you start to identify with some of the instructors or some of the other people and you find your own comfort zone within the confines of the camp, the training center. Emily Zimmermann: Yeah. Jeff Thompson: Kind of after hours when everyone goes back to the apartments and stuff, you start finding your own little group or comfort zone. Emily Zimmermann: Yeah. Jeff Thompson: Serena, you haven't been to a training center, have you? Serena Gilbert: I have not, so, Emily, to give you a little bit of background on myself, I have retinitis pigmentosa, so I've had that I guess throughout my whole life, but I really didn't start receiving blindness-specific services until probably ... it was like middle school, I want to say. But in middle school, you're really not ... for me, I just wanted to be quote, unquote, "normal." I didn't want a special lock on my locker. I'd rather struggle and put the wrong code in three times before I do it myself. I didn't want to walk around with a cane. I did not want to feel different. Middle school's awkward enough without adding, "Oh, this girl has a white cane too," on top of everything. Serena Gilbert: I really didn't embrace truly using blindness-specific tools and learning screen readers and things like that until I was actually a sophomore in college and that was more- Emily Zimmermann: Oh, wow. Serena Gilbert: Yeah, well, because I still have some usable vision, and back then, I had enough where I could even read regular print. It just took me forever, but in college, that doesn't cut it. So I finally realized ... I got a sample of JAWS and taught myself how to use it and all the sudden it was like, "Holy cow. This is way faster than struggling for an hour to read one chapter." And that's when I really started embracing using the cane and using some more blindness-specific tools. Serena Gilbert: They did offer me the opportunity to do a residential type of program, but at the time, I had commitments with college and I had a part-time job, so I could not be gone for that long. Emily Zimmermann: Yeah, that makes sense. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, and I think that's a big difference between ... so many people, it depends on where they are in life when it comes to a training type of center, especially residential, especially where you're living. And you traveled all the way from, wow, South Carolina? Emily Zimmermann: Yeah. Jeff Thompson: To Colorado. Now, how was that process when you decided you wanted to leave South Carolina to go to there? You must have went through your voc rehab to get authorized. Emily Zimmermann: Yeah. [inaudible] very smoothly. They were a huge part of the transition. They were the ones who recommended coming out to the Colorado Center for the Blind, and then when I decided I wanted to stay, they were totally helpful in the transition process. So it was honestly a very good transition. Jeff Thompson: Oh, that's great, because some people really find it a real stickler to get them to override being sent to somewhere within their state or someplace close and stuff. So that's great that you had that opportunity and took advantage of it. Serena Gilbert: I am curious though, Emily. How was that transition for your mom? Emily Zimmermann: Well, she actually writes about some of it. She has a book that she titled, "She's One in a Million," because the brain tumor I had was a one-in-a-million brain tumor. So she writes about some of those transitions in the book, but I know it was very difficult. The transition just with me losing my sight, and then when I came out here, it was very difficult at first. So just many difficult things to get through, but you work through each one, and yeah. Jeff Thompson: So I have a question for you. While teaching for quite a few years at Blind Incorporated, I watched students come and go and come and go, and I always remember once they leave through that door and go down the sidewalk and they go off into the world again, they've been at the training center for six to nine months, there they go, you just wonder what it's like, especially if they're going to go return to a small town where they don't have the transit system, where they don't have the grid system or the public transportation available to them. What was that like for you when you left Colorado? Emily Zimmermann: It was very hard because you're used to having all those things available, and you feel this liberation and independence that you can have and feel you do have, and then going back to your home but a small city and you having all that independence just taken away is very difficult. I mean that's a big reason why I'm back out here now is because you miss it, and it's hard to go from having it to not having it all the sudden. Jeff Thompson: Just like losing your sight. Emily Zimmermann: Exactly. [inaudible] changes you can avoid, by all means, avoid it. Serena Gilbert: And Denver has an excellent public transit system with the light rail, the buses- Emily Zimmermann: Oh, yeah. Serena Gilbert: I'm jealous, because I'm down here in Colorado Springs, and ours isn't the best. Emily Zimmermann: Yeah. Yeah, it's amazing down here, up here, whatever. Jeff Thompson: Well, likewise in Minneapolis, we have two training centers, probably a mile apart. There's always 30, 35, 40 students out there exploring, traveling, and doing stuff. So even the people of the city get acclimated to seeing people who are blind around. Emily Zimmermann: Wow. Serena Gilbert: So, Emily, how soon after you completed the program at the Colorado Center for the Blind did you decide to come back out for college? Emily Zimmermann: So I completed the Center for the Blind in May. Then I went back home. I had already applied at a couple different schools, and I had been looking at Metro just as a possibility. Then I applied ... I want to say early June and [inaudible] it all then came together pretty quickly because then once I got the acceptance, I thought, "Okay, well, then it's meant to be." And then you call ... I mean I had been accepted and everything at Winthrop and already contacted them to put all my scholarships on hold for a year when I was at the Center for the Blind. It's like everything that's all set up there was on hold for the year that I was at the Center for the Blind, and I was basically just coming back. Emily Zimmermann: So it was just surreal because all the plans I'd made were, in a good way, no more, but it's like I had to call them and change it, but it was all great. And then I just organized things with the disability office at Metro, and Metro was a great experience, great experience. Serena Gilbert: And Jeff and I have talked a lot about ... gosh, Jeff, it feels like forever ago, on our very first episode you remember we talked about the difference between getting accommodations in high school versus in college? Jeff Thompson: Oh, yeah. It's quite a difference because you have a disability services office that you got to get connected with, and then all your individual professors, you don't have a TVI anymore or a district teacher. You're got to put this all into action yourself. Emily Zimmermann: Yep. Absolutely. I totally agree. That was a huge thing I noted, and it was following up with professors, following up with different people, that's all on you. So I totally get what you're saying. Jeff Thompson: What tools did you use to keep all that organized? You were pretty new with Braille, and probably were using JAWS, I imagine. Emily Zimmermann: Yes. Jeff Thompson: So what was your go-to tools when you first started college? Emily Zimmermann: Definitely, like you said, JAWS. Honestly, at first, I didn't use many tools at all just because I was so new to everything. I used a recorder. I used the pure note-taker option they have, and then I did use, as my Braille got a little better and a little faster, I used a Braille note-taker, the Braille Edge 40, and that has been great, especially since Braille has improved. But those are really the main things for college that have been helpful. Emily Zimmermann: So, I mean, I'm definitely not I mean I'm definitely not super, super tech savvy, so half the stuff that's out there, I don't even really know about, which is super sad, but probably just as well because I can't afford it anyway. Serena Gilbert: Oh, just keep listening to the Blind Abilities Network. You'll learn all kinds of new stuff. Shameless plug there. Sorry. Emily Zimmermann: I'm sure I will learn way too much. Serena Gilbert: So, college went overall pretty smooth for you, Emily? Emily Zimmermann: It did. It certainly did. I mean I'm sure I had some professors ... I know I did, who handled my blindness better than others, but overall, I certainly didn't have any major problems by any means, and, overall, it was a very good experience. So it was good. It was very good. Serena Gilbert: And tell us, what was your major? Emily Zimmermann: Communications. Serena Gilbert: So, Emily, I understand that you're working at an internship right now. Emily Zimmermann: Yes. I'm super excited about it. I've been loving it. I've done it ever since this past September, so coming up on a year. And what I like is because I'm an intern, I get all sorts of different work. I've had the opportunity to test some of their products for accessibility, and then I go through all the different usability tests that they have, and I tell them what does and doesn't work for me being blind. Then I've gotten to do some coding, some different JavaScript and HTML and BSF, just different things like that. So it's so cool because there's such a variety of different things. I love it all. It's been great. Jeff Thompson: Whoa. Whoa. Let's back up here, Emily. You were just saying that you're low tech- Serena Gilbert: Yeah, I'm confused. Jeff Thompson: ... low tech, and now she's coding and going into [crosstalk] Serena Gilbert: JavaScript. Jeff Thompson: That's impressive. Serena Gilbert: I think it's really cool you do accessibility testing because you can see an immediate impact with what you're doing. That's awesome. Emily Zimmermann: Yeah. Yeah. I love it. I love it. Jeff Thompson: It is a great sense of being employed, even having an internship and it's coming up on a year, but it's a good feeling to being rewarded for the work that you're doing. Emily Zimmermann: Yeah. I totally agree. It's cool. What I love is to be able to fix something and to see the result right then. I love that just immediate effect and just to be able to think, "This is helping so many people like me be able to access the internet better and easier and more effectively." I love thinking about that, like a firsthand experience, just like I obviously get how it helps people. And so it's just ... I don't know. It's so cool. Serena Gilbert: So, Emily, this is going to be a question that I start asking everyone that's in the position that you're in as far as maybe fresh out of college or that sort of thing, and it's a cheesy question so I apologize in advance, but, Emily, what is your dream job? Emily Zimmermann: So my dream job would be to be a motivational speaker, to go to different companies, schools, churches, sharing how I lost my vision, but, more importantly, how I got through the difficulty of losing my vision and just sharing hope and that there's hope in whatever we go through, and whether what I'm doing now, the coding, testing, that's a part of that for a full-time job and just doing a lot of speaking on the side, I don't know. That'd be fine if that's the case, but the passion is in the speaking. Jeff Thompson: Oh, that's great. That's great. Serena Gilbert: And you definitely have a talent for it. Emily Zimmermann: Oh, thank you so much. Serena Gilbert: So before we wrap up the interview, we have a question that we ask every single person that we've probably had on the podcast so far, because it's been so long. Jeff Thompson: It's not a math question. Serena Gilbert: No, we promise. Emily Zimmermann: Good. Serena Gilbert: There's no wrong answers. You don't even have to study for it, but a lot of our listeners are either young adults that are right exactly where you're at, maybe even coming out of high school or finishing up college- Jeff Thompson: And we also have listeners who are newly blind, like you were at one time. Serena Gilbert: Exactly, or that are looking at career changes because of the new blindness. The question that we have is, "What advice do you have for somebody transitioning either out of high school or into a new career?" Emily Zimmermann: My advice ... well, it's multi-fold. First of all, it'd be, "Don't limit yourself," because doing something like coding or testing a website, I never would have imagined myself doing. The only reason I'm doing it is because of the internships I was pushed into when I was college. I needed an internship just to get something on my resume, so I went to my advisor, and that was the only thing he could really think of that'd be easy to get to, on campus, and so I took it because I needed something and that's when I fell in love with that kind of thing. So I think that's the biggest thing, just being open to try something you maybe wouldn't have tried and maybe it doesn't go perfect with your degree or whatever, but that's the big thing. Emily Zimmerman: Then, kind of goes with that, is also being open to people around you, your boss, your coworkers, the people you encounter. I think that just so helps form your work experience and being able to view people in a more positive way just, I don't know, helps your work experience be more positive. Serena Gilbert: That is great advice. Jeff Thompson: Well, Emily, I just want to say the component of an internship, I think they work that into degrees, and it's kind of like volunteering. Sometimes you get to explore some areas that you're maybe interested or not or just wanting to do it to stay busy, but you might find an interest. It's a opportunity. It's a safety net type of situation, at first. Then you found a love for it, a passion for it, and you're making the best of it. So good for you. Emily Zimmermann: Yeah. Well, thank you very much. Serena Gilbert: So, Emily, if any of our listeners would like to learn more about you, where can they find you? Emily Zimmermann: Absolutely. They can go to my website at www.brokencrayonsejz.com. Serena Gilbert: Perfect. Well, you all have just been listening to us interview Emily Zimmerman. She doesn't know this yet, but she's probably going to make another appearance on your podcast in a few months so we can catch up with her and see where she's at because I think our listeners are going to fall in love with you, and I just love that you share your story and are so honest and upfront with us. Emily Zimmermann: Well, thank you so much for having me. It's been a true pleasure. Serena Gilbert: We really appreciate you, Emily, and thank you so much for sharing. Jeff Thompson: Thanks, Emily. Emily Zimmermann: Thank you. Jeff Thompson: Serena, that was a great guest. Emily was just awesome. Serena Gilbert: I can't wait to have her back. Jeff Thompson: Emily, that was a good find. That must have been a great convention. Serena Gilbert: Oh, it was fantastic. Like I said, when we were in the general session, you could have heard a pin drop. Everybody was just captivated by what Emily was sharing with us, and I cannot tell her again how much I appreciate how open she was on this interview. Jeff Thompson: I know you got to listening and you just started sinking in further and further into her story, and it's like you could really relate to it, and yet, you wouldn't wish it upon anybody, yourself, or anybody, one in a million. Serena Gilbert: Exactly. And I'd like to check that book out, because she did say her mom had a book called One in a Million, so I'm going to have to look that up. Jeff Thompson: A lot of the transitions from a mother's point of view. That must be interesting. Serena Gilbert: Exactly. Well, we hope you enjoyed this episode, and, again, Jeff, do you want to tell them where you can find us? Jeff Thompson: Yeah, so you can go to www.BlindAbilities.com, check out all the Job Insights podcasts and you can also find us on Twitter @JobInsightsVIP. Serena Gilbert: And on Facebook under Job Insights, and we also have a wonderful support group called Job Insights Support Group. Jeff Thompson: And you can also send us email, feedback at- Serena Gilbert: JobInsights@BlindAbilities.com. Jeff Thompson: Great. Thanks for listening. Serena Gilbert: We'll see you next time. Jeff Thompson: And thank you, Chee Chau, for the beautiful music. You can follow Chee Chau on Twitter @LCheeChau And, as always, we want to thank you for listening. We hope you enjoyed, and until next time, bye-bye. [Music] [Transition noise] When we share, What we see, Through each other's eyes... [Multiple voices overlapping, in unison, to form a single sentence] ...We can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations, and the realities of Blind Abilities. Jeff Thompson: For more podcasts with a blindness perspective check us out on the web at www.blindabilities.com. On Twitter @blindabilities. Download our app from the app store, Blind Abilities, that's two words. Or send us an email at info@blindabilities.com. Thanks for listening.
JobInsightsExtra: Employment Breakouts, Aira on Employment and Zoom Zooms Ahead and a Great Tool in the Indeed App Full Transcript Below: In this Job Insights Extra Serina Gilbert and Jeff Thompson talk about the Employment Breakout Sessions at conventions. How Airais focused on employment, education and Bringing more value to their services. Serina talks aboutIndeed, an app for smart phones and a web site that assists one during the job hunt and finding employment opportunities in the field you want. Zoom Cloud Meetingsis becoming the go-to tool for conferenceing and meetings because it just works and Zoom has a lot to offer. We include a small segment from our Blind Abilities podcast, “Aira Workshop on Employment, Education, and Aira as a Reasonable Accommodation,” with Michael Hingsonspeaking about Aira and how the Aira service can impact the job search, save time on the job and Aira as a Reasonable Accommodation. You can find the entire podcast on BlindAbilities.com We also bring you a conversation with Dacia Vanalstine, employment Specialist at State Services for the Blind. Dacia presented at the NFB Employment Committee workshops and Jeff sat down and asked her about the breakout sessions. We wanted to do this podcast to show how the conventions can be a resource for information, educational and a place that offers opportunities to meet and talk to professionals in the field. Thanks for Listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store Full Transcript: JobInsightsExtra: Employment Breakouts, Aira on Employment and Zoom Zooms Ahead and a Great Tool in the Indeed App Serena Gilbert: Cue fancy music. Jeff Thompson: They had breakout groups that you could go into, one was on resume building, one was on disclosure, another was upward mobility, another was on job searching. Michael Hingson: Aira, by any definition of the Americans With Disabilities Act is a reasonable accommodation. Serena Gilbert: You already know I'm like Aira jealous. Jeff Thompson: Zoom works pretty good, you can record on it, you can do all sorts of stuff with it, it's just always blowing my mind a little bit. Serena Gilbert: You can also live stream to Facebook from Zoom and they'll show whatever you're showing on your Zoom screen in the Facebook Live. This podcast is not brought to you by Zoom. Jeff Thompson: Job Insights is a podcast that is helping you find careers and gainful employment through innovations and opportunities. You can find the Job Insights podcast on BlindAbilities.com, part of the Blind Abilities network. And as part of the Job Insights podcast, we will be bringing you the Job Insights extras, consisting of interviews, demonstrations, and news surrounding employment, careers, and jobs. With hosts Serena Gilbert, and myself, Jeff Thompson. And you can contact us by email at JobInsights@BlindAbilities.com. Leave us some feedback, or suggest some topics that we cover. On Twitter, @JobInsightsBIP. Serena Gilbert: I use the Indeed website all the time with my clients when we're looking at job openings. I like it because it filters all the scams, and weird Craigslist ads and things like that, and gets right to what you're really looking for. Jeff Thompson: In this Job Insights extra, we'll be talking about Aira, and how they are enhancing the opportunities in education and employment for students and job seekers alike. We tap into a little bit about Zoom. Is it replacing Skype? It seems to have all the features to do so. Give it a try, see what you think. We touch base on an app called Indeed, which is also a website, which will help you along your job seeking journey. And we expand upon how conventions can help you in the job market, employment, and as a student, and the upcoming CSUN Convention as well. Jeff Thompson: So now, please join Serena Gilbert and myself, Jeff Thompson in this Job Insights extra. We hope you enjoy. Jeff Thompson: Well how you doing Serena? Serena Gilbert: I am doing great, Jeff, how are you? Jeff Thompson: I'm doing good, just got back and I'm settling in back home here in Minnesota. Serena Gilbert: You survived. Jeff Thompson: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Yep, a lot of employment stuff, and people showed up, and that's one thing about these conventions is not only do you get experience of traveling, different types of adventure through using mobility, getting to place to place, but you meet a lot of people, and you have a lot of opportunity to focus in on the agenda. And I focused in on the employment parts of it. Jeff Thompson: They had breakout groups that you could go into, one was on resume building, one was on disclosure, another was upward mobility, another was on job searching. There was lots of opportunities for people to get involved. And there was even one on meeting the voc rehab panel, there was a panel of voc rehab teachers and professionals in the field, DVIs, lots of good stuff. Serena Gilbert: I know that there was a lot of talk about how Aira fits into everything having to do with employment, from the job search even through to completing job tasks, is that right? Jeff Thompson: Yeah. I was in attendance at a breakout session Aira sponsored, and it was Aira and employment, and Michael Hingson was speaking, along with Patrick Lane. And they were talking about reasonable accommodations, how Aira fits that bill, the things you can do, it saves you time compared to how much it would cost for a reader for some applications, and how Aira has this program where if you are filling out a resume and getting help, and using Aira while you're researching a job, say you're going to an interview, and back again, all those minutes are covered by Aira. You don't have to pay for those minutes, so they're free. Serena Gilbert: That could be a nice way to help with ... I know sometimes there's applications that aren't the most accessible, and something weird kind of happens with it, and you kind of get stuck. So that'd be nice to be able to have the Aira agent help you figure that out, especially when it's a time sensitive employment application you're trying to get in. Jeff Thompson: Exactly, and usually you're doing that on the computer. Another thing with Aira is they have a partnership with VFO, Andrew Joyce and Jos. Serena Gilbert: So Jeff, I know there was an another one that I saw come through that they have just partnered with, do you remember who it was? Jeff Thompson: Oh yeah, more and more partnerships are being developed all the time and being announced. Just lately the 26 YMCAs in the Minneapolis area have come on board as a Aira access point, where you can use Aira services free. And some of the big news coming out is Andrew Cole from Microsoft, he's the senior data scientist that was responsible for developing seeing AI has now joined Aira as head of the artificial intelligence and research at IRA. That's great news, and Chloe is going to be worked on, and enhanced I'm sure. Yeah, where is this going to take us, we only know. But yeah, partnerships are being developed all the time, so stay tuned for more and more partnerships joining the Aira team and making Aira accessible and affordable to all. Jeff Thompson: Another area of growth is, I believe it's six days that their state agencies, vocational rehab, are now offering Aira as a service, and even colleges, their disabilities services office is now providing the service as well. Serena Gilbert: That's very nice to hear, I mean, I know it'll take a little while for the word to get out to the bureaucracy that it is. But I think it's great that that's something that people are considering to help with more accessibility for their clients. Jeff Thompson: Yeah. Well, when you think about reasonable accommodation, what is it? Offering a free zone for your company, say you're a voc rehab, or a state agency for the blind and you have five or six people who could benefit from IRA, and if they do have it, why not allow those minutes to be free? I don't know, it's something interesting. I know San Francisco Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired is considering making their area a free zone as well. So like you said, it's catching on, I think it's becoming more of a household name in the blindness community. It used to be kind of a idea, or people didn't know it was really out there and working, but I believe they're growing. I would have to say they've got to be up to at least 2,000 some users now, especially now that they're worldwide. And even Minnesota. Serena Gilbert: That's a whole nother country there. Jeff Thompson: Yeah. But that puts it more on the clock. So you can turn around and actually have service around the clock. Serena Gilbert: And even before they went international I feel like they had pretty accessible hours, because I believe it was like 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Pacific time, or something like that, that's pretty good. Jeff Thompson: Mm-hmm (affirmative). So now it's pretty much 24/7 and from what I reckoned, when we were ... reckoned, when did I ever use that word? Serena Gilbert: Yeah, who did you hang out with from the south there for a little while? Jeff Thompson: Yeah, there was people from all over the ... every walk of life is there. The blindness doesn't pull you all together, it's just normal people and we just have a common thing of visual challenges. Serena Gilbert: And that was in a free zone too, because I know they made Orlando and ... did they call it an Aira access point or something like that, where it was free for everyone? Jeff Thompson: Exactly. And we're the guest too because if you are down there with the iPhone, you could just download the app, sign up and you could get yourself an agent and use it just like you had it. Just like you were part of it, you were an explorer now, but you're a guest. I heard a lot of people really satisfied and excited about it. Serena Gilbert: I think that's really cool. I mean, you already know I'm like Aira jealous, and I'm just waiting for that price to come down a little bit for me- Jeff Thompson: Yeah. Serena Gilbert: Before I take that plunge. But I mean, it just sounds really cool. No surprise here, Jeff, so what I most want to do with is go shopping one day. Jeff Thompson: Yeah. Well, to tell you the truth, I was in an Aira session, and Michael Hingson had a few words to say, so let's segue right into that right now. Michael Hingson: Aira, if you look at Aira in the general terms of what it is, Aira is an information source. Aira is a way that you can get any visual information that you otherwise would not have access to. When I talk to a lot of people about Aira, they think about the fact that oh, well, I really have good travel skills, so I don't need it. Or I've always got sighted people with me, so I don't have that problem. Let's deal with that in terms of a job. I'm on the job, I'm using JAWS, and suddenly the computer quits working. Now where do I go to get my sighted assistance? I'm in the office, I've got to go interrupt somebody else to get them to come and look at the screen, tell me what the error screen is, or of course the infamous blue screen of death. Michael Hingson: In any case, I have to go find someone. Why should I have to do that today? Because there is a way to do that on my own, namely using Aira. I can use Aira to contact an agent, the agent can look at the screen, see an error code, and if I can't easily move my cursor to where it needs to go, it's possible that I can even enter into a tandem or two way session using Team Voyeur or some other team technology with the agent. That might be a little harder with JAWS not talking, but for a lot of different things that I do where this is an inaccessible webpage, or something that isn't talking the way it should, I can interact with an agent and get their assistance, both in terms of actually having a session, a two way communication session, or at least getting information described. Michael Hingson: If I am an employee and I want to go to lunch, let's say I'm in sales and I want to take people somewhere for lunch for sales, I can more quickly use an Aira agent to research possible restaurants if I don't really know all the options, or when I get to the restaurant, or going to the restaurant using an agent's help to do all of that. Michael Hingson: Aira gives me the opportunity to get anything that I need that I don't otherwise have access to because it's visual. It is that simple, it is that general, and I urge people to look at Aira in that way. Don't limit yourself to looking at it as a travel device. Don't look at it as something that's going to diminish your skills, don't look at it as something that is anything other than what it is, an information source. And all of us, no matter how good our cane skills are, no matter how good our dog skills are, can benefit by having access to Aira, because Aira is the way that I can get more information to better tell my dog where I want to go, or interact with traveling with my cane. Michael Hingson: So you go off and you graduate, and then you go looking for a job. The first thing you should be aware of if you happen to be an Aira explorer is that we have an Aira access network for jobs, a job access network, whatever you want to call it, that will stick it in your memory. If you are doing anything relating to getting a job at all, whether it's writing a resume, writing a cover letter, making sure everything is formatted, getting dressed to go to a job interview, ladies putting on makeup, anything at all related to getting a job, that time is automatically free to you. So for any Aira explorer doing anything relating to getting a job is free. Michael Hingson: We are saying at Aira we want to take that unemployment from 70% unemployment rate among blind people down to 7%, which would be cool. And Aira is trying to help to make that happen by making it possible for you as an explorer to have access to the tools at no additional charge to get that job. Michael Hingson: What does it mean though as far as getting a job, and where does Aira fit into that? The way Aira fits in is really pretty simple. Aira, by any definition of the Americans With Disabilities Act is a reasonable accomodation. It is something that should be usable and used by you on the job. I can take almost any job that you can imagine and find a way Aira can help. Because again, remember what Aira is, an information source. It provides you with what information you need. Jeff Thompson: And this was just a snippet taken from the full podcast that we produced over on Blind Abilities. Be sure to check it out and see how Aira enhances the opportunities in employment, education, and as a student. There's a link in the shown notes, be sure to check it out. Jeff Thompson: So with Aira, it's getting more and more, like we said, a household name, more voc rehabs are aware of it, more counselors are aware of it, so who knows what it'll be tomorrow because they are ever changing. My wife Laurie just received the Horizon glasses, which puts the lens right in the center and gives you more of a fisheye look, so the agent can actually see more and do more. They have a Samsung device that is actually a phone, but it's locked for only Aira to use. So you turn that on and there's wire that goes up to the glasses, and now you don't have any connectivity between the Bluetooth for your phone to the wifi. You have three connections that all had to be in sync, and now it's just one wire, one phone, and I believe it's up to a seven and nine hour battery life. Serena Gilbert: Oh wow, that's pretty good. And I've heard they're pretty stylish now too. Because I guess the previous ones were like glasses with no lenses. Jeff Thompson: And some of these people are getting them with the tinted glass, so ... Serena Gilbert: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Jeff Thompson: It seems all right. You know, it's Clark Kent-esque. Serena Gilbert: Oh. Jeff Thompson: Well face it, you do have a charge going to it, you do have batteries going to them, they do have a camera mounted in them, so you're not able to just have wire rims and aviator glasses so ... Laurie told me that they don't fall, they don't move once they're on, so they're real stable. That means a lot. When actually the agent wants you to look at something that you can just turn and you don't have to look like a bobble head in the back of a car. Jeff Thompson: They probably did a lot of research on this, Greg Stillson who was the product developer there, part of the team, did a great job on the Horizon. Good things on the horizon they say. Serena Gilbert: So did she get hers at the conference or did they mail them to her? Jeff Thompson: Before the convention happened they sent out notice that said if you were attending they would then bring the glasses there, and so when she was there she was on the list, and she received them. Serena Gilbert: Oh, that's awesome. Jeff Thompson: So she went up the room, put it on the charger, and later on tried them on and they seem to work really well for her, and she likes the idea that you don't have to use your phone to do it. It's kind of interesting because the wire plugs into the back end of the glasses, so the wire comes down your ... you know, it doesn't hang down your cheek, it goes- Serena Gilbert: So it's out of the way. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, it goes down behind your ear, and then down your shoulder. When she was using them I didn't even really recognize the ... well, my blindness helps there, I suppose. But yeah, people were excited about them. Jeff Thompson: You know Serena, we're talking about jobs and everything like that, one thing I noticed was kind of a common denominator, I would say three out of 10 people mentioned it while I was down there, the app and I believe there's a software product for computers, Indeed. Have you ever used that? Serena Gilbert: Yep, I use the Indeed website all the time with my clients when we're looking at job openings. Jeff Thompson: And you use that on the PC? Serena Gilbert: Correct. Jeff Thompson: How do you like it? Serena Gilbert: It used to be more accessible, it used to be when you typed in the job search and everything and you picked a job you wanted to look at, it would open up in a new window. And now it still opens, but it opens up at the bottom of the page. And unless you go adventure and look for it at the bottom of the page, you never would know. So it's still accessible, it's just different now. But I like it because it filters out all of the scams, and weird Craigslist ads and things like that, and gets right to what you're really looking for. You can also set up an alert where it'll send you every day jobs that matched what you're looking for, so you can be one of the first to see them and apply for them. Jeff Thompson: Well that's great because I got a new iPad and I noticed that there's a new upgrade to the Indeed app, so I'm going to try it out on the iPad, and I'm going to try it out on my iPhone because it updated there. Serena Gilbert: No, I do use it on my phone though, it is very accessible on the phone. But I wouldn't recommend applying for a job from your phone. Jeff Thompson: Or setting up a Zoom meeting. We use Zoom on here and it's a very good app, and while I was at the convention, and in the pool I ran into a gentleman, not physically, but we were chit chatting, he was part of a ... I believe it was South Carolina Voc Rehab for the Deaf/Blind, and they had switched to Zoom and he said that because I have the pro that I can actually switch my identification number, you know, when you set up a meeting it gives you an identification number, you can actually change that if you want. You could change it to, I don't know, Volkswagen, or Lovebug, or ... you could change it to Red Pony, anything you wanted to change it to, and that would be your meeting link. Serena Gilbert: I think it has to be a series of numbers still for the meeting ID, but you can customize it to be something that people would remember easier. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, so it's really interesting, a lot of people are using it, they have a business package that they have. And he says that if you had like 15, 20 people in a meeting, he said you can break out into four groups and five people go into each group, and then you can bring them all back again. Serena Gilbert: Yeah, you can do that, I believe it's in the webinar setting on it. That one's like $40.00 a month or something, to have the webinar piece. But you can also live stream to Facebook from Zoom if you have the webinar piece added on to the account. Jeff Thompson: Oh really? Serena Gilbert: And it'll show whatever you're showing on your Zoom screen in the Facebook Live. Jeff Thompson: It's just really impressive to me what Zoom is doing when you've had other companies sitting back on their laurels, let's take Skype for example, it was Skype for many, many years. That's all it was. That's all we used it for, and some others have come and gone, but Zoom seemed to come in all ready and prepared, because it just seems like it keeps growing. Or I keep on finding out more and more of what you can do with it. So people out there are looking for a conference type of, I don't know, walkie talkie communication here that we're using, Zoom works pretty good. You can record on it, you can do all sorts of stuff with it, it's just always blowing my mind a little bit. Serena Gilbert: This podcast is not brought to you by Zoom. Jeff Thompson: But you do like it, right? Serena Gilbert: Oh I love Zoom. I hate Skype, it's a pain to use. Zoom just works. That's really just ... it's kind of like Apple, it just works. Except it really does just work. Jeff Thompson: Really, really works. Except for when we did it today, when we were trying to connect up. I sent a request- Serena Gilbert: I am convinced you sent me a different link. Jeff Thompson: Well, I set it up on the phone and I sent it out, it says, "send request", and so I sent it out, and then I came into my computer, started it up, and I saw the meeting was there so I went into the room, and she went into a room, but we were in different rooms. And for some reason, my phone must be set up for ... what did you say, private room? Serena Gilbert: Yeah, well so when you have a Zoom account you get a personal meeting ID that is the exact same meeting ID every time you send someone that link. And that's the link that you sent me, was the personal meeting ID. I was like I feel special. Jeff Thompson: Yeah. So then I sent another link from my computer and then we got all connected up, so other than that ... Serena Gilbert: Jeff's still on conference time. Jeff Thompson: It is. If people ever get a chance to check out one of the conventions, next year it's in Las Vegas, the NFB, National Federation of the Blind Convention will be in Las Vegas, and I believe it runs from July 7th to July 12th, and ACB will be in Rochester, New York. I believe that will be before that, I don't think they're going to be running overlapping, I think they'll probably be going from ... my guess will be from the 1st to the 9th or something. I know ACB is a little bit longer, but they have a lot more fun activities, lots of walks, lots of, I don't know, boat rides and all sorts of stuff outside the area, a lot of busing around to do things, but they seem to make it a really social type of atmosphere at those. Jeff Thompson: And the NFB is I would say mostly locked into a lot of business and a lot of opportunities to get together with people. Serena Gilbert: And CSUN is in February. Jeff Thompson: End of February, that's right. And this time, it's moving to Anaheim, California. Serena Gilbert: And for those who don't know what CSUN is, it stands for California State University Northridge. From what my understanding is, is it's the biggest assistive technology conference for bling and low vision, at least in the North America, maybe even the world. And very large names come into that, that's where a lot of new technology is introduced and talked about that's related to blind and low vision. It's kind of like a person like my like biggest dream, because I'm just a tech nerd. I've been trying to go there for years, but it never works out. But I think it might work out this year, hint, hint. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, I'm really excited about it because I haven't ever gone to one of those, and you hear about it, and you hear a lot about the tech stuff, that's really what it is. But there's also a lot of breakout rooms, like Microsoft might have three different sessions that they're talking about, Google would be there with sessions that you can go into and they'll talk about their accessibility and the development that they're doing with the Chromebook and what is the ... don't they have Voice Box or something like that? Serena Gilbert: Chromebox. Jeff Thompson: Chromevox. Serena Gilbert: Chrome ... yeah, it's like their built in screen reader for their Chromebooks. Jeff Thompson: Mm-hmm (affirmative). And I was talking to them and they wanted to give me a demonstration, but I had to move over to the Amazon because I got an interview with none other than Peter Korn. Amazon's Peter Korn. And there's one thing that I really want to make a point of at conventions, the things that are changing at conventions when you go into the exhibit halls, it used to be where's the JAWS? Where are they? Where's Hinter Joyce now it's VFO, where's Humanware, all these different places that we would flock to. Now you walk in, front and center you've got Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Aira, they've taken over the front of the convention hall. Kind of reminds me of Walmart coming into a small town, Walmart comes in and a lot of the small mom and pop shops disappear. Jeff Thompson: Well, it's not really happening like that to effect, but look how many timers are being sold by Maxi Aids when you can use your Amazon device, your Google device, your Siri, what time is it? Set timer. So a lot of the gidgets and gadgets have gone to the wayside, a lot of these devices, we're changing and it's starting to show in the convention. How many times has Microsoft ever showed up to an NFB convention? Two? Google, once? Now we Amazon, twice. Where's it going to be in five years? HIMS didn't even show up. Serena Gilbert: Oh wow. Jeff Thompson: So I think we're in for a change, more of the mainstream companies are starting to take over the products, making things accessible and that's what we want. So seeing these big companies come in and things might be more mainstream. They send in their people who are involved with the accessibility at the company, Peter Korn, he was an accessibility director, all the way back to Kindle his department went. So it was really neat to see them all there in full force, all about accessibility. Serena Gilbert: That's great. Sounds like you had fun. Jeff Thompson: Yeah. Oh yeah. And I even went to convention. No, it was a lot of fun. Serena Gilbert: I even attended some breakout sessions. Jeff Thompson: It's really neat to meet people because that's what it is about networking, you know. You really get an opportunity to meet some interesting people with very like mindedness, people who have overcome the struggles and the challenges ahead of you with blindness as you go through your journey, so a lot of success stories there, and I captured a few of them that you'll be listening to, some job extras. Hey, if we were in the Tupperware, we'd be a Tupperware party, right? Serena Gilbert: Yes. Jeff Thompson: But it's always nice to get back home, you know, after you go to the convention, it's nice to get back home. You get too much of the different foods, different people, different stuff, and all the congestion, it's 2500 canes and dogs, elevators and all that. It's almost like you need more noise, heck, let's bring it to Vegas, that'll be a lot better. And then you have gambling machines going ding, ding, ding. To me it almost gets to a point of aggravation in Vegas. So I don't know, I imagine it'll be quite a trip. Serena Gilbert: Oh gosh, that could be stimulation overload, like, man ... Jeff Thompson: Oh yeah, when you're actually just trying to figure out where you're going and your cane- Serena Gilbert: Yeah. Jeff Thompson: Tapping, how you use all the sounds to identify things and all you need is two people to win the jackpot and you get lost, like it's crazy. Serena Gilbert: Yeah. And that casino ... well, none of the casinos are really very well lit. For low vision. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, it's really interesting to meet all sorts of different people. Well it's all over for this year, now we get to wait for the next one, and like you said, it's CSUN isn't it? CSUN 2019. Serena Gilbert: If I have my luck at a yes. Jeff Thompson: There you go. The thing about CSUN, I would in advance try and find a place there because the hotels are pretty expensive, and Anaheim I don't think is any cheaper. Serena Gilbert: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Jeff Thompson: Usually when I go to a convention, on January 1st is when I do the stuff for the summer ones, so when you're talking CSUN, when you find out exactly which hotel it is, I would start looking probably around Thanksgiving time, start looking for those hotel rooms, because they fill up fast and then they go to an overflow, and overflow is not as much fun. Serena Gilbert: Yeah, that's not where the party's at. Jeff Thompson: But yeah, CSUN, Anaheim, I think I'll be there. You? Serena Gilbert: I don't know Jeff, will I? Jeff Thompson: We'll have to see. Serena Gilbert: To be continued. Jeff Thompson: Yeah. So stay tuned folks for more podcasts from Job Insights, my name's Jeff Thompson and you can find me at KnownAsJeff on Twitter. Serena Gilbert: And I'm Serena Gilbert, you can find me at BlindyBlog, that's @ B-L-I-N-D-Y, B-L-O-G. Cue fancy music. Jeff Thompson: I'm going to leave that. Thank you for listening to this Job Insights extra. And be sure to check out all the Job Insights podcasts on BlindAbilities.com. Big thank you to Cheechau for your beautiful music. And that's Lcheechau on Twitter. Jeff Thompson: Once again, thanks for listening. We hope you enjoyed. And until next time, bye bye. [Music] [Transition noise] - When we share, What we see, Through each other's eyes... [Multiple voices overlapping, in unison, to form a single sentence] ...We can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations, and the realities of Blind Abilities. Jeff Thompson: For more podcasts with the blindness perspective: Check us out on the web at www.BlindAbilities.com On Twitter @BlindAbilities Download our app from the App store: 'Blind Abilities'; that's two words. Or send us an e-mail at: info@blindabilities.com Thanks for listening.
Job Insights #8: The Job Interview – Get Prepped, You’re Going In! Full Transcript Below Welcome to Episode 8 of Job Insights with Serina Gilbert and Jeff Thompson. We focus on Employment, Careers, enhancing opportunities and bringing you the latest innovations from across the Vocational Rehabilitation field to ensure your choices lead you down the career pathway that you want and succeed in gainful employment. From getting started with services, to assessments, Individual Plan for Employment (IPE) to gaining the skills to succeed and tools for success, Job Insights will be giving you tips and tricks to help your journey to employment and break down the barriers along the way. Job Insights Episode #8 is all about the Job Interview, from researching the company, finding out what exactly they do, what they produce and what is the latest news on this company? We discuss what to wear, what to do before the day of the interview arrives and how to be prepared so you can best let them know that you are the right person for the job. Serina talks about the STARInterview Response Method and technique that will help you prepare yourself for the interview questions. Glass Dooris a Job Search web site that will help you get the job that fits your life. Join the Job Insights team, Serina and Jeff, as they jump right into the deep end of the Job Interview, Get Prepped, You’re Going In! Check out episode 8 of Job Insights and send us your feedback and topic suggestions by email. Follow the Job Insights team on twitter @JobInsightsVIP Job Insights is part of the Blind Abilities network. Thank you for listening! You can find out more about Job Insights on the web at BlindAbilities.comand follow Job Insights on Twitter @JobInsightsVIPSend us your feedback and suggestions by email. You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store FullTranscript: Job Insights #8: The Job Interview – Get Prepped, You’re Going In! Serena Gilbert: So that when you're practicing and tailoring your answers to some of the commonly asked interview questions, you have an idea of how to frame all of your answers. Jeff Thompson: Job Insights. A podcast to help you carve out your career pathway and enhance the opportunities for gainful employment. Jeff Thompson: Three copies, you should be good. Your resume is a sheet of paper, a cover letter, maybe a sheet of paper. So it's not like you're taking in a briefcase on wheels. Jeff Thompson: To help you navigate the employment world and give you job insights and enhance the opportunities to choose the career you want. Serena Gilbert: Practice, practice, practice interview questions. Jeff Thompson: And you can find the Job Insights podcast on blindabilities.com, part of the Blind Abilities network, with host Serena Gilbert and myself, Jeff Thompson. And you can contact us by email at jobinsights@blindabilities.come. Leave us some feedback or suggest some topics that we cover. On Twitter @jobinsightsvip and check out the Job Insights support group on Facebook, where you can learn, share, advise, and interact with the Job Insights community. Jeff Thompson: Relate it to something that you've done, and we've all had experiences in different areas and stuff, so hopefully you have something that will relate to the question they ask. Learn about resources for training, education and employment opportunities. Serena Gilbert: If you can, getting contact information or business cards of the interview panel so that you can use that to send thank you emails to them when you arrive back home. Jeff Thompson: Little things, or just little tips that might help push you to the top of the list. Serena Gilbert: Jeff, would you like to learn something new today? Jeff Thompson: Mm-hmm (affirmative), always ready to learn. Serena Gilbert: Always. You're a good student, right? Jeff Thompson: ... yeah? Serena Gilbert: That had a question mark at the end. Speaker 2: Now please welcome Serena Gilbert and Jeff Thompson with Job Insights. Jeff Thompson: Hey, Serena. Serena Gilbert: Hey Jeff, how are you? Jeff Thompson: I'm doing good. How you doing? Serena Gilbert: I am doing great. Jeff Thompson: I've got a question for you. Serena Gilbert: I don't know, I'm a little scared. What's up? Jeff Thompson: What's your greatest weakness? Serena Gilbert: That would have to be you, Jeff. Jeff Thompson: Ha ha. Serena Gilbert: You set yourself up for that one. Jeff Thompson: Because that's one of the questions, Serena, that will probably be asked at a job interview. Have you ever had that asked at an interview? Serena Gilbert: I've definitely had that question asked at every single interview that I've participated in. And it's a little bit of a catch-22, because you're torn between, "Do I say what my real weakness is, or do I pick a weakness that is kind of a weakness but can be turned into something a little bit more positive?" And spin it a little bit. So that's a question that we'll go over a little bit later in the podcast, and give you some tips with how you might tackle that and have somewhat of a prepared answer so that you can shine in that interview. Jeff Thompson: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Yeah, we're gonna be talking about clothing, all the professionalism that you want to bring into this, about shutting your phone off, about your ring backs. We're gonna be talking about being prepared, what you bring to the interview and all this. What kind of interview is it gonna be? Are you gonna find out there's gonna be three in a panel or just one person? So we're gonna be talking about your approach to the whole thing, how you get yourself all ready, and I think it starts in the early morning when you decide what to put on. Serena Gilbert: Yeah, so I have kind of a pre-interview routine that I go through, personally. I know, it sounds so fancy, right? So basically, and this isn't all on the same day. This can be within the few days that you know that you have the interview. The first thing that I do is I look back at the job description that I applied for. Because you might've applied for a few different positions at the same company, and you might not quite remember the specific job description of the job that you applied for. So it's always a good idea to review the job description so that you can have an idea of, 'okay, what are the qualifications they were looking for again? What's some of the things that are really important that this person does?' So that when you're practicing and tailoring your answers to some of the commonly asked interview questions, you have an idea of how to frame all of your answers. Serena Gilbert: The next thing that I do is I research the company that I've applied for. So some of the things that I take a look at are some recent news items, maybe doing a google news search. But then I also take a look at their home page and click on the About Us part of it, because that's where we're going to find what that company is really about. They'll tell you what their mission is, what their values are. Some of them will have their vision as well. They'll also talk about what product or service they provide, or if they're like a government agency, what types of services they provide to clients and things like that. That's gonna also be important for you to take a look at when you're framing, again, the questions and answers that you would be asking and answering during the interview. Jeff Thompson: Mm-hmm (affirmative). It's nice to be able to have that in your back pocket for the questions that might come up. Serena Gilbert: The next thing that I do, is I take a look at where is this job interview going to occur? And there's a few different ways that you can research this. When the person calls you to schedule the interview, it is perfectly appropriate to ask, "okay, so are you the building on the northeast corner of Main and 1st Street?" That's a common question that a lot of people ask, and the person scheduling the interview definitely doesn't mind letting you know where they are, and even giving you some basic directions. That'll help you if you do need to take public transit or even para transit to kinda do a test run to see 'okay, how long is this gonna take me to get here?' It's important when you do your test run though, to make sure that you're doing it at roughly the time and day that your interview would be on. So don't do your test run on a Saturday at 2:00, because the traffic is not gonna be nearly the same as a Monday at 8:00. So whenever possible try to mimic what that type of commute would look like, so you can be prepared with how long it realistically will take for you. Jeff Thompson: And that takes a lot of pressure off you, because on the day of the interview most anybody is gonna have a little bit of butterflies and be a little nervous. Anxiety can build up. So if you've already been to a place, you know, it's so easy to return. You're not exploring anymore, you're just traveling to the destination and then you're gonna get to the door and go in. Just to alleviate some of the stress by knowing where you're going and that you can get there on time and it fits your agenda. Being there 15 to 10 minutes early is a good thing. Serena Gilbert: Well, and you had mentioned alleviating butterflies, and there's a couple of additional things that you can do to help alleviate those butterflies. They're never going to go completely away. If you're in a job interview and you're not nervous, then you might not want that job, because frankly, anytime you really want something you should have a little bit of nervousness going on. It's just human nature. But one thing you can do the day before, or even a couple days before, is pick out your interview outfit. Because that can be stressful, if the day of, you take it out of the closet and your significant other or your son says, "Why is that so wrinkled?" Yeah. That's not fun, right? So pick it out a couple days before, try it on. Make sure everything fits, make sure there's no buttons missing, because that, again, could completely throw you off the day of. Iron it, put it away where it's not going to get any sort of fuzz or hair on it if you use a service animal, that sort of thing. Jeff Thompson: Take off the dry cleaning tag. Serena Gilbert: That's helpful, because that might be a little itchy, right? Jeff Thompson: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Serena Gilbert: The other really big thing that you can do, and this is gonna be a little bit of a longer discussion, is practice, practice, practice interview questions. And we'll talk about some commonly asked interview questions coming up next, but it's gonna feel a little bit awkward when you are practicing these questions. I'm not gonna act like it's not. But the more you practice it, the more you gather your thoughts, the easier it will be in the interview to recall that information and be able to chat a little bit more naturally with the people interviewing you. Jeff Thompson: Now Serena, at vocational rehab in Colorado, they do offer mock interviews because in Minnesota we do the same thing where you can do mock interviews and gain some experience. Serena Gilbert: We do offer mock interviews and we typically do mock interviews where it's maybe the counselor that you're working with as well as two other staff members that you've probably never worked with before or are not familiar with. Because we found that when you interview with your DVR counselor, you're pretty comfortable with that person when you're at that stage in the game, so it's not quite as reflective of what the real job interview might feel like. Jeff Thompson: That's great. And that's a service that's available to you, so if you would like to get some more experience, I mean, you can do it with your friend, your mom, your sister and stuff like that, but I like that idea that bringing in some people that you haven't worked with because then the anxiety comes up, and that's how it's gonna be in the real job interview. Serena Gilbert: Exactly. So Jeff, I've a question for you. Jeff Thompson: Go ahead. Serena Gilbert: This one's an easy one, I promise. So this next question is asked probably in 100% of interviews. I'm sure I'm exaggerating, but I don't think I've been to one that this wasn't asked. So Jeff, tell me about yourself. Jeff Thompson: Well, I'm very young, dashing. I like walks along the beach and sunsets, and I don't think I want to go there. Serena Gilbert: No. Jeff Thompson: I want to stick right with the professionalism. I've been in recording media for 14 years, I started out in a band and I transitioned into podcasting later on, and I've been doing that for five years now. Serena Gilbert: Exactly. Many individuals when they hear the 'tell me about yourself,' tend to go off on a tangent into their personal life. Most organizations when they're asking you that, that's not what they are looking for. They don't need to hear that you're a single mom of three kids and you recently got divorced and you just moved to Colorado. That, honestly, will maybe put some more questions in their head that are a little bit distracting to the interview, and frankly, not really relevant to your skillset and your abilities and capabilities. So this is the question where you would want to use, we call it either a two minute pitch or an elevator pitch. There's all kinds of different ways that people refer to it. Basically you talk about your skills, abilities, education and experience, briefly, as it relates to the position. Serena Gilbert: So as Jeff demonstrated there, if he was applying for a media specialist position, for example, it's great that he mentioned the background as a musician and how he's been doing podcasting for five years. That immediately, honestly, a lot of employers would be like, "Tell me more about the podcasting, tell me a little bit about that." And it'll open it up for them to ask you additional questions and it might even make you feel a little bit more relaxed in the job interview. Jeff Thompson: Yeah. Yeah. I like that. Serena Gilbert: So Jeff, I think you asked me this earlier, so I'm gonna ask you another interview question for you. Jeff Thompson: Uh oh. Serena Gilbert: Tell me your greatest weakness. Jeff Thompson: My greatest weakness is I have a hard time not bringing work home. Because I'm always wired for doing stuff, and I want to get things done all the time. So when I'm at home, I'll still be working and that kind of thing. But you know, if you answer something like that, like you're an overachiever and stuff like that, wouldn't they rather hire someone that has a more balanced family life where they don't burn out? So that's why I kinda exaggerated that way. Serena Gilbert: Well, see you're gonna disagree with me. That's okay though. See, that one I don't see as like a horrible weakness, because yes, they want to see that work-life balance, but when somebody says that to me, it depends on how you frame it. Because when you first started talking, I thought, 'well, does he not stay on task at work so he has to take it home?' But then as you went on, it really seemed like it was more, 'I'm a hard worker and I really like what I do.' Jeff Thompson: Well, I usually have these cars that break down once in a while, so sometimes I'm late for work unexpectedly and stuff, I think. But you know, I really have a passion for these cars and stuff, so I should be getting better at that, but yeah, I'll probably be late once in a while. Serena Gilbert: Alright, so let's break down Jeff's answer. So Jeff mentioned that he has unreliable vehicles and that he is late to work, in his words, 'every once in a while.' So as an employer, I'm thinking, 'he's probably late all the time, because people tend to downplay that.' So it might be accurate, but that's not something that you'd want to share with an employer, necessarily. So we understand that that was a little bit exaggerated, but we wanted to demonstrate the kind of things that might distract an employer with a potential answer that you have to that weakness question. So one thing that if you really wanted to use what Jeff responded with is, "okay, in the past I have had some issues with being on time to work. However, since, I have gotten more reliable transportation. I have left my home earlier," that sort of thing. I would highly recommend, though, not using any sort of answer to that question that points out punctuality to an employer. Jeff Thompson: If I was asked that question again ... Serena Gilbert: Would you like a round two? Jeff Thompson: Yeah. Serena Gilbert: Alright, Jeff, tell me about your greatest weakness. Jeff Thompson: I think my greatest weakness is, it come down to delegating and stuff. I believe leadership comes in a form of delegation to hand the ball off to some people, but when, in time crunches and stuff, I tend to build a narrow team to make sure the job gets done and it may seem like I'm not giving opportunities to everyone, but sometimes there's times to hand the ball off to some people, but sometimes you have to keep it yourself. So delegating is a good skill of mine, I like delegating, I think a teamwork works great, and I think my weakness is I need to branch out a little bit more with that. Serena Gilbert: See, and I think that's a perfect answer, Jeff, because it shows that you have leadership skills, and it shows that you understand that maybe you could delegate a little bit more, but the only reason that you're not is because you care about meeting a deadline and having quality work. So in an employer's mind, those are all great characteristics to have and it's nothing that would prevent them from hiring you. That's the trick to the 'what's your greatest weakness' question. You never want to say, "I'm tardy to work all the time," or "you know, sometimes I'm a little bit slower on the computer," because that's just really big red flags to employers. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, I agree. Because you always want to leave with a positive. You always want to end it on a high note and not leave them wondering, or dragging it out into asking more questions than they really wanted to on this topic. Serena Gilbert: So there's some other types of questions that are very commonly asked in interviews called 'behavioral interview questions.' You might've heard of these, or if not, I'm sure you've been asked these and just not realized that they're behavioral interview questions. A behavioral interview question is a question that sounds a lot like, "tell me about a time when ..." Or "tell me what happened when this happened." So an example would be, "Jeff, tell me about a time when you had to manage multiple deadlines. How did you accomplish the task and what was the result?" Jeff Thompson: Yeah. And those are questions that will come up, because it'll be situation, how you handle the situation, and so you gotta be ready for stuff like that. But if something never happened like that in your life, don't make up stuff on the spot. Relate it to something that you've done, and we've all had experiences in different areas and stuff, so hopefully you have something that will relate to the question they ask. Serena Gilbert: Jeff, would you like to learn something new today? Jeff Thompson: Mm-hmm (affirmative), always ready to learn. Serena Gilbert: Always. You're a good student, right? Jeff Thompson: ... yeah? Serena Gilbert: That had a question mark at the end, so we'll see. But one method that I teach my clients to use when answering almost any question, this works on, even questions that aren't behavioral interview questions, is called the STAR method. So that's S T A R. So when a question is asked of you, you take the situation or task and explain that. So for the example of 'tell me about a time that you had to juggle multiple deadlines,' Jeff can talk about, gosh, this last week that he's been editing podcasts like crazy and how he approached that, how he broke that down, how he mapped out what his work was. So that, the situation or task is the fact that he had tons of podcasts that he had to get done and he wanted them out in a certain amount of time so that they're still relevant. The action that he took is how he broke down his work and how he prioritized what he needed to do first. So the result would be that Jeff met all of his deadlines and was able to release all of his podcasts on time with relevant content. Serena Gilbert: So the reason that a lot of employers a) ask behavioral questions, or b) like when people answer questions in this method, is it shows historically how you respond to any types of situations that would be similar to the work environment that they're in. Jeff Thompson: I think that's great, because people used to tie a string around a finger to remember this, that, and the other thing, and if you can relate something to the STAR thing, there you go; situation, task, action, and results. There you go. And you can do that quick enough in a two minute answer to a question. Serena Gilbert: Jeff will google that and put it in the show notes. Jeff Thompson: I will. ... Click on this. Serena Gilbert: So you've prepared for the job interview. Jeff Thompson: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Serena Gilbert: You're there, you're entering the building, now what? Jeff Thompson: You're on time, too. Serena Gilbert: Yep. You're 10 minutes early, which is perfect. Jeff Thompson: Your phone is off. Serena Gilbert: You have a portfolio with you that has copies of your resume and cover letter. Jeff Thompson: And I suggest three copies. I don't think that there's too may times when you're gonna have five or ten. No one's expecting you to bring, but if you bring three copies you should be good. Your resume is a sheet of paper, cover letter, maybe a sheet of paper. So it's not like you're taking in a briefcase on wheels. Serena Gilbert: And I would suggest that you use the nicer paper for both the cover letter and resume, because although you might not be able to see it visually, but the print does look a lot better on the resume paper. It just pops a little bit more, and having that heavier card stock just presents a more professional image when you're handing those things to the employer when you sit down. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, this is something that you do in advance. Make sure that you get these copies made. Have them ready, so on your journey there, don't fold them. Put them in a portfolio thing, a nice, neat, attache case or some type of case that you bring in. Open it up and if there's one, two, or three people, hand them each one. Yeah. And that's a professional way to do it because they don't all want to be sliding a piece of paper from one person to the other. Because they all want to just glance at it. Serena Gilbert: And you might not realize it, but your interview starts the moment you walk into that lobby door. The receptionist is going to let people know if you walk in and you're having an argument on your cell phone with somebody, or if you walk in and you smell like smoke. Those are things that we really have to make sure that we're cognizant of, because the smell of cigarette smoke or even just how you walked into the door could end that interview for you before you even start it. Jeff Thompson: Mm-hmm (affirmative). So when you come in, announce yourself. You'll probably have a chair to sit in. You'll sit there and you'll just wait because someone's gonna come down and greet you. And that's when you want to make sure that you can start up a conversation with the receptionist, the person that comes down to greet you and to bring you back to the interview room. That's when you're gonna have that light, personality type of conversation. You know, how's the weather, typical thing. My nephew does hiring, he's in the human services department and he hires people, I think he said he's hired over 20 people, 25 people, and he just started a couple years ago. But he says the interview starts at the door and that walk back, you can tell who a person is just how you casually talk. So remember, the interview starts when you come into that door. Serena Gilbert: And I know we've talked about this before and everybody knows my soapbox about disability disclosure and things, but that's just one more thing just to remember and think about if you do decide that you're going to disclose during the interview or, you know, they're obviously gonna see if you have a white cane or a service animal. If you do typically use a white cane, but maybe have some usable vision and you opt to not take that white cane to the job interview, just know that it could impact you in your first impression. Jeff Thompson: Exactly. I would say use your cane and if it's best, if there's lots of turns, they might start calling out, 'we'll go left here,' and you know, just pay attention to that because it's a foreign area, you haven't been there before, and get to the room. And when you get into the room and you find your seat, everyone's gonna be sitting down and stuff, make sure you get their names, whether it's their first name that you remember, try to remember their first names. And like the STAR thing, maybe you want to take one finger, two, three, and try and remember those names because it's very polite to be looking at each of the interviewers. Turn towards their voice and everything, pay attention to the three people, the two people, or the one person, that's a lot easier, but don't forget that there's other people in the room. If you can use their names, you can answer them by name. All these little, little things, they're just little tips that might help push you to the top of the list. Serena Gilbert: And a lot of people get a little flustered, because sometimes there's really long interview questions. And believe me, I've been on interview panels, we understand when somebody needs to have a question repeated, especially when there's multiple parts to it. I would rather somebody asked me to repeat the question than to not answer a good chunk of the question. Because if it's there, they want you to address it. It's not there just to add words to the question, believe me. Jeff Thompson: Yeah. Serena Gilbert: And it's also okay to take a moment to gather your thoughts before you answer the question. Again, I would rather see somebody take a couple seconds to really think about what they'd like to say rather than hear them ramble and make absolutely no sense. It's very distracting when that happens. Jeff Thompson: Typically what they really want to do is sell you on their company. And you want to sell yourself on the company. So the questions are just gonna be getting to know you, explaining what the kind of job details there are, and when they ask you are there any questions for them, you want to be prepared. You may want to ask, 'what are the expectations of this position in the next three months?' Or you might want to even ask one of the persons there, 'what do you like most about this company?' You're turning the tide onto them and they can then tell you some stuff about the company, and that might break into some more conversation. So remember to have some questions ready for them. Serena Gilbert: I really like those questions that you said, because that'll get people really excited about talking about their company, and everyone loves talking about things that they like about where they work. So Jeff, what do you think is probably one of the questions that we should avoid asking during an interview? Jeff Thompson: "When will I be making six figures?" Serena Gilbert: "What are the benefits?" Jeff Thompson: "When do I get the corner office?" Serena Gilbert: "How much money am I going to be making? What are the benefits?" That's ones that, if they're going to hire you, there's a time and place to ask and negotiate those particular things. Jeff Thompson: Exactly. Serena Gilbert: Another question that I really like to ask, and it'll take kinda getting the wording down for what you're comfortable with, but I like to ask, "What are the characteristics of an employee that you're looking to fill this position?" They will inevitably tell you, they will literally lay it out for you. You can follow up with, "well, that's fantastic. Here's some of my experience that matches some of these things." You don't say it like that, but basically, "you know, I heard you say that you like somebody that can juggle deadlines. I want to let you know that in the past I worked in a position in podcasting where I had to edit multiple podcasts a week on a deadline and I was able to successfully do that." Right Jeff? Jeff Thompson: Yeah. There's that answer with the question mark at the end again. Serena Gilbert: Maybe. You know, you've only got like 400 episodes under your belt, right? Jeff Thompson: Yeah, but those questions, they're just questions to get to know you. Questions to see what experiences you have. Serena Gilbert: Mm-hmm (affirmative). The interview is the time to really show your personality. Just like you were saying. They're interviewing you to see if you fit in basically with the office culture, honestly. That's the biggest thing that we're looking for when we're doing job interviews. Jeff Thompson: Mm-hmm (affirmative). And I would do some research by typing in 'questions to ask at interviews,' or 'questions that are asked at interviews.' You can always just research that because there might be that one question, you might read 30 of them, but there might be that one that just fits you really good and you might want to keep that in your back pocket. Serena Gilbert: So if anyone has been following the Job Insights Facebook page as well as our Job Insights support group, they would notice that I post a lot of information from a website called Glass Door. That is a website that has a ton of just articles and tips and things like that for job searching and interviewing. But most importantly, you can type in a company and you will find information specific about their interviewing process, and what types of questions are asked, what type of interviews they do, and it's basically like getting insider information because the information actually comes from people who have gone through the interview process before. Serena Gilbert: So this is irrelevant, but it's just a really good example, because you know, Toys R Us is no longer here, but for those who have applied at Toys R Us before, they do their interviews very uniquely. They would do group interviews and ask some very unique questions and the manner in which they narrow down people was way different. You're not gonna be by yourself at that job interview. And some of the more progressive companies do that, where it's this really weird, big group networking thing almost. So if that's the way that the company operates that you're gonna be applying for, it would be real helpful to know that before you got there, because that would be pretty overwhelming if you didn't know that that was gonna be the case when you arrived at a company. Jeff Thompson: Oh yeah. So be prepared. In this job interviewing process we went to the job hunt, now you're in the job interview, all this preparation work that you're doing, all this research on the company, is good practice because if you don't land this job, you're gonna have the next one, and you need to go through the same routines and stuff. And after a while you're gonna have these questions down. You know, you're gonna map it over to a different company, you're gonna change a few words here and there, and the same with your resume. Your resume is a working piece of document that works for that company. It might not work for the next company. So this is a good time to go through these, if you've got a mock interview you get to go through this process all the way through it, and then try it out on an interview, a real one, and you might have to try it out on a couple more. But as you go through this process, things are going to become second nature and you're gonna start to wing it a little bit better. And who knows, you might land that job you want. Serena Gilbert: So you're at the interview, and you just did a fantastic job answering all the questions, you've asked your follow up questions. Before you leave, there's just one more thing that you have to do. I would recommend, if you can, getting contact information or business cards of the interview panel so that you can use that to send thank you emails to them when you arrive back home. I am very traditional when it comes to that. A lot of people say that they don't send thank you emails, but it's one more opportunity to get your name in front of the hiring manager, to get your name in front of the panel, and to even bring up something that came up in the interview and discuss that. So a really good way to send a thank you email would be, "Thank you for the opportunity to interview for the Media Specialist position. I really enjoyed hearing about the new podcast content that you guys will be producing, and I hope I have the opportunity to contribute to your team. I look forward to following up with you," and then you can put your phone number, your email address, anything you want. Just to kinda tie that up and a lot of times people will even respond with a thank you. Which is kinda nice. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, it's not where you want to say "peace out, brother," and all that stuff. You just wanna kinda be cordial and professional. Like we said at the beginning, this is where you up your professional game. I used to have an email called 'ezj101' and a person actually told me, it was a counselor in the disabilities services office, she said to me, " Jeff, you're in college now. You're going to get opportunities and I just don't think this email address really carries that very far." So I got rid of the 'ezj' and I went with jthompson. Serena Gilbert: That's a good point. I don't know that we've talked about email addresses in our previous podcasts, but yes. Please, a very professional email address that's some form of your name, and sometimes numbers, but sometimes numbers can also date you, so be careful. Especially if you put your birth year after it. But some form of your name. You don't put 'ilovecows@gmail.com' or something like that, because that will not be a good, positive impression for your employer. Jeff Thompson: No? Serena Gilbert: No. I don't care if you love cows. That could be your personal one, but not for your professional job search. Jeff Thompson: Unless you're being hired on a farm hand position, that might work. So be aware of all the stuff that you're gonna be given. They're gonna give you business cards, you might have a business card to give to them. You're gonna have a resume, you're gonna have all this professional stuff going. You don't want to wear in the squeaky shoes or the shoes that light up, you know. You really want to knock this out. Get yourself a lint roller, get yourself someone, I don't know, some people have these amazon devices, the look or something like that? But put on an outfit, ask someone to give you their opinion of it, 'looks good, you look great, don't worry about it.' So go with that. Up your game, up your professionalism. This is real stuff, this is going for a job, this is a career, a lifetime journey and this is gonna be experienced, everybody remembers every interview they've ever had. And there's a reason for that, because it's a moment, and it's a moment that you really want to go in and bring your best game. Serena Gilbert: So what comes next is unfortunately that dreaded waiting game. So one question that we forgot to mention that you can ask at the job interview is "When do you intend on making a decision?" That's a perfectly appropriate question to ask. A lot of people are prepared to answer it, and typically they'll tell you something like, "oh, probably in about two weeks' time." If they tell you that it's going to be two weeks before they make a decision, I would recommend not following up before that two week mark, because if they're telling you two weeks, it's probably a reason that they're telling you that. Jeff Thompson: So you're saying not following up like sending a thank you? You're saying not following up by inquiring again about the job? Serena Gilbert: Definitely send the thank you as soon as you get home. But as far as actually making a phone call or following up and saying, "Hey, I'm just following up on the job interview." If they've told you it's gonna be two weeks I would wait til right around that two week mark to call them again. Jeff Thompson: There you go. Write it down, put it on the calendar. Serena Gilbert: Did we miss any topics, before we wrap up? Your chair squeaked. Jeff Thompson: Well, I had the thing, so I had to, you know. Put my hand up under my chin and look off into the wilderness. I know there's a lot of information that was given on here, and there may be more information that you might still be seeking. So I would talk to your counselor and see if you can set up a mock interview, because that experience, as Serena was talking about, you need to keep asking these questions, going through the questions that might be asked and when all of a sudden you're stumped one of them, like you know, right at the beginning when Serena asked me a question, I was stumped a little bit there. It happens. So if you can practice this, once you're in the groove of job interviewing, repetitious, asking in the mock interviews, see what your counselor has in their employment team that could probably help you out. Serena Gilbert: Jeff, what's on the docket for our next podcast? Jeff Thompson: Well, Serena, I think next time we'll be talking about reasonable accommodations. Serena Gilbert: We are. Sometimes it's hard to figure out 'what can I request? What's reasonable? What's not reasonable?' So I think it might help a little bit, just to chat a little bit about what an employer considers reasonable. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, because what's reasonable to one employer may not be reasonable to another one. And I see that word a lot and it's kinda vague. It's nice to hash that out, and I think if they can actually do something for you to get work done in an easier time, less money, there you go. Serena Gilbert: Well, we hope that you've enjoyed this episode of the Job Insights podcast. As always, you can always find us on Twitter @jobinsightsvip or on Facebook under Job Insights. Thanks so much and we will chat with you next time. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, we'll see you next time Serena, on Job Insights. And you can follow Job Insights on Twitter @jobinsightsvip. Send us an email, jobinsights@blindabilities.com. We're part of the Blind Abilities network and you can find us on the web at www.blindabilities.com. And thank you Chee Chau for the beautiful music. And you can follow Chee Chau on Twitter @elcheechau And as always, thank you for listening, we hope you enjoyed. And until next time, Bye-Bye [Music] [Transition noise] When we share, what we see, through each other's eyes... [Multiple voices overlapping, in unison, to form a single sentence] ...We can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations, and the realities of Blind Abilities. Jeff Thompson: For more podcasts with the blindness perspective: Check us out on the web at www.BlindAbilities.com On Twitter @BlindAbilities Download our app from the App store: 'Blind Abilities'; that's two words. Or send us an e-mail at: info@blindabilities.com Thanks for listening.
Job Insights Extra: Gaining Skills and confidence, Getting the Job You Want and Aira as a Reasonable Accommodation – Meet Lori Thompson Welcome to a Job Insights Extra with Serina Gilbert and Jeff Thompson. We focus on Employment, Careers, enhancing opportunities and bringing you the latest innovations from across the Vocational Rehabilitation field to ensure your choices lead you down the career pathway that you want and succeed in gainful employment. From getting started with services, to assessments, Individual Plan for Employment (IPE) to gaining the skills to succeed and tools for success, Job Insights will be giving you tips and tricks to help your journey to employment and break down the barriers along the way. Job Insights Extra is where we highlight success and whether it be a person or a product, app or development, we will share the success with you. This Extra episode we want to introduce Lori Thompson. Serina Gilbert sits down with Lori in the studio to talk about her journey through Adjustment to Blindness Training, her work with State Services in the job hunt and the accommodations used at her job. Lori has her Aira Smart Glasses in her toolbox and talks about how she incorporates Aira to independently do her job. She also talks about other adaptations and alternative tools that keeps her efficient in the workplace. Lori and Serina are both Guide Dog users and they talk a bit about having their Guide dogs in the workplace. Join Lori Thompson and Serina Gilbert for this Job Insights Extra and see how Lori’s determination and hard work led her to the job she wanted. You can follow Lori on Twitter @LThompson6835 You can find out more about Aira on the web at www.Aira.io [caption id="attachment_2435" align="aligncenter" width="200"]Image of the Aira Logo[/caption] Your Life, Your Schedule, Right Now. If you want to know more about Aira and the services they provide, check them out on the web and become an Aira Explorer today! www.Aira.io Thanks for listening! You can find out more about Job Insights on the web at BlindAbilities.comand follow Job Insights on Twitter @JobInsightsVIPSend us your feedback and suggestions by email. Job Insights is part of the Blind Abilities Network You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store
Science, Technology, Engineering and Math: Carving His Pathway Towards Success, Meet Simon Bonenfant Full Transcript Below Blind Abilities presents the TVI Toolbox. Where the collaboration between Teachers, Counselors, Parents, Agencies and the Students themselves help enhance the opportunities for success. Transitioning from high school to college and the workplace is a major step and the beginning of lifetime goals and aspirations. As Simon Bonenfant , this month’s featured interview, talks about his goals and what he is doing to enhance his opportunities and gain the skills to succeed. Simon is entering Geometry and Physics and showing the self-confidence he has about his skills, tools and support system, Simon will make this all happen in order to achieve his career that he wants. Join Simon Bonenfant and Jeff Thompson in this introduction to Simon and be sure to stay tuned when Simon returns to tell us all about his experience he gained from summer camp. You can follow Simon on Twitter @TheTechKid123and on Skype at TheTechKid55. You can find out more about Independence Science at www.IndependenceScience.com and follow on Twitter @IndSci From the TVI’s to the Agency counselor’s and program specialist, working together along with parents as well, is creating more opportunities and successes for Transition age students. Sharing experiences through Success Stories, sharing programs that make a positive impact, sharing ideas, findings, upcoming events and the Tools for Success all play a part in making the transition process a natural progression and better understood by all. Check out your State Services by searching the Services Directory on the AFB.org web site. State Services for the Blind of Minnesota We offer tools and training for employment and for helping seniors remain independent and active. As Minnesota’s accessible reading source we also transcribe books and other materials into alternative formats, including audio and braille. We assist Minnesotans who are blind, DeafBlind, losing vision, or who have another disability that makes it difficult to read print. I hope you find what you need here. We’ve also created a Tips for Using Our New Website page. If you’d like to apply for services, learn more, or have more questions, just give us a call. You’ll find contact information for all of our offices on our contact page, or you can call our main office at 651-539-2300. Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Full Transcript; Science, Technology, Engineering and Math: Carving His Pathway Towards Success, Meet Simon Bonenfant Speaker 1: The special education teacher and I, we worked on technology. We looked at different job options and job opportunities, and career opportunities. Speaker 2: Use state services for the blind all the way through college. Jeff Thompson: Welcome to TVI Toolbox. Speaker 4: Part of the blind skills that I had to learn which helped me with my job is I have to be really on top of things. Jeff Thompson: Success stories of students on their journey through the transition process from high school to college to the workplace. With agency professionals, teachers of the visually impaired, parents of students and the students themselves. What's in your toolbox? What's in your toolbox? What's in your toolbox? What's in your toolbox? Simon Bonenfant: I just finished doing algebra, math and now I'm going into geometry next year and I'm also going to be taking physics next week. Jeff Thompson: Meet high school student, Simon Bonenfant. Simon Bonenfant: Hopefully going to be using equipment from a company called Independent Science, which a good friend of mine Cary Supalo, he runs that company and he made all different talking science equipment and I'm going to be using that for my physics next year. Jeff Thompson: Working through science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Simon Bonenfant: I'm not exactly sure what college I want to go to exactly but I know a career I want to get into. Jeff Thompson: Working on independence, working on striving to be the best that he can be. Simon Bonenfant: Network with lots of different people who have done what you are looking to do. Jeff Thompson: You can find more TVI Toolbox episodes on the web at www.blindabilities.com. You can also find our Job Insights episodes where we focus on vocational rehab and transitioning to the workplace. Simon Bonenfant: And so often I've met people who have finished their journey but say they wish that they found the people they did at a younger age because they can network and mentor more. Jeff Thompson: And now welcome, soon to be 10th grader, self-driven, Simon Bonenfant. Jeff Thompson: Welcome to Blind Abilities. I'm Jeff Thompson and I'm at the National Federation of the Blind Convention 2018 in Orlando, Florida. And I caught up with an old friend of mine. I shouldn't say an old friend of mine but a friend of mine from back in the Audioboom days and his name is Simon Bonenfant. How are you doing, Simon? Simon Bonenfant: I'm doing good how are you, Jeff? Jeff Thompson: Good. Just surprised to catch up with you because I've known you for four, five years and here we are here. You looked me up and it's just a great time to catch up with you and your mom. Simon Bonenfant: Oh yeah it is, has been. Jeff Thompson: So this is your second convention. Simon Bonenfant: My third. Jeff Thompson: Third. Simon Bonenfant: Yeah, I'm enjoying the convention, I'm enjoying the exhibit hall mostly and I also want to mention to you that I also live in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Jeff Thompson: What keeps bringing you back to the convention? Simon Bonenfant: I've been a part of NFB for a very long time and I have a lot of friends here that I know including you, Jeff, as one of mine. And I also enjoy learning about the technology too. I use a lot of HumanWare products and I use Apple products so I went to the different seminars and the different exhibit booths that have been here and I really enjoy that part of it. Jeff Thompson: What's your big excitement in the exhibits this year? Simon Bonenfant: I like the Google booth. I went to the Google booth I saw the Google Home that's the smart speaker that they have. I also went to Freedom Scientific that was very nice, cool. Yeah so I went to those booths. I enjoy that. Jeff Thompson: Did you get a load of the Aira stuff going on? Simon Bonenfant: Yeah I heard about Aira. I heard about that and it's very nice program. I heard that they have a free program for the people at the convention. Jeff Thompson: Yeah that program you can download the app right to your phone. You call up an agent and get service that way. Did you give that a try yet? Simon Bonenfant: No, I did not. I might do that maybe today or tomorrow just download the app and see if I can use it. And I heard about the there's glasses you can use too. Jeff Thompson: The new Horizon glasses just came out so give that a shot, get some instant access to information. So you went to the sessions and how were they going today? Simon Bonenfant: They were very good. I went to the general session today and that was very nice. And the part I like the most is they did a ... every state got up and they talked about their attendance at the convention and every state got to talk about themselves a little bit. And it was kind of cool because for Pennsylvania, I think Pennsylvania cheered the loudest we were screaming and yelling and having a good time. But we actually chanted the Eagles chant because the Eagles are Super Bowl Champions this year so that was kind of fun. Jeff Thompson: Rub it in. Rub it in. So you're going to a camp in a couple of weeks here? Simon Bonenfant: Yes I am. Yes, I'm going to a place called the Summer Academy down in Penn State Pennsylvania. It's a three week camp. They teach all blindness skills. They teach daily living skills, cane travel. They do all that kind of thing. It's going to be good for me because I'll be getting my independence and I'm actually going into 10th grade in high school. I've been getting more independent. I've actually done a lot of getting independent in this convention I've met a lot of people. And I actually was able to navigate the exhibit all myself, which at first I thought it was going to be giving me a little trouble but I made it around. I made it through and I found what I was looking for. I got around so I'm going to that camp for three weeks next Saturday actually I'll be leaving for that camp. Yeah I will be doing that and maybe I'll give a little recap on one ability after that of how it went and all. Jeff Thompson: Oh, we'll look forward to that. Can you tell us a little bit about your mathematics and your science and your school? Simon Bonenfant: Yes, well I just finished doing algebra, math and now I'm going into geometry next year. And I'm also going to be taking physics next year. It's going to be an interesting process for me. Jeff Thompson: So what kind of tools do you use, what kind of adaptive technology or accessible devices, alternative techniques do you use in that area? Simon Bonenfant: Well, for school mostly I use a BrailleNote Touch by HumanWare that's a relatively new device. For math, last year, I actually transferred back over to a bit of a low tech solution. I transferred over to the Perkins Brailler which had used in my early days but I transferred back to that because I find it was easy for me to do equations and read all my lines better and things like that. And next year, I'll be going to physics and actually, well, hopefully going to be using equipment from a company called Independent Science which a good friend of mine, Cary Supalo, he runs that company and he made all different talking science equipment and I'm going to be using that for my physics next year. Jeff Thompson: So when you talk about HumanWare you talked about the BrailleNote Touch. Did you check out the Brailliant that they have out now? Simon Bonenfant: Yes I did. Yeah I actually went to a session on HumanWare and I heard about the Brailliant and I went to the booth and I took a look at that. And the BrailleNote Touch for those of you who don't know it's by HumanWare. It's actually a braille note taker running Android on it. So, it's basically the first modern blind note taker and it's actually a certified Google tablet. And what's kind of neat is any kind of app that's on the Google Play store which is sort of like the Android of Apple so say equivalent to the Apple App store. So, anything that's on the Google Play store can be downloaded to the BrailleNote Touch and be used. And so it really opens up the playing field for the blind of note taking to have equal access to a lot of different, more opportunities and programs. Simon Bonenfant: And another thing that's neat about it is it has a screen on the device and what that's used for is blind users can actually type on the screen, type braille on the screen and it can be displayed for sighted viewing so it's really bridging the gap of blind and sighted. I've said this to a lot of people that out of all the generations and decades to be blind, this is probably the most exciting, and most fun and most accommodating era because of all this technology that's there. It's really accommodating. Jeff Thompson: Yeah I can tell your passion when you started talking about technology. What other type of technology do you utilize for school? Simon Bonenfant: Well I use a MacBook, I have the MacBook Boot Camp so I'm running Windows on it and I use that for Microsoft Word and other applications like that. I use this screen reader called NVDA which is a free screen reader, stands for Non Visual Desktop Access. And I also use JAWS as well. I also use iPhone which has been very helpful for me. An iPhone is a great tool. I've used seeing AI and other different apps like that. Jeff Thompson: Oh great, you're in the 10th grade and you got summer camp coming up here. Have you been starting to look towards college in the near future? Simon Bonenfant: Yes, I have been. I'm not exactly sure what college I want to go to exactly but I know a career I want to get into. I want to work as a technology teacher for the blind. And teaching JAWS, NVDA, voiceover, things like that. Because in my state and the country there's a real need for that expertise in the blind world. You know there is always something I heard from people that, "If you love what you do you never work a day in your life." And me doing that job would be me not working a day in my life because I have a passion for teaching people technology. And I'm actually starting, I'm trying to, in the future, hopefully I'll be starting a little bit of a tutoring business of tutoring people on using technology, assistance technology devices on trying to get that started in the near future. Jeff Thompson: I heard you're actually helping other students, tutoring them. Simon Bonenfant: Yeah, I have been doing that. Yeah. Jeff Thompson: What's that like? Simon Bonenfant: That's been good. I really want to give back to my community and technology is the way that I can do that. I would kind of say that I'm kind of like self-taught in technology. I'm involved in an online blind community on the service called Skype and a few other places where they kind of get me into using all kind of technology. I never really got any formal school training in technology and all it's been kind of me asking people or me just kind of playing around with programs and getting the knowledge, and I want to give back to the people in the community who are learning or to have an outlet where they can ask questions and talking things. In my technology exploration was when I found Audioboom which is where the Blind Abilities communities’ community channel started and I was involved with that for a very long time. Jeff Thompson: And you were actually part of that. You're part of the community that helped make that keep going for four years. Simon Bonenfant: I was and I tell people about my technology journey, I always imagine Audioboom because that was a real good outlet for me. I learned a lot. I met a lot of people through that community. It was really like a family, like a Blind Abilities family. So that's what it was kind of like. Jeff Thompson: I can't help but the time I heard your voice break it was really something because you were kind of like the child of the group, was like the kid. Also when you came on one time on a YouTube video you were speaking for your school, fundraising I believe it was. Also and I called my wife, Lorie, I said, "It's Simon, his voice changed." Simon Bonenfant: Yes I was doing some fundraising for school. The school that I previously went to was a school for the blind called St. Lucy School that's in Philadelphia. And I went there for all my grade school and that was a very nice school. That taught me a lot of good things. Taught me how to use a cane, cane travel, and braille. And it really taught me to be mainstream in a sighted classroom where I am in high school now, because it's the only blind school in the country that has a certain setup. And the way that they run their school is they actually partner up with a sighted school and they merged the blind students in with the sighted students and that gets the blind students, that gets us ready for high school and the challenges that's going to face and that has helped me tremendously. Now I can say I'm in a mainstream school called Archbishop Carroll High School. And the school I'm going to now is Catholic school and the St. Lucy School that's the blind school that one is Catholic as well. That's been my kind of schooling and education. Jeff Thompson: In that process, have you used teachers for the visually impaired like TVI's that are provided by the districts? Simon Bonenfant: Yes. I am working with one currently with two actually. Two teachers of visually impaired that are very good to me, they work very well with me. Jeff Thompson: Oh that's great. Simon Bonenfant: Yeah they're very good they help me with math and technology and a lot of other good things and they're very good. Jeff Thompson: A good resource. Simon Bonenfant: Oh yeah, very good. Jeff Thompson: So Simon, what advice would you have for someone who is in high school and considering transitioning into college one of these days and employment or going to camps or stuff like that? What advice would you have for them as they look forward to this journey? Simon Bonenfant: Well one advice I would have for them is network with lots of different people who have done what you are looking to do and find information from them. I know that some of my best friends are my best mentors and that's because I've reached out to them and talked to them. One of my friends, her name is Marta, she's an independent blind woman, and she went through a training center and she's one of my role models. And that's because she went through the things that I am planning to do and would like to do for my life, and I use her and you Jeff and people all from Blind Abilities as a resource because it's people that have gone through what I'm planning to go through. It's good to tap in and network to people that's how you find about things, like I found NFB. Simon Bonenfant: And so often I've met people who have finished their journey but say they wish that they found the people they did at a younger age because they can network and mentor more. Meet as many people and ask some questions as many people as you need to and as you want to and that are going into your same fields. And I would also say too, keep an open mind and meet people who are maybe not going into the exact same thing that you want to go into but you can learn something from everyone in this world. Jeff Thompson: That's great. Well Simon, thank you so much for taking your time out of the convention. I know those exhibits are a lot more fun than sitting with me doing a podcast. Simon Bonenfant: Oh it's a great time, definitely great. Jeff Thompson: But it's been a long time coming. Like we said Audioboom was something where we all met, a big community and now there's hundreds of us out there and we get to meet up sooner or later. Simon Bonenfant: Yeah, I've known you for four years. I just figured that out today, I've known you since 2014 when I came on to Audioboom. Jeff Thompson: Well, now you're on Blind Abilities podcast. Simon Bonenfant: Yeah, yeah there you go. Jeff Thompson: Alright, thank you very much Simon. Simon Bonenfant: Yeah, thank you. Jeff Thompson: Simon, if someone is interested in learning from you and want to get a hold of you how can they do that? Simon Bonenfant: Well, there's a few ways. You can either access me via Twitter @thetechkid123. That's t-h-e-t-e-c-h-k-i-d-1-2-3. And you can also find me where I most am more responsive is via Skype, and my Skype name is blindkid55, that's b-l-i-n-d-k-i-d-5-5. Jeff Thompson: All right, thank you. Simon Bonenfant: Thank you. Jeff Thompson: Such a great time to finally meet up with Simon Bonenfant. He's got such great self-determination and drive, I'm sure he's going to succeed in all his endeavors. Jeff Thompson: And if you or someone you know who is visually impaired or blind, be sure they contact their state services, their vocational rehab and begin to carve out your pathway to success today. And thank you Chee Chau for the beautiful music. You can follow Chee Chau on Twitter @lcheechau. Jeff Thompson: I want to thank you all for listening. We hope you enjoyed. And until next time, bye bye. [Music] [Transition noise] When we share what we see through each other's eyes... [Multiple voices overlapping, in unison, to form a single sentence] ...We can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations, and the realities of Blind Abilities. Jeff Thompson: For more podcasts with the blindness perspective: Check us out on the web at www.BlindAbilities.com On Twitter @BlindAbilities Download our app from the App store: 'Blind Abilities'; that's two words. Or send us an e-mail at:info@blindabilities.com Thanks for listening.
JobInsights 7: The Job Hunt – Resources, Resumes and Strategies Full Transcript Below Welcome to Episode 7 of Job Insights with Serina Gilbert and Jeff Thompson. We focus on Employment, Careers, enhancing opportunities and bringing you the latest innovations from across the Vocational Rehabilitation field to ensure your choices lead you down the career pathway that you want and succeed in gainful employment. From getting started with services, to assessments, Individual Plan for Employment (IPE) to gaining the skills to succeed and tools for success, Job Insights will be giving you tips and tricks to help your journey to employment and break down the barriers along the way. Job Insights Episode #7 is all about the Job Hunt. Serina and Jeff talk about resources, resumes, strategies and their own experiences while in the hunt for the Job you want. A couple of apps were mentioned that can help you enhance your job hunt experience: InDeed Job Searchis and app and is on the web at www.InDeed.com and offers searchable job listings with the ability to set alerts for listings in your selected fields. Career Connectis an app from the American Foundation for the Blind and has many resources that will help you navigate your pathway to the career you want. Thanks for listening! You can find out more about Job Insights on the web at BlindAbilities.comand follow Job Insights on Twitter @JobInsightsVIPSend us your feedback and suggestions by email. Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store Full Transcript: JobInsights 7: The Job Hunt – Resources, Resumes and Strategies Serena Gilbert: When you're making some cold calls, I know it sounds super old school, but it's very effective. Jeff Thompson: Job Insights, a podcast to help you carve out your career pathway and enhance the opportunities for gainful employment. Serena Gilbert: Yeah, I especially love Indeed. It's an app as well as a website, it's indeed.com. Jeff Thompson: To help you navigate the employment world and give you job insights and enhance the opportunities to choose the career you want. Serena Gilbert: Somebody once told me when it comes to a resume that even Colin Powell has a one page resume and that resonated with me because I'm like, "If he can get it down to one page, surely I can." Jeff Thompson: Sometimes some job interviews or some process that you go through is just gaining experience, so you can do better at the next one. Serena Gilbert: Exactly. Jeff Thompson: You can find the Job Insights Podcast on blindabilities.com. Part of the Blind Abilities network with host Serena Gilbert and myself, Jeff Thompson, and you can contact us by email at jobinsights@blindabilities.com. Leave us some feedback or suggest some topics that we cover on Twitter @jobinsightsvip. Checkout the Job Insights Support Group on Facebook where you can learn, share, advise, and interact with the Job Insights community. Serena Gilbert: You are interviewing them as well. It might not feel like it, but you are. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, it's a two way street. Jeff Thompson: And now please welcome Serena Gilbert and Jeff Thompson with Job Insights. Serena Gilbert: When a job opened and they saw my name, they could place a face with that name and know that I took that extra step to want to be with that agency. Jeff Thompson: How are you doing, Serena? Serena Gilbert: I'm great Jeff, how are you? Jeff Thompson: I'm good, I'm getting ready for conventions coming up. Serena Gilbert: Very nice, I'm jealous, because you get to go to Orlando. Jeff Thompson: Oh, yes I did attend the National Federation of the Blind convention in Orlando 2018. It was a great time, got to meet up with lot of people, attended a lot of the employment breakouts led by Dick Davis from Minnesota and our very own Hadeisha Van Alstine was down there working with the employment groups. I had a great time, got some great content for some future podcasts and here we are, back in the studio talking about the job hunt. Serena Gilbert: I know summer is well underway and I know we have a lot of graduates that might be looking for some job hunting tips. So we thought we'd take today's podcast to talk about a lot of different techniques and resources to help you with your job hunt. Jeff Thompson: Yeah the job hunt can be very challenging. A lot of up and downs. But remember this is an experience, you're going to learn from it and experience is the best teacher. Serena Gilbert: Job hunting is definitely a full time job. It kind of feels overwhelming, I'm sure, and I hope that some the things that we chat about today will help break it down and give you some systematic steps that might help you identify some jobs that aren't even posted that might be perfect for you. Jeff Thompson: So I think one of the first things you want to do is identify the type of job that you want. Serena Gilbert: Exactly. If the type of job that you want is technical in nature, think outside the box. For example, maybe you're going into web design. Think about the biggest industries that are in your market that might still need a web designer. For example, some of the top industries I know here in Colorado, and probably pretty much nationwide, are healthcare, education and government. So everyone in those three particular areas would probably need some web design type of experience in order to run their company because they're such large organizations there's a seat for everyone. So I would start by identifying some of those places that maybe some other people wouldn't think about when you're looking at your skillset to start making a list of companies you want to look into. Jeff Thompson: And I always suggest to people when they're looking at the companies to go online, check out their about page, check out their mission statement because that will identify what the company is about. It's always nice to have some of their keywords if you get into an interview to have that to be able to utilize and use that during your conversation. Serena Gilbert: And that will help too with, and I know this next thing will get some people a little bit nervous, but that will also help with when you're making some cold calls. I know it sounds super old school but it's very effective. A lot of companies do not even advertise a great deal of their jobs because maybe they know that there's an opening coming but it just hasn't been posted yet. And if you can call and get your name in front of a hiring manager before they even posted that job that decreases the competition for that job and increases your likelihood of being seen by that hiring manager. Jeff Thompson: That's great information. It's who you know sometimes and getting your name in there really works. Get your resume and your application right to the top. Serena Gilbert: Exactly. And don't be afraid to volunteer at an organization that you want to work for as well. Because a lot of organizations, especially maybe a hospital or something like that, might hire from their volunteer pool before they would go into the applications that they received from candidates. Jeff Thompson: You know, volunteering is such a key part because if you're not working that's a void in your resume. So when you have volunteering in there a lot of companies look at that as a plus. Serena Gilbert: Exactly and you're still building your skill set, and more importantly, you're networking and you're keeping yourself busy as well. I know one of the topics that we're going to talk about on our upcoming podcast is talking about mental health and vision impairments and things like that and also some self-care tips. Getting out of the house will certainly help with keeping that balance for yourself and also keep that positive, optimistic outcome coming out. Jeff Thompson: So once you identified a company that's when you start honing in. If you have two, three companies you start, as Serena said, the cold call, you explore their job opportunities. And on most website they might have an area that is employment and you can go in there and check. Some places do post four, five, six different jobs, different areas and check out the area that you're interested and see if there are some opportunities right there too. Serena Gilbert: And also look up not only just their website but do a quick Google news search on that company. See what kind of things they have up and coming because that will help you with if you do get to make a cold call and speak to a hiring manager that'll give you some talking points to mention. For example, I saw that you guys are launching a new product. I wanted to let you know that I have just recently graduated from UCLA and I have some significant web development skills and I wondered if you had any openings for me to be able to utilize those skills at your company. That shows you that you dedicated some time to look at their webpage, look at some news clippings. And it also shows that you've been pretty thoughtful about how your skills might fit into the company and where they're going next. Jeff Thompson: And if you want to learn more information about searching for jobs and some ideas to have, there's apps out there that will help you like CareerConnect is one of them from the American Foundation for the Blind. There's another one from Indeed and this just gets you into that groove. You start looking through this stuff it might spark some ideas in yourself. Not that these are total answers for getting a job but it does enhance your own possibilities because you're reading stories or you're reading about other jobs and tips and tricks for the interviews. So don't shy away from these apps, they're a good resource of information. Serena Gilbert: Yeah I especially love Indeed. It's an app as well as a website, it's indeed.com. And the very nice thing about Indeed is it's obviously very much accessible as screen readers. And it filters out a lot of those spam type postings that you see sometimes on other job boards that maybe aren't so legit and it still pulls in jobs from the government websites such as USA Jobs or your state government or even your county or city government. So you're seeing virtually every job that's posted that meets the search results that you're putting in. And it also allows you to set up job alerts. You can enter your email address, enter the keywords and every day it'll send you all the postings that match those job alerts. And you can also save your resume on there. Jeff Thompson: One thing I really liked about these apps, these are not apps for just the blind. CareerConnect might have a twist to it and help you out with some hurdles or obstacles that you think might be in the way. But Indeed is just listing the jobs that are available and that's some frame that you have to be in that you can do these type of jobs and why not. Serena Gilbert: Exactly. That's half the battle right there because, and we'll talk about this again in an upcoming podcast, but if you go into the job search thinking, "Well maybe I can do this, maybe not," it's going to definitely impact you when you're called for that first interview and you're asked very specific questions about how you're going to perform duties or react in particular situations. So we got to remember to be really optimistic about what we can and can't do as well as think of the ways that you can get accommodations for what you'd like to be able to do. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, we were talking earlier about volunteering you mentioned that what positive that is on your resume. You might be doing a resume and you might have some gaps in there. The thing is volunteering can fill those gaps. Serena Gilbert: Well we talked a little bit about volunteering and I know that sometimes individuals think, "Why would I want to volunteer? I'm really trying to get paid, I don't really have the benefit being able to volunteer my time." I see that as an investment in your future. I know that sounds really cheesy and kind of corny but in order to get where you want to be sometimes we have to do some things that we don't really necessarily want to do and make some sacrifices but in the long term that will certainly pay off. Because those volunteering opportunities, like we said, will most likely, especially if you're doing them in the field that you're interested in, will put you in touch with lots of individuals that maybe work in the field or the company that you would like to work for. And they've seen your work ethic and seen how you can do things. And that will help get you that paid employment down the road. Serena Gilbert: Even when I started with vocational rehabilitation here in Colorado, I took one of my personal days off of my regular job to literally chat all the counselors in the office for an entire day and meet with the supervisor that was at that office. So they knew who I was. When a job opened and they saw my name they could place a face with that name and know that I took that extra step to want to be with that agency. Jeff Thompson: I think another thing that volunteering does it gives you experience that you are not probably expecting. Because when I was teaching, I taught woodworking at a blindness training center. I also did a teen night, a volunteer thing that I kind of created on a Friday night. And the teens kept coming back, 10 to 12 of them for four years straight. And it was just interesting because I wouldn't never got that experience to just like freelance time, three, four hours, with a group of teens that kept coming ... I didn't know why they kept coming back. But the experience I got from that was like I could be innovative, I could be creative and to keep their attention. That experience is a lifetime and I've taken that into my other jobs. You do gain a lot of experience from volunteering. Serena Gilbert: And you mentioned gaps in a resume before and along with gaps in resumes comes some gaps in current professional references. And most employers when they're looking at candidates would like at least three professional references. And they like them to be people who have recently worked with you. So again, that volunteering opportunity could give you an option to be able to build new references that you can then use to apply for paid positions down the road. Jeff Thompson: And if you've had plenty of jobs and moved around and planning on volunteering there's a limit to how many you may want to list that keeps it relevant. Serena Gilbert: That takes us right into resume writing. And there's so many theories on resumes. I have my own personal theories. I am very traditional in the way that I approach resumes. And by traditional, I don't mean as far as the formatting or the layout, because there's lots of different layouts that you can use that are very effective. But somebody once told me when it comes to a resume that even Colin Powell has a one page resume. That resonated with me because I'm like, "Well holy cow, he's done all kinds of stuff." And if he can get it down to one page, surely I can. I know it's a little different nowadays because yes there's computers that are looking at your resume and scanning for specific words and things like that. But even when you're in front of the interview panel they might not look at every single page on your resume and if there's some really cool experiences that you want to make sure that they see but they're on page two or page three that's not going to work to your benefit sometimes. Jeff Thompson: Put it all on the front page. Serena Gilbert: And there's lots of ways to creatively do that because there's skills-based resumes which is more so at the top of your resume listing different categories and then sub bullets of very specific skills related to the job that you're applying for. Or you can do the traditional chronological, there's all kinds of different ways. But especially if you're career changing maybe you're having some vision loss a little bit later in life and you're moving into a different type of career, you'll want to do more so of a skills-based type resume. Because that will allow for you to show your transferrable skills to open the employer's eyes to what you've done in the past that will also work to their benefit on the new position. Jeff Thompson: That's extremely important because the stuff that is relevant is stuff that you done lately, the stuff that they see will help you succeed at the job that they need to get done. And when you frame it that way that makes perfectly good sense, because if I went chronologically, wow, we're talking page four, page five. But if you- Serena Gilbert: That's it Jeff? Jeff Thompson: That's just the introduction. But that's one way to bring it all to the front because they want to find the important stuff. Because they're looking for someone to fill a job tomorrow. If you put those skills right up front, they're interested. Serena Gilbert: And somebody once told me, and obviously being visually impaired this is really hard to kind of wrap my mind around, they said that it's easier for employers to read your resume if there's a lot of white on it as opposed to a lot of big chunks of text. So for example, when you're writing a bullet maybe keep it to five, six, seven words instead of three lines because they want to be able to visually just scan down it, see the highlights. Use a lot of bold, italic, that sort of thing, for different sections because they're not going to read it word for word. Jeff Thompson: Right, sound bites we call that. I had a teacher that said, "We become a society of sound bites." And this was years ago where people don't read paragraphs. Well they don't. You got about seven seconds to get someone's attention with the beginning of a podcast, with beginning of a story. Even a song or a jingle, those little catch phrases, that's what you want your piece of work, your resume. When you're talking about the job description and your skills that's where you're going to find all the stuff they're looking for. The job description, bang bang, you're going to look at that, dissect it and bring all your skills that fit that to the forefront. And the keywords that they're using in there because you want to use those keywords, probably an algorithm that's going to go through there and search for those and move your resume to the top. Serena Gilbert: It's almost like taking a chemistry test but having all the notes and the book right there beside you. You got the job description, you have the internet to research every single thing you could possibly want to know about a particular company to be able to tailor your cover letter and your resume to at least catch someone's attention. So that they see, "Oh my gosh, I said I needed all these great things and look this person's perfect." And it's okay to use the same words as them. I wouldn't say copy/paste the job description into your resume because they'll notice that, but it's okay to use some of the same keywords. Like if they're looking for specific software or specific programming languages or whatever your field may be make sure that's on your resume if you have those skills. Jeff Thompson: Exactly. Serena, I really think you hit the nail on the head here with tailoring. Because if you're going to apply to two, three different companies they might have job descriptions that are similar but a little bit different. You want to tailor each application that you put in, each resume that you submit, you want that to be tailored to that specific job. And it's not just something you make three copies and send to three companies, so I really like how you use the word tailoring your resume. Serena Gilbert: In order to make it as easy as possible for you to be able to customize and tailor that resume make sure that you have a master copy of your resume that's in an easily accessible format for you to be able to switch it around and copy/paste or do whatever you want to do. Make sure that it's saved maybe in ... I would suggest, highly suggest a Word version. Even if you do use a Mac computer, most people in the business world do not use Mac computers when they're accessing things. So even if you do create it in Pages make sure you're saving it as a Word document. Jeff Thompson: And this final resume that you do come up with, your master, I would suggest, and some people may debate this, we might get some fan mail or some other kind of mail about this, is having someone take a glance over, a once over. Someone that is familiar with checking out resumes. One of your people that you put down as a reference. Maybe you can send it to them and say, "Hey, what do you think?" You may not be saying that, "Hey, I can't see the resume I want you to check for format." But they'll just glance at it and if there's something obvious that just strikes them they'll probably suggest, "Oh, you might want to do this or do that." There's ways of actually having someone check out your resume, and I highly suggest you have someone check it out. Serena Gilbert: Well unsighted or not it's always a good idea to have a second person take a look at your resume. And spell check, spell check, spell check, and then spell check again because the worst thing you can have happen on your resume when you're submitting it is there to be a glaring typo or grammatical error that will immediately eliminate you. Serena Gilbert: I know that we have a lot of listeners that are looking to enter into employment in the federal government. So I wanted to take some time to chat about that because that's a whole different beast to tackle and there's some tricks and things that might help out with that. So usajobs.com is where all of the federal government jobs are posted, including what's called non appropriated fund jobs which are the types of jobs that aren't tied to the federal budget. So I'm not sure if people follow politics but I feel like every six months or a year the federal government is threatened with a shutdown. The non appropriated fund jobs are jobs that would not be affected by budget because they're essentially self-supporting with the money that they bring in. So those are jobs, for example, at the child development centers. They're recreation centers like the gyms or the bowling alleys. Overseas, there's actually some casinos. Things like that. And they are still federal jobs, you still have all the federal benefits it's just a separate type of department. And then there's also the traditional USA jobs that are federal positions that are tied to the budget. Serena Gilbert: But one thing to remember about these types of jobs is that they have certain hiring I guess priority categories would be the best way to discuss it. So for example, usually on a position the first classification that is considered for a job is a disabled veteran. And then it's usually military spouses, and then individuals with disabilities is I believe the third category that gets a special hiring authority assigned to it. The reason this is important is because in order to be considered an individual with a disability is you have to have what's called a Schedule A letter. And a Schedule A letter is basically a document that you get from a professional, typically your vocational rehabilitation counselor that certifies that you are in fact an individual with a disability that qualifies for special hiring authority under Schedule A. It's a very simple letter, it doesn't even say your specific disability or anything. It could not be more general. It says, "This individual is an individual that has a disability that might be mental, physical, whatever." It's not specific at all. But it's something that has to be attached with your application in order to be considered in that special authority hiring. Jeff Thompson: And I know in some federal jobs and even state jobs that they are looking for people with disabilities because they do want to increase that category of hiring. Serena Gilbert: Well, and it's not just the federal and the state it's actually the contractors with the Feds as well. They're required to hire a certain percentage of individuals with disabilities as part of their contracts with the federal government. Jeff Thompson: Yeah keep your eyes open for all sorts of opportunities. It's now popular for companies to be out there saying that we're inclusive, we're looking for people with disabilities and creating those opportunities. So be aware, take a look around and you might be surprised. Serena Gilbert: For sure, I mean, definitely the companies that are really smart are looking for inclusiveness. Because the reality is if you look statistically, people with disabilities don't typically leave positions that they get because we worked so hard to get them. We worked so hard to get our accommodations. And frankly, it's usually a really good fit if we gotten the accommodations that we need. We're not typically trying to look for the next best thing. I think that some companies are finally starting to recognize that value. Jeff Thompson: It is, it's a good time to pay attention to the jobs, the opportunities that are out there. And check our show notes, check out the links to Indeed, CareerConnect. Dive in, dive in and start looking into resumes. And if you have friends that have done resumes before talk to them. Like Serena said earlier, there's not one size fits all for a resume. Serena Gilbert: Unfortunately, the job hunt can be an incredibly frustrating process. We're going to hear way more no's than we're going to hear yes's. That's just the reality of the process. Just remember as long as you are continuing to submit applications and you're continuing to network and talk to people about the fact that you're looking for employment, you're still moving forward. And yes I know this sounds, again, a little cheesy, I'm a little sentimental, but all you need is one person to say yes. That's all that it takes. And you're not going to hear that yes unless you put in a ton, a ton, a ton, a ton of applications. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, and experience is the best teacher so sometimes ... And someone, I think it was Cindy Bennett told us, "Sometimes some job interviews or some process that you go through is just gaining experience so you can do better at the next one." Serena Gilbert: Exactly, and that's great advice. Jeff Thompson: We hope this helps with your job hunt. In our upcoming episode, we'll be talking about- Serena Gilbert: The job interview. The scariest part of the whole job search, right? Jeff Thompson: ... Swimming with the sharks. Serena Gilbert: Oh I thought that was a Jaws reference. Jeff Thompson: Oh yeah, well okay there you go. There is so many aspects with the job interview, preparing for mock interviews. So there's a whole bunch of topics that we're going to throw at you and give you a chance to think about on the job interview episode. Serena Gilbert: I can't wait to talk about that because I truly think that that is actually the hardest part of everything, especially figuring out the disability part of it. Like we talked about with the disclosure piece of it. But even just, "Oh how do I answer what's my greatest weakness?" And not say a really bad weakness. We'll talk about that and work through some questions and different tips and tricks. Jeff Thompson: And like we've been talking about looking at their about page or their mission statement. That is where some of those questions that they might throw at you or questions you ask them about where you can gather some of that information as well. Serena Gilbert: Exactly because you are interviewing them as well. It might not feel like it but you are. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, it's a two way street. Serena Gilbert: Well, Jeff. Jeff Thompson: Well, Serena. Serena Gilbert: Well, Jeff. Jeff Thompson: Serena and everybody I hope you enjoyed the show and until next time. Serena Gilbert: See you next time. Jeff Thompson: Bye bye. Serena Gilbert: As always, if you have any questions or topics that you'd like us to follow, you can give us a message on Twitter. That's @jobinsightsvip or on our Facebook page which is Job Insights. And we also have a Job Insights support group on Facebook. Just search Job Insights support group. See you next time. Jeff Thompson: For more podcasts with a blindness perspective check us out on the web at www.blindabilities.com. On Twitter @blindabilities. Download our app from the app store, Blind Abilities, that's two words. Or send us an email at info@blindabilities.com. Thanks for listening. [Music] [Transition noise] When we share what we see through each other's eyes... [Multiple voices overlapping, in unison, to form a single sentence] ...We can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations, and the realities of Blind Abilities. Jeff Thompson: For more podcasts with the blindness perspective: Check us out on the web at www.BlindAbilities.com On Twitter @BlindAbilities Download our app from the App store: 'Blind Abilities'; that's two words. Or send us an e-mail at:info@blindabilities.com Thanks for listening.
Meet Kristen Steele: Advocate, Massage Therapist, Aira Explorer and Braille Enthusiast #NFB18 Kristen Steele is a Massage Therapist, an Aira Explorer and an advocate who believes in fighting for what she wants and making sure others benefit as well in the long run. Her experiences are readily available as she shares her journey through gaining employment, advocating for accommodations and giving us a glimpse into the accessible tools she employs on a daily basis. Kristen is an Aira Explorer and has utilized the Aira service in the job application process and as a daily tool to gain instant access to information when she needs it. She also fought the education system when she insisted on taking her test with Braille instead of the choice the school offered. She stuck it out and with the help of the NFB and encouragement from others, Kristen has opened the doors for others that will come behind her. She realizes that advocacy is not just for the self and that the time is well spent when the changes one is making will impact the future for others. Join Kristen Steele as she talks about her journey, her job and the challenges she has overcome. From school to the workplace, from legal battles to success, Kristen hopes all of you can learn from her experiences and her successes. If you have any questions for Kristen, you can contact her by email. If you want to know more about Aira and the services they provide, check them out on the web and become an Aira Explorer today! www.Aira.io [caption id="attachment_2435" align="aligncenter" width="200"]Image of the Aira Logo[/caption] Your Life, Your Schedule, Right Now. Using augmented reality, Aira connects people who are blind or low vision to a trained professional agent who is dedicated to further enhancing their everyday experience – completely hands-free assistance at the touch of a button. You can learn more about the National Federation of the Blind on the web at www.NFB.org Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store Full Transcript: Meet Kristen Steele: Advocate, Massage Therapist, Aira Explorer and Braille Enthusiast #NFB18 Christen Steele: So, I had a resume that I had done a few months back, but it wasn't as up-to-date as I would like it and I wanted to find a way that I could have it formatted and centered with all the headings in bold. I decided to use Aira, which is a service that will be a visual interpreter. Jeff Thompson: Meet Christen Steele, massage therapist, Aira explorer, advocate for the blind. Christen Steele: And I talked to Mark Riccobono, who is the current president of the National Federation of the Blind. We were on the phone for about an hour one morning and he really turned me and told me to wait. He said, "It's not just for you, it's for other people." There's so many things that are best to look at in braille. Your bank statements. I just wouldn't have the peace of mind, the confidence, going around this hotel this week. The room numbers, it's accessible if you know braille. Jeff Thompson: Christen talks about the accessible tools that she used to succeed on the job. Christen Steele: There's pictures and I type it in to my Braille Note and then I disconnect with the agent and go grab the client. Jeff Thompson: And how she built relationships with her instructors to receive the best accommodations possible. Christen Steele: So, he was already thinking of ways to type up picture descriptions of the muscles or have me feel a skeleton hands-on. Jeff Thompson: You can find more podcasts with the blindness perspective on the web at www.BlindAbilities.com, on Twitter at Blind Abilities, and download the free Blind Abilities app from the App Store and the Google Play Store. That's two words, Bling Abilities. You can also follow Job Insights, where we talk about the challenges and the successes of transitioning from high school to college to the work place and you can find Job Insights on the Blind Abilities network, www.BlindAbilities.com and on Twitter at Job Insights VIP. Christen Steele: And he was asking me what format to convert his Power Points into and I left that day and I'm like, "He just got it." Jeff Thompson: And now let's meet Christen Steele. Jeff Thompson: Welcome to Blind Abilities. I'm Jeff Thompson. Today with National Federation of the Blind Convention in Orlando, Florida 2018, and we are talking to Christen Steele. Christen, how are you doing? Christen Steele: Good. How are you? Jeff Thompson: I'm doing good. Christen, why don't you tell our listeners a little about yourself. Christen Steele: Okay. Thanks, Jeff, for the invitation to be on this podcast. My name is Christen Steele and I'm a licensed massage therapist. I currently work at Synergy Advanced Massage Therapy in Ralston, Nebraska. I started there in May of 2018. So, it took me a little while to find what I would consider more of a perfect job. The kind you are looking for that you intend to stay for a couple of years or maybe 10 years down the road and it adds a few extra barriers when you live with a visual impairment when you go through the application process, the interview, the decision of acceptance. So, I just wanted to share my story to maybe give other bling listeners an idea of how the process works and to connect with others who have been in the same circumstances. Jeff Thompson: So, Christen, when your job research start? Christen Steele: I was working at a couple of massage places, a physical therapy clinic was one in Council Bluffs, and it was okay, but I wasn't very happy with the hours they were giving me and the pay, so I kept looking on Indeed, which is a job sharing website. I was just glancing around for any openings in the area and one day when I wasn't looking, I was just scrolling through my Facebook feed in the morning, I saw a post on this group, Massage Professionals Omaha, it was someone from Synergy looking for another therapist to join their team. Jeff Thompson: And so you went on about that. How did you work your application? Christen Steele: Well, the interview ad for the job application requested a resume. So, I had a resume that I had done a few months back, but it wasn't as up-to-date as I would like it and I wanted to find a way that I could have it formatted and centered with all the headings in bold so that they wouldn't know I'm blind until I come in to the interview and I can be judged equally. I had decided to use Aira, which is a service that will be a visual interpreter for the blind. They call themselves the description of life and as a monthly plan, when you're an Aira explorer, you pay a straight fee once a month for the number of minutes you receive with an agent and they will do anything for you from navigating to reading mail to formatting documents. Christen Steele: So I sent an agent who picked up my resume by email and told them how I'd like to format it and it took her about 20 minutes and she was very thorough asking me everything from, "What would you like bolded?" or, "Would you like it on two pages?" "How do you want your references listed?" And by the time I was finished I was confident that I had a perfect resume. So I sent it off at about 11:00 a.m. in the morning and by 12:00, an hour later, I received a callback. Jeff Thompson: Congratulations. Christen Steele: Thank you. I was shocked. I looked at the number and it looked like the one that was on the bottom of their job ad. Like, "They can't have received it already." But I went ahead and took the call and they wanted to schedule an interview with me. Jeff Thompson: Was that by phone, by in person? Christen Steele: They scheduled the interview over the phone. They wanted to meet in person and they asked if I could come. The next available time slot was a couple of days later and they said they were in search of someone rather quickly because it was a busy clinic. Jeff Thompson: Disclosure, obviously, when you would go your guide dog spelled it out right to them when you arrived and all that. Were you apprehensive? Were you ... Any anxiety or anything? I suppose, it's a job interview too. Christen Steele: Yeah, anxiety comes anyway. But I had met the owner several months back. I took a CEU on hot and cold stone therapy, so she had met me a couple of days for a short class, but I didn't know if she remembered me and by the sound of that phone call I didn't think she did, so I figured I would just go in. And the day of the interview happened to be the day after my guide dog had surgery, so I was even more nervous because I had to take my cane, which I hadn't used in a few months, and find this suite number inside a building and then find a place to sit down and not be awkward about it so she wouldn't know I hadn't used it in a while. But I entered the suite, found it after asking a couple of people and she automatically said, "Oh, where's Corvette today?" So, she remembered and I think that just lessened it a little bit, making me feel like she knew me and it was okay because she was willing to consider me anyway. Christen Steele: But normally, disclosure's kind of a large issue for going into an interview blind because there's this whole debate. Do you disclose on the phone if it's a phone interview? Do you disclose in person when you meet them? I typically do it in person because I always think that if you have the chance to get an interview, why not let them judge you equally and consider your qualifications and then decide, once they meet you after you can, in a sense, prove yourself and demonstrate your skills and what technology we use to make it accessible. Jeff Thompson: Plus that gives you a great opportunity to put them at ease if they have any questions that come up at the time. Christen Steele: Exactly. And then you can show them how I do things in braille. And one of the things I showed her during the interview, she was asking, how will you take a client back and do the intake, and we're all independent contractors, so she said no one's going to be here all day every day. And I pulled out Aira, which has a phone and then a set of glasses that connects via Bluetooth to a hotspot and called an agent just to demonstrate during the interview process what that would be like. And at first she was very concerned about HIPPA and privacy. How will these clients not have their information placed all over on the internet? And she didn't realize the quality of the company. Christen Steele: I think in her mind she thought it was some volunteer driving down the road looking at this out the corner of their eye, but once I emailed Amy Bernal, the Vice President of Customer Experience at Aira, she's excellent and I've worked with her a lot in the past, she sent me a PDF of their confidentiality contract and the background checks that the agents go through and that really put the employer at ease. Jeff Thompson: Well, that's really great that Aira would do that to help support your initiative for working. Christen Steele: They're awesome about supporting and they even offered to get on a conference call with my employer to describe their agents and describe some of their qualifications, but after I sent that PDF it wasn't really necessary and I still use them for reading forms to this day. Jeff Thompson: Can you describe what it's like to put on the glasses and all of a sudden have instant access to information? Christen Steele: So, it's pretty quick and instant. What happens when I'm getting ready for a client, say I have a massage at 4:00 p.m., about five minutes til, I kind of wait til they walk in, grab the intake form and hand it to them and I go back in the room and just check to make sure everything's on and ready and then connect to an agent. So, you wear a pair of glasses and they're updating these right now, but the current version I have has a camera on the right side of your right lens and then that connects to a MiFi hotspot from Verizon and then you manage the app through your iPhone. Christen Steele: So, I call an agent from the glass and they can basically see, I would say, from 45 degrees to your left and 45 degrees to your right and then a straight on view. If you have something like a printed paper with handwriting where people write on the lines, think when you go to the doctor, you're filling out this form with your personal information, your medications, and all of your health records, they take a picture of that and then I flip it over, they take a picture of the other side and it's immediately, I would say, within about 30 seconds, they're reading off both those pictures and I type it into my Braille Note and they I disconnect with the agent and go grab the client. Christen Steele: And it's so freeing to think about in a profession where we have so many visual aspects such as knowing if the client is there, where are they sitting, and where were the intake forms placed by the last massage therapist and what they all say in handwriting. It's amazing to think that technology these days can make that all streamlined and accessible. Jeff Thompson: Well, that's great. Hey, are there any other accessibility tools or alternative techniques that you use on the job? Christen Steele: I use, there's an app called Seeing AI and there's another one that I also like called Envision AI, it's a little better, but it's paid. But Seeing AI will tell me things like if the table warmer is on or they can read a bottle of oil and it's really not a live person, it's artificial intelligence, so you can hold your phone over a piece of paper and as long as it's not handwritten, they're not the best with that, but if it's print or if it's a digital display like a table warmer, it will read off instantly what is on that display and give me access to anything such as currency for checking a tip before someone walks out the door and then it will read things like the microwave sometimes or if I have gel or lotion. So, it's just some simple things that make it worth it to have apps on hand and your phone in your pocket. Jeff Thompson: That's great. So, let's go back a little bit. Coming out of high school and transitioning into getting your certification, what was that process like for you? Christen Steele: I graduated high school mid-term, so I had enough credits and they decided with my AIP team that since my grade-point average was where I wanted it, 4.0, I graduated mid-term and then starting in the fall of 2015, I had plans to go to University of Nebraska at Omaha. I wanted to originally pursue education. I was thinking of becoming a middle school English teacher, and I did a semester of coursework there. One of my assignments for a public speaking class, which really turned my thought process and my career path, was a speech where you had to interview someone from the career field you're entering. Christen Steele: So I did a lot of research and I was determined to find a blind teacher, there aren't many, and I found a blind English teach in Indiana. She actually won teacher of the year. Her name is Kathy Nemmer and I interviewed her. She just talked about how it was accessible to a point, but she's in her 40s, I can't remember, somewhere like 48, and said that she spends most of her days on a computer whether it's lesson planning, grading, getting back to parents. She's not married. She doesn't have any real hobbies outside of work. And she estimated about 16 hours spent on the computer and in the classroom. Christen Steele: I just thought back a little bit. I wanted more of a lifestyle and a balance between my life and my work. There's a point where you can accommodate and you can spend extra time reading braille because it takes about double the time, but do you want to spend 16 hours a day fighting for something? So, after I shifted my career path from teaching, I was trying to decide what I would be interested in as well as I wanted to be right in the front lines with people, helping others to do some kind of service for anyone in need of any maybe attention, help, some kind of comforting. I didn't know at the time. I was thinking possibly nursing, something in the medical field. My dad and my uncle are both pharmacists, so any kind of medical jobs always interest me. Christen Steele: When I was little I would go back, even before I could walk, I would sit on the pharmacy counter and crawl over the back and be in the pharmacy and count pills. He had this little board that looked like a cutting board and you had a spatula, basically, that would move the pills off the board into this container on the side and then you would dump them in the pill bottle and my dad would put me to work. Even sometimes in the summers I'll still go there. But I just wanted something to where I would have a niche and possibly something that would be medically oriented or along the same field as some of my family members. Christen Steele: I had a blind friend who is a licensed massage therapist. I started calling her and talking to her a little more. I even came to her house for a massage once and then I was looking into school. She recommended a couple in Omaha, but one stood out to me. It was Midwest School of Massage. I did a lot of research and spent late nights on the computer and Midwest School of Massage looked to be the most accommodating in part because it was taught by two instructors. One was the anatomy, physiology, and pathology instructor and one did more of the outer modalities like reflexology and hot stone. Christen Steele: So I toured that school and it was just exceptional to walk in to a place where someone gets it. You go to some interviews and they ask questions where you can tell they're not understanding completely what it's like to be a braille reader or what it's like to not be able to look at the board during class. So, he was already thinking of ways to type up picture descriptions of the muscles or have me feel a skeleton hands-on and he was asking me what format to convert his Power Points into. And I left that day and I'm like, "He just got it." Christen Steele: So I applied to Midwest School of Massage. It's about a year program and it's 200 clinical hours in addition to that curriculum. And it was the best educational experience I've had to this day. The instructor was off on Fridays and he came in several times just to give me one-on-one instruction. He always gave me his cell phone number and said, "If you're not understanding a concept or if you want me to re-explain a technique, just give me a call and we'll meet here on Friday." I've never had an instructor in my life do that. You're always tracking them down and trying to find when can we meet. Christen Steele: But after I graduated with 4.0 in massage therapy, I took the Massage and Bodywork Licensing Examination called the MBLEx and that took a lot of advocacy. It had never been in braille before, so when I applied, the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards wanted me to take it with a human reader. I started thinking and stressing and getting all this anxiety about readers. I've had so many in college who cannot speak English well, do not know the terminology in the field. It's just not worth basing my score on other people's perceptions of the content or other people's human errors. Christen Steele: So we did litigation against the Federation of State Massage Therapy Board. I had Disability Rights Iowa and Brown, Goldstein, and Levy working for me funded by the NFB and after about seven or eight months, we passed a settlement agreement and I was the first person to advocate for the MBLEx in braille and still, several people are trying to achieve the same settlement and I think they will. It's now possible for the first time ever to pass the exam in braille. And I give them all the credit for my score. I don't think I would have passed it with a reader. It was so long, four hours, a hundred questions, all multiple choice, and the questions were so similar that it's one of those things you have to look at it. Jeff Thompson: And you were able to do that independently. Christen Steele: Yes. I took it on a Focus 40 with JAWS. I had a human reader there just in case something crashed or if it wasn't loading correctly, but it all worked out and I did request from the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards that the human reader be from a medical profession. She was an occupational therapist and she was very patient about double checking what I had clicked or telling me how many questions I had remaining and it honestly couldn't have gone any better if I tried. Jeff Thompson: That's awesome for you to use advocacy and to get what you wanted that you knew you could do best if you had it in braille format and what you're doing for everyone else that come into the field behind you. Christen Steele: Yeah. I really struggled with the decision on waiting because I'd finished my clinical hours in February 2017 and at that point the litigation was still underway and we were deciding whether we wanted a hearing so we were kind of in the middle, wavering out the options and I was working with Ty Tomasse from Iowa. I had several phone calls with her and I asked her if it was her exam for law school would she wait. And I talked to Mark Riccobono, who is the current president of the National Federation of the Blind. We were on the phone for about an hour one morning and he really turned me and told me to wait. He said, "It's not just for you, it's for other people," and it was courageous that I was taking the time to wait for braille literacy who, anyone could benefit, any massage therapist 20 years down the road. So, it was a huge change, but I'm glad we waited and made it possible. Jeff Thompson: What advice would you have for someone who is debating between using books on tape or learning braille, because some people aren't encouraged and it's not their fault they didn't decide to do it. Sometimes TBI, sometimes other people who are supposed to be influencing their success in some way may not say that braille is the best choice if you can kind of see or something. So, what would you suggest to them? Christen Steele: I've seen this question a lot. I'm in this Facebook group called Parents of Blind Children and so many parents who have these kids in their elementary or middle school years debate on this topic. But I would say it's definitely worth the time to learn braille and the best thing you can do to learn braille is continue reading it whether it's children's books or a novel or your favorite short story, just get something in front of you and the more you read it and practice and say the words after you've read it and just immerse yourself, the more you will increase your speed, increase your accuracy. Christen Steele: And the main thing, I remember I told my mom I was glad I learned braille when I did. I received an email a couple of months back. It was someone wanting an editor and I think it was spam, I don't know how they got my email, but I had edited for a creative writing publication in the past so I opened it on my phone and just listened with voiceover. I'm like, "Oh, this sounds interesting." And I got my Braille Note out to look at it further and they spelled writing R-I-G-H-T-I-N-G. I'm like, "This is a scam." Delete. Delete. T-O-O they had tried to write, it was T-O. I'm like, "Okay, a voiceover user wouldn't know that." And you could be scammed. Christen Steele: There's so many things that are best to look at in braille. Your bank statements. I just wouldn't have the peace of mind, the confidence. Going around this hotel this week, the room numbers, it's accessible if you know braille. Anything from labeling items around the house just at your fingertips. If you want to jot down a note, it's accuracy and it brings you a lot more independence. Jeff Thompson: Christen, what advice would you give to someone who is in high school and looking for their future in employment? Christen Steele: Be creative, but be realistic. I know a couple of people, one of them is blind and he wants to be a sportscaster. It's his dream job, but maybe he will do it someday, maybe he won't, but in my mind I'm just thinking, he can't see the game himself, how is he going to broadcast and there's so many places that are going to wonder that when you interview. So, think realistically. It doesn't have to be just a career for blind people, but something to the point where you can find your calling that you're interested in whether it's the medical field, English, any kind of degree that you would go on, associates, bachelors, even higher if you wish, but think of something that will bring you excitement and pride and be happy at the end of the day, but then be realistic that you can make this successful. Jeff Thompson: That's great advice. Now, being a fluent braille user, what kind of tools in braille do you use? Christen Steele: I mainly use a Braille Note Touch and that has a braille display and a keyboard, but it also has a screen that you can flip up, which is nice for some of the apps. But I loved having the apps in braille from Google Play, so I have my bank account on there, I have all my Word documents, which is equivalent to a sighted person with a spiral bound notebook. I even have Amazon Kindle, BARD, Braille Terminal. I can connect it to my iPhone. I do all my massage scheduling, I have my app for that on here. And I just try to read braille every day whether it's a recipe or reading a book for leisure. It's something I look forward to when I sit down and relax for the night. Jeff Thompson: And that's a Humanware product. Christen Steele: Yeah, that's by Humanware and sometimes I'll connect it to my iPhone just to have either Facebook or some website that's not very accessible at my fingertips. Jeff Thompson: Oh, that's really neat. Christen, you mentioned earlier that you're a JAWS user so obviously you're using a PC. Christen Steele: I have for certain exams. I don't really like screen readers to be honest and a lot of blind people swear by them, but I just like the accuracy and fluency of braille and it kind of drives me insane to listen to audio all day, so I do it if I have to and I know the basics of it, but if it was my choice I wouldn't do JAWS. Jeff Thompson: So, what kind of hobbies do you have? Christen Steele: So, in my free time I enjoy swimming, I do a lot of tandem biking. We have an organization in Omaha called Outlook Nebraska and they do various activities for people with any kind of vision loss from bowling to bike rides even golf tournaments. I haven't tried that yet but I still want to. I like to do baking, shopping, any kind of reading. I go for a daily walk in the morning, that always wakes me up. But, yeah, even hanging out with friends and family. Jeff Thompson: Christen, is there anything else you would to say to the listeners? Christen Steele: I'd like to say to anyone out there just a little piece of advice. If you're thinking of advocating for something and you have a career path that you want to do or some college exam that's not currently accessible and you would like it to be in braille or you would like it be screen reader accessible, whatever method you prefer, go for it. Don't hold back because you're not only helping your grades and your life in the future, but you're doing it for all these other blind people. And when something doesn't work for one person or the MBLEx, for example, that I was taking, there's other people who have tried to take it and there will be other people 10 years down the road. So, you're not just alone, you're never alone. Fight for it and keep advocating. Jeff Thompson: Christen, thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy convention time you've scheduled at the convention here and thanks for all that you're doing for Aira and everybody else that ... You did volunteer time, you're down there doing popcorn, you're all over the place here and I think you're making a great impact. So, thank you very much. Christen Steele: Thank you for invite. It was my pleasure. Jeff Thompson: Coverage of the 2018 National Federation of the Blind Convention is sponsored by Aira. And you can find Aira on the web at A-I-R-A dot I-O. Follow them on Twitter at A-I-R-A I-O. And thank you Chee Chau for the beautiful music. Follow Chee Chau on Twitter at El Cheechau. I want to thank you for listening. We hope you enjoyed. Until next time, bye bye. [Music] [Transition noise] - When we share What we see through each other's eyes... [Multiple voices overlapping, in unison, to form a single sentence] ...We can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations, and the realities of Blind Abilities. Jeff Thompson: For more podcasts with the blindness perspective: Check us out on the web at www.BlindAbilities.com On Twitter @BlindAbilities Download our app from the App store: 'Blind Abilities'; that's two words. Or send us an e-mail at: info@blindabilities.com Thanks for listening.
That Blind Tech Show 18: My TV’s On Fire! GPS, GPS, GPS 3 Times Fast, Lazarillo App, Pete’s Amazon Fire Cube Demo and BETA, BETA, BETA. That Blind Tech Show sneaks right up to the start of conventions and on Episode 18 Serina Gilbert struts her microphone magic and puts the boys in their place. Join Brian Fischler, Serina Gilbert and Jeff Thompson as they roll out some pretty good news, opinions and possibly a little humor to bring a little sunshine into your day. From the Amazon TV, the Amazon Fire Cube, in which the totally awesome Pete Lane demonstrates, to some neat little gadgets Brian is collecting, sharing and keeping the economy moving by purchasing anything under $35. Oops, he may of blew that budget. J Jeff gives a little peek at the LazarilloApp that rivals the BlindSquare App but does it really? Download this free app and find out yourself. Lazarillo on the App Store. Serina, Co-Host of the Job Insights podcast on Blind Abilities does a sensational job and if she could just laugh a little bit more… Believe me, her laugh is infectious! Join the That Blind Tech Show crew and kick back for a good listen and be sure to check out some of the links from the show below: Did you hear the one about the all you can eat Chinese Restaurant that went out of business? Don’t Take your iPhone to World Cup. Is there anywhere you won’t take your iPhone? Do you plan to run the iOS 12 public beta on your devices Talk Smart Wearable Bluetooth Button Reizen Talking Wand Thank you for listening. Send us Feedback via email Follow us on Twitter @BlindTechShow You can follow Blind Abilities on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store.
Job Insights #6: What Does Humor, Self-Advocacy and Feeling Got to Do with Mental Health Strategies? Meet Beth Gustin, licensed Professional Counselor Full Transcript Below On Job Insights Episode #6, Serina Gilbert and Jeff Thompson are joined by Beth Gustin, LPC. Beth has years of experience in which she shares with us in this discussion on Mental Health and offers us some strategies in dealing with the anxieties and stresses during the job search. Beth talks about the necessity of having humor to make the journey less stressful. Having the skill of self-advocacy because no one knows what you’ll need, more than you do. And if you don’t feel, you don’t heal. And that’s where self-care comes into play. This is just a brief look at Mental Health and addressing just a few topics and we are excited to say that Beth will be back to share some of her insights in our upcoming episodes. Beth has also suggested a web site where you can find out about looking into therapy or finding some help and services in your area if you ever want to check it out. Here is a link to the psychology Today website. Beth Gustin can be reached by email. and she can help you find the resources that you may be looking for. Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities Appon the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store. Full Transcript: Job Insights #6: What Does Humor, Self-Advocacy and Feeling Got to Do with Mental Health Strategies? Meet Beth Gustin, licensed Professional Counselor Beth G.: Knowing what comforts you. So do you like hot tea? Do you like a warm bath? Do you like walking outside and getting some fresh air? Knowing what works, and being able to have that readily available to you can help with depression. Jeff Thompson: Job Insights, a podcast to help you carve out your career pathway and enhance the opportunities for gainful employment. Beth G.: If you don't feel, you don't heal. It just basically means if you don't have an outlet for your emotions, whatever they may be, I'm going to tell you right now that every emotion you have is normal and valid and it's okay. Jeff Thompson: To help you navigate the employment world and give you job insights and enhance the opportunities to choose the career you want. So there's not one out there called, pull up your boot straps, is there? Beth G.: Nope. Serena Gilbert: You can Google that, Jeff. See what you come up with. Jeff Thompson: You can find the Job Insights podcast on blindabilities.com, part of the Blind Abilities network with hosts Serena Gilbert and myself, Jeff Thompson. And you can contact us by email at jobinsights@blindabilities.com. Leave us some feedback or suggest some topics that we cover, on Twitter @jobinsightsvip. And check out the Job Insights support group on Facebook, where you can learn, share, advise and interact with the Job Insights community. Beth G.: If you have the right support system, which is a crucial key when it comes to self care and adjusting. If you have a good support system and you have some professionals involved to help, such as rehabilitation counselors or low vision specialists, things like that. That definitely helps remove some of those emotional or mental barriers that might come up when we're working towards adjusting. Jeff Thompson: Learn about resources for training, education and employment opportunities. Beth G.: It's also good practice, like you just said, to work with someone that we may not mesh with very well because it teaches us, it's a learning experience. Serena Gilbert: Exactly, right Jeff? Jeff Thompson: Huh. And now please welcome Serena Gilbert and Jeff Thompson, with Job Insights. Jeff Thompson: How you doing, Serena? Serena Gilbert: I'm doing great Jeff, how are you? Jeff Thompson: I'm doing good. I'm getting this feeling that people want me to get older. Serena Gilbert: I wonder what special day is coming up for you? Jeff Thompson: I don't know, but I think I'll be eating cake soon. Serena Gilbert: Your present's in the mail, it's coming via dot Amazon net. Jeff Thompson: Blind matter, too right? Serena Gilbert: Yes, blind matter. Jeff Thompson: It's be here on my next birthday. Perfect, perfect. Serena Gilbert: If you don't get it this week, you know, don't worry. Jeff Thompson: Well, this week? Serena Gilbert: This week. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, this week, right? Serena Gilbert: This week. Jeff Thompson: We do have a guest on the show and we're going to be talking to Beth Gustin and she's a national certified counselor and she's from Colorado and so is Serena, and I'm from Minnesota. How you all doing? Serena Gilbert: I'm great. Welcome Beth, we are super excited to have you on the podcast today. Beth G.: Thank you. I'm glad to be here. Serena Gilbert: So today we are taking a break from our traditional topics with the Job Insights podcast. To touch a little on self care and how to take care of yourself, [inaudible] the job search and also in coping with blindness or visual impairment. One thing that many people that aren't really, really close to me don't realize is that I too, sometimes have some not so fun feelings about being visually impaired, and not being able to drive and things like that. And I think it's important for all of us to learn a little bit of techniques and to get some tips for working through that. Jeff Thompson: Beth, do you want to tell a little bit about your occupation and what you do? Beth G.: Sure. So I am a licensed professional counselor, mental health therapist, and I work in the community mental health field. I currently work with ages eight and up, prior to that I worked at another mental health agency, working with just adults. Before that I worked at the center for People with Disabilities, and I facilitated their low vision support groups and was the manager of their senior low vision program. I've also done Hospice volunteer work for about eight years, I no longer do that at this point in time, but I have done that. I've done some volunteer work at a homeless shelter and an adult day care as well. I have my master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and Counselor Education, which you have to have your master's degree in order to become a licensed professional counselor. Yeah. What else would you like to know? Serena Gilbert: That's a lot of stuff, Beth. So as you guys can tell, Beth has a lot of experience not only working with individual's disabilities but it sounds like young adults and adolescents as well, because you said you work with eight and up? Beth G.: I do, I've had this current job for about six months. That's a newer population to me. Serena Gilbert: Mm-hmm (affirmative), tell me a little bit more about your experience working with the Center for People with Disabilities? Beth G.: It's an independent living center, we had a multitude of different programs but I happened to work with the Senior Low Vision program. So we worked with individuals, oh gosh, I believe it was ages 55 and up, and the average age when I was there was around 85 years of age. And so we would help them, individuals who were losing their sight, we would help them adjust to losing their sight, help them relearn or learn new ways of doing the same things they'd always done. Because as we lose our sight, as some of us know, we have to adapt and find new ways to do the same things we've always done. So, whether it was showing them how to mark their appliances so they could still do the laundry and cook and things like that, whether it was teaching them technology so they could learn to use iPhones or computers. Anything and everything to help them either individually or in a group setting to stay independent and maintain their quality of life. Serena Gilbert: So many of those individuals you're working with ... Was it a lot of individuals that acquired their low vision or blindness, a little bit later in life? Beth G.: Yes, the majority had macular degeneration or something along those lines. Serena Gilbert: So what were some of the common things that you saw working with that population, in regards to transitioning into losing their sight? Beth G.: Most of them had extremely positive attitudes, given if they had macular degeneration, they would never totally lose their sight. I think that helped some of them regain some of the confidence that can sometimes be lost, when we first lose our sight. I saw a lot of anxiety mainly, when I worked with them, just as far as learning how to, like I said before, continue to do the things they've always done, just learning how to do them differently. And so a lot of the work was just helping them regain their confidence, or maintain their confidence and work with the anxiety. Beth G.: There were some symptoms of depression initially when we first hear that we are diagnosed with vision loss of any kind, I think there's a little bit of, oh my gosh, what's this mean for me? How's my life going to look? And so people might tend to isolate at first, people might tend to have a sense of initial hopelessness or helplessness, but if you have the right support system which is a crucial key when it comes to self care and adjusting. If you have a good support system and you have some professionals involved to help such as rehabilitation counselors or low vision specialists, things like that. That definitely helps remove some of those emotional or mental barriers that might come up, that we're working towards adjusting. Jeff Thompson: Beth, do you feel that you being blind yourself acts as some sort of role model to the clients? Beth G.: They said it did, I think it definitely helped, because I could relate on a different level. I've been blind since birth and I've had light perception although I've lost almost all of that over the past three to five years. But I think still having been born blind gave me an understanding. It's very different being born blind versus losing your sight later in life, but we still have to adapt and find different ways of doing things. And so having those different ways of doing things already working for me it I think helped all of us relate on a similar level and gave us a common thread with which to work from. Serena Gilbert: I noticed that you had said that a lot of anxiety comes, more so stemming from, how am I going to do this now, something that I've always done visually and Jeff and I have talked about this a lot on our previous episodes in regards to making sure to taking advantage of those training opportunities, and partnerships and support systems like you mentioned, to be able to help support you. And being able to develop those new skills just doing the same thing you've always done differently. The only thing you might not be able to still do is actually physically drive a car until you get that self driving car going. But other than that I think you can do almost anything, just differently. Beth G.: Right. And you can drive, just not legally. But I wouldn't ... Serena Gilbert: We're not going there. Beth G.: You're right though, I mean I think it's just that fear of how am I going to do this, and one of the things I was told, working with the seniors back then, was your brain remembers. So if you can close your eyes and kind of let your hands and your brain sort of guide you through the motions it takes a lot of the pressure off yourself. Jeff Thompson: Now Beth, you mentioned three major points, and the first one was advocacy, self advocacy, I believe it was. Can you talk about that? Beth G.: Sure and I definitely think about this when we're talking about students transitioning from high school to college, or transitioning into the work force. Knowing what you need and knowing how to ask for it, so it's a hard skill to learn, I think especially for not outgoing by nature, or don't feel like we got a lot of confidence, to say, hey Mr Smith I'm going to be in your level 101 History class and it would be very helpful if you could read what you're saying as you write it on the board, because I cannot see the board. To kind of take that lead, I guess in your life. Beth G.: For me, I personally found it helpful to go down to the college campus and happened to go to grad school and under grad in the same campus which helped, but going early and trying to meet the professors and introducing myself and meeting with the Disability Student Services Center, letting them know who I was and what I would need ahead of time, before class started so that I would have a smoother transition into class. Similarly, when we're looking at employment opportunities being able to help an employer understand what accommodations you might need and explain to them, you know getting to my job is my problem, so transportation is my worry not yours, because some employers will ask about that. Helping them understand that, hey can we maybe throw some clear braille markers on the microwave if braille is something that we utilize so that we can heat up our lunch and not have to ask someone for that. Beth G.: Asking though specifically if you orient me to my surroundings can you please describe either with a clock face where things are located or letting me go touch items so that I can learn where things are. But just being very specific in asking for what you need. Serena Gilbert: And I think that you'll find if you're super specific and just ask, almost everyone is super willing to help you out especially in an employment site. I've never had anyone say like, no I don't have time for that, because the reality is that little bit of time that's invested at the beginning allows you to have that independence, for however long you chose to stay with that employer. Beth G.: I agree. Jeff Thompson: You know as I was listening here, I actually remember that the first thing you mentioned was keeping a sense of humor. Beth G.: Yes. Jeff Thompson: Can you talk about that one? Beth G.: I think it's extremely important to be able to laugh, whether it's at yourself, at the situations. Serena Gilbert: Well how many things have we tripped over or walls have we ran into, and just laugh it off and keep going, right? Beth G.: We have to go out to the lobby area to get our clients, and at my last job and this job, I've done it twice now, I go out and I call a client and they sound similar to my client, and they've got the same first names, so I'm walking back and I'm realizing, this is not my client. You both kind of go like, you're not my therapist, you're not my client, and we just apologize and laugh it off and go get your client. Serena Gilbert: Yes. Beth G.: But, you know, things like that can be really funny if you let them. Running into walls, I mean, it took me a little while to learn, well both buildings that I was in, I went to the wrong office a couple of times, that's embarrassing. Serena Gilbert: Did you sit down at the computer and everything? Jeff Thompson: It's harder to log in that way. Beth G.: Look, why isn't this talking to me, what's going on? Serena Gilbert: I have almost ... you guys will laugh at this, so our building has like a main lobby in the downstairs area because we're in a building that has a lot of different suites and there's chairs and tables down there. I have on multiple occasions almost sat on somebody, and they're like, oh hi and I'm like, thank God you said something because I would have sat on you. Beth G.: And that is something that I wish that we could help the public feel comfortable in doing. Speak up, you know, we don't know you're there necessarily if we can't see you. Serena Gilbert: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Beth G.: It's much more helpful for everyone involved if you speak to us before we sit on your lap. Jeff Thompson: Yes. Unless it's santa clause, I mean that's about it. Beth G.: Right. Jeff Thompson: Yes, there's so many different times that there's ... even when you're alone or at a table setting and you stab into the mash potatoes, put it in your mouth and it's totally something else and it's like, you know there's a facial expression you give but you can't give it away sometimes, you've just got to swallow it. Serena Gilbert: Oh, I've had that happen before, I'm like, I though I'm about to eat a piece of corn and that is not corn, it's a whole piece of bread on my fork. Jeff Thompson: Mm-hmm (affirmative) yes, but I like what you say about the public being aware of that, if they speak up just a little bit and not be afraid or shy away from an impending thing happening, especially like on the bus when you're ready to sit down, they wait until you almost make contact with them, you know, yes, so it does help. So if there's any sighted people out there, or councilors listening right now, just speak up sometimes and it really helps out the situation. Beth G.: And the same is true for if you're walking somewhere, and don't watch us run into the wall, I mean we have dogs and canes so hopefully we'll find it, but we're human and we don't always pay attention and we think about something else and it's okay to speak up and maybe say something, don't grab us or anything like that because that's not helpful. But definitely don't be afraid to speak up and ask, do you need some assistance or can I help you? Please don't say, over there or here or that way, those are not helpful phrases for us, the more verbal a person can be, the usually better off it is going to be for all of us. Jeff Thompson: Yes and that third item that you mentioned was ... Beth G.: It was, if you don't feel you don't heal. Which is a therapy phrase and it just basically means if you don't have an outlet for your emotions whatever they may be, I'm going to tell you right now that every emotion you have is normal and valid and it's okay. Where it becomes a challenge is if we don't have a way to express them. If we don't have someone we can talk to. If we don't have maybe physical ways to express our anger that are healthy, like punching pillows or mattresses or going to the gym. If we don't have way to express our sadness, maybe we don't have the words or we don't have the ability to speak at the moment but if we can do it through art or music or journaling, something like that. Again, you have to feel it before you can heal from it. Serena Gilbert: And I wanted to talk a little bit about that, so every one's super afraid of, you know the 'D' word, depression, but it happens. You know, we all experience it whether it's for an extended period of time and it's at a clinical level or, it's situational because you've got some not so fun things going on in your life, but I did want to touch upon that because I think that, that's more common in the blindness community than we all like to admit, because I see some posts in Facebook groups where we're not real happy about our situation right now and I want our listeners to understand that, that is a perfectly normal emotion, but it's also about, okay so you're depressed because you're not able to get where you want to when you want to get there. But there's some solutions we can do to that, how can we work through that and I think it'd be helpful to have a talk about a depression piece of things as well. Beth G.: Sure, and I also want to add to that a couple of things, I think anxiety, depression and anger are the three top emotions that I have observed in my work with clients, especially those with visual loss and employment challenges, and I also think it's important to allow yourself time to grieve and re-grieve. So, by re-grieving I mean, we may be very well adjusted to the fact that we are walking through the world with a visual disability, but it doesn't mean that myself or Serena or Jeff doesn't re-grieve, like oh, I wish I could drive, oh if only I could see my computer screen and not have to wait for somebody to come help me because my technology isn't co-operating, or whatever it is. We grieve and that can trigger depression or anger or anxiety, by anger, anxiety or depression, I'm not saying actual disorders, like not an actual anxiety disorder or a depressive disorder, I'm talking about symptoms of depression, symptoms of anxiety, but experiences like that can definitely lead to symptoms of depression or possibly depressive episode. Beth G.: I think the first thing is acknowledging, this is how I feel you know, are you finding yourself isolating more? Are you finding yourself crying more? Are you finding yourself more irritable? Do you find yourself sleeping more, are you not eating as much? I mean what are your symptoms, what are you doing differently that might make you stop and think, wow this is depression, and we don't have to like it, but that is what it is and so then how do we work with that and I'm a therapist, of course I'm going to say, go talk to your therapist if you have one, because I think that's one of the first things you can do to help yourself. Definitely rule out anything physical, any physical causes first because some vitamin imbalances, or hormone imbalances or heart conditions can mimic a lot of these symptoms of mental health, and so for sure rule out anything physical, but then definitely find someone you can talk to. Find a support group you can join, find an on-line support group you can join if you can't find one in person. Beth G.: Like I said, write it out, journaling is extremely helpful, I don't care if somebody writes, I've got not a thing to say, for five pages, that's okay you're still writing and something will come. Most times you're going to think you have nothing to say and you'll end up writing a lot of pages, because you have a lot to say. Music is a huge help with depression. You can find something uplifting that will change your mood, that can be helpful. Knowing what comforts you. So, do you like hot tea, do you like a warm bath, do you like walking outside and getting some fresh air? Knowing what works and being able to have that readily available to you can help with depression. And then lastly, I always encourage clients to keep, what I call a coping toolbox. So literally you get a box of any size that works for you and you put things in there that no matter what you pull out, it'll help you. Beth G.: And you can keep this by your bed, you can keep this in your living room. If you are someone who is [inaudible] you can keep one in your car, but anywhere that's easily accessible to you and you can put things in there like a scent or an aroma that is pleasing to you and makes you feel more calm and relaxed. You can put a CD if those even still exist for most of us, or some kind of MP3 player where you can listen to music and songs that you know are going to make you feel better. You can put in there, maybe a bag of your favorite coffee, or a couple of tea bags or whatever it's going to be. Anything that's going to help you feel better so there's no question asked, so it'll help. Jeff Thompson: Those are some really good points and I think one of the things that Serena struck on was that the 'D' word, society's expectations when you feel that they're looking upon you to admit that you have depression or to admit you have anxiety or it's just always expected that, I'm okay so I'm glad that you had all these suggestions for people to ... you know, I'm not going to carry around a Halloween trick or treat bag, that's not going to help me cope all the time. But, that makes sense because I find myself, I like, like a hot bath or a walk or something, or working out a little bit and it always helps. It always feels like I got an extra skip in my step, I guess. Serena Gilbert: And I was going to say for me, when I get like depressed about, I can't just get in the car and go do what I want to do, you know? For me it's singing in the shower, like it's, I can't sing in my car you know, and that always, always, always helps me out. Beth G.: And yes, depending on the severity of the depression, some people might be in this place where, those all sound nice but I just don't have motivation to do that, I don't have the energy, and so I think about things, such as, okay instead of looking at your to do list, can you make a list of things you accomplished that day and it may just say I got out of bed and had breakfast, that may be it for the day, but that's still better than just laying in bed and so it's finding baby steps that you can take to help yourself start to shift from that depression. Jeff Thompson: Beth, how important it is to recognize that you might be having anxiety or depression happening. Beth G.: To me it's extremely important because if we don't know what a person's experiencing, what their symptoms are, what they're feeling, what their thoughts are, what their emotions are, we aren't able to help as well and so if the person can recognize, you know, I don't know what's going on but here's what I'm experiencing, it allows us as the professionals to step in and say, okay well let's talk about what you've tried, or what used to work or let's try something new, or it allows loved ones, or those of us in support systems to say, hey, I've been there too here's what worked for me. Serena Gilbert: And I think it's great that you mentioned loved ones and support systems because I definitely want to touch a little bit on, what are some good self care tips for our family members or our loved ones, especially in a family where maybe it's a husband and wife, or even a mother and daughter where it's a sudden loss of vision, not something that's been dealt with over, you know, quite a few years or born with and things like that. Beth G.: My first suggestion would be to educate. Educate, educate, educate and learn as much as you can on both sides, whether you are the one with vision loss or you're the person living with someone with vision loss, but educate yourself on their cause of vision loss and what it might mean for them and keep the conversations open and it's important to open dialogue, roles might change temporarily or roles might change permanently, depending on how one's experience is with vision loss. So, definitely have good communication skills, be able to talk about the hard things, be able to talk about the fears that both of you have, from a husband and wife team, because the sighted individual is going to have some fears and anxieties as well and being able to just calmly openly talk about those things is, I think, one of the first steps to being, to successfully transitioning, for living with vision loss. Beth G.: I think it's also important to again, seek support. There's a lot of different support groups out there for a variety of things and just finding one that fits for you. Get to know other people who are in similar situations because maybe they're further ahead from where you are, you can learn from them, or maybe you can help someone else, because you're further ahead than they are in the process. Jeff Thompson: Wow. Serena Gilbert: I really like that you acknowledge that it's, it's perfectly normal for a family member to have those fears and anxieties as well, because I think sometimes when a family member gets diagnosed with a vision impairment or even just a life changing diagnosis of any kind, the person that has not had that diagnosis feels that they have to be the rock and the strong one, and not really show any of that emotion and just be there for the person that's going through it. So I love that, that's something that you brought to light here for us. Beth G.: Absolutely, I think it's crucial that both individual or how many individuals, even it's, you know, adult children or younger children but everyone needs to able to have a place to express their emotions and I think it's also helpful depending on type of vision loss and you know what the cause is, but if you know you're going to lose your sight more progressively, start to implement some non-visual strategies early on, so that when you do have less sight, your transition's easier and there's less anxiety. Definitely reach out to any professionals you can that can provide support and in a sense just so you can learn the skills that everyone is going to need. It can be very common that the sighted persons wants to begin doing everything for the person with vision loss and we don't want that, we still want to be independent, we still want to be productive and active members of the household and society so allowing us to struggle, allowing us to learn to do things differently and that could be painful to watch us struggle, but we don't learn if we don't do it. Serena Gilbert: Very well said. Jeff Thompson: Yes. That's true, when you said being the rock, when I taught woodworking the men would come and, oh yes they've done it, but they hadn't and they would just say it because that's expected of them and in my situation I had to be the strong guy, but I come from a family of rocks and it makes it tough to open up because everyone is very independent and everything so as the years go by, it's like an education process that just kind of evolves, and I think my friends catch on faster than my family did, if that makes sense. Serena Gilbert: At the risk of upsetting some people, it's interesting that you said that Jeff because you said like, you come from a family like, where the males are the rocks and I do think that there are differences between how males and females might cope with that, especially if it's later in life, like if you're from a really traditionally roled married and you always do the driving and you always do this and you always do that and that's taken away from you, I feel like that's, that's going to be a little bit different for a male versus a female. Beth G.: I want to speak to that as well, in regards to if anyone ever experienced this, but if you are traveling with a sighted person and you have brought along your mobility aid of choice, be it a cane or guide dog. We're not trying to minimize your role in helping us as a sighted person, but we need those aids to learn about our environment, to be more independent and to, as I've put it, rely on a sighted person more for the things we need help with versus the things we still can do on our own. So it's a balancing act I think, of letting somebody be a rock and at the same time keeping independence. Jeff Thompson: That's well put. So, Beth if someone may think that they, I don't know how to phrase this, but if someone's out there that may think that they're ... you know, you've mentioned what, I know it said ADA, Anxiety, Depression and Anger? Beth G.: Yes. Jeff Thompson: If someone may be questioning about those three things, what would you suggest for them to do, I mean or contact? Beth G.: Well, I mean I'm a firm believer in, it's okay to seek some professional help if need be, just to get through some of the tougher times. Now that can be a Mental Health Therapist, that could be your local Chapter for Blindness Organization, that could be an on-line support group, definitely seeking support in whatever way's comfortable for you in multiple ways, that are comfortable. But definitely seek support. Serena Gilbert: Do you have like, I know there's not a link that fits all, is there like a resource guide of some sort that maybe you can direct us in that, I just want something for our listeners, where if they do feel like they need help maybe there's like a National Organization they can reach out to that can help them locate a therapist somehow? Beth G.: There's a number of those. Serena Gilbert: Okay. Beth G.: So I'm thinking of like, the American Counseling Association I believe has a therapist directory. Serena Gilbert: Okay. Beth G.: Psychologytoday.com has a therapist directory. Serena Gilbert: I'm definitely using the Psychology Today one, I didn't even think about that, that one's great because it narrowed by insurance and things. Beth G.: And what you're looking for, for grief, for anxiety you can narrow it down by what you're experiencing. I can definitely put my email address [inaudible] if anyone wants to contact me directly, I can try to help link them to resources or answer any questions they might have. Serena Gilbert: Okay. Beth G.: I am willing to be a resource in that respect. Serena Gilbert: Well, that's awesome Beth, you might get a lot of emails. I think the most useful one would probably be that Psychology Today, because it's very accessible, not that the ACA one wouldn't be, but it also, just the way it let's you narrow your search down, I think that would be helpful. Beth G.: I agree with that. Jeff Thompson: So there's not one out there called, 'Pull Up Your Boot Straps', is there? Beth G.: Nope. Serena Gilbert: Google that Jeff, see what you come up with. Jeff Thompson: No, I had a father and a father-in-law that was their motto, tough it up you know, pull up your bootstraps, get on with it. Beth G.: Well sometimes it's not possible, I mean no matter how much the person would like to do that, that's where mental illness and your severe depression or severe anxiety can really keep us stuck, and so we'd love to pull ourselves up by the boot straps, but we need a little extra help to do that initially. Serena Gilbert: And I was going to say, that is really where you can see generational differences and their approach to mental health. And I'm not trying to knock one generation or another but there are certain generations that don't really believe that counseling is something that's necessary or mental health or even medications for mental health in that regard, and that might be something that if you know that you do really want to move forward and have that independence that you'll have to kind of work through as well. Beth G.: Sure, and different cultures have different beliefs around the mental illness and things like that as well. Serena Gilbert: Yes. Beth G.: So, again you know it's finding what works for you, you don't have to go see a therapist but could you go to the gym and you know, work it out literally, because that can make you feel better. Can you find a friend you can talk to and what about religious involvement, like temple or a church or something? A synagogue, can you go there and find someone to talk to or if you're not religious but you have some spiritual practices, can you go locate someone that fits your beliefs spiritually, because that can be just as helpful. Serena Gilbert: The next thing that I wanted to chat about is something all three of us have gone through already, is the super fun job search and how sometimes it's not so fun because of the types of rejections and things that come through and I wanted to chat with you a little bit about how normal those rejections are unfortunately and maybe some coping mechanisms for that as well. Beth G.: Yelling and screaming works very well. Jeff Thompson: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Serena Gilbert: I like it. Beth G.: Yes, it's a tough one and I will share, it took me, this is why I volunteered so much at those three places I mentioned earlier, it took me three years after grad school to get a job and it was a long stressful, semi sometimes depression filled three years, because it was just hard and so for me I threw myself into volunteer work. I had a couple of reasons for that, one is if you don't receive your 2 000 hours, and this may have changed I've been licensed since 2010, this may have changed, but back then if you didn't receive your 2 000 hours within five years, you retook the exam. And I was not going to do that and volunteer work counted. Beth G.: So for me I volunteered my behind off, because it gave me a purpose, it gave me something to do, it gave me a foot in the door, it gave me experience in the field, it gave me material for the resume. I found that to be helpful for me because volunteering in the fields that I wanted to work in as much as I could, to gain experience and get known, because it does also depend a lot on who we know not also just what we know, for doing the job. Jeff Thompson: Serena, as a councilor do you recommend providers or do you suggest a list or something of that nature coming from a state agency point of view? Serena Gilbert: What we usually look at is what type of health insurance the individual that we're working with has, many of our individuals don't have traditional insurance, like through an employer and I work with a lot of young adults so sometimes they have it through their parents, but many of my young adults have Medicaid, so we do have the ability to search the Medicaid providers and make recommendations. We do typically partner with our community mental health organization that's here, because they're really easy for our clients to get into because they have so many locations throughout this city, and then they have supplemental programs that they do with them that work alongside the therapy and medication. Serena Gilbert: Things like, they have a training program in culinary arts or in construction. They also do yoga and talk about nutrition and dietary needs, so they take a really holistic approach so it tends to work really well for the clients that I work with, but I don't typically make specific recommendations to you, you should go see this specific person, I usually give them a list. Jeff Thompson: That's good. Serena Gilbert: Let them kind of make their informed choice. Beth G.: Which I think is a much better way to handle that, because from a therapy stand point and for any professional that you're working with, it has to be a good fit and I tell my clients it's okay if you don't gel with me, it's okay if you don't like me or think I'm helpful to you, you know I ask to give me three sessions before you make that choice, but please speak up and ask for someone different if you're not comfortable this isn't going to help you, and so I think it's important to remember looking for professionals whether it's of vocational services, whether it's a specialist therapist, whomever it's going to be. Make sure it's a good fit. Serena Gilbert: That's a very, very good point because I think that a lot of our clients think well, especially with vocational rehabilitation and this may be the case sometimes, I'm going to put a disclaimer out there, sometimes you do have to work with somebody that maybe isn't your favorite person because that's the real world sometimes. Sometimes we don't get to make those choices but sometimes if there is a choice and it truly is impeding your ability to move forward, then it's okay to speak up, just like Beth said. I do agree with that. Beth G.: It's also good practice, like you just said to work with someone that you may not mesh with very well because it teaches us. It's a learning experience. Serena Gilbert: Exactly. Right Jeff? Jeff Thompson: Yes, experiences are good. I mean I actually went and saw a therapist years ago and some of that stuff sticks with me as coping mechanisms, as we talked about, and it's just a reminder to yourself that you know, we don't all have to be perfect and when you accept that you're not perfect and you accept the things you can change and the things you can't change, well it makes it a lot easier. A lot less stressful, the expectations you think others have of you and all that type of stuff. So, I like it and I like this conversation as I'm sitting here listening, I'm sitting back further and further in the chair just listening and it's really good stuff. Serena Gilbert: You were really processing, because when you listen back to this, when you edit you're going to notice that like I totally like dissed you there, and you didn't even notice because you were so deep in thought. Jeff Thompson: I'm focusing. So yes, I'm focusing. Beth G.: You're listening. Serena Gilbert: I think Beth caught it. Jeff Thompson: It is good information, it's good that it soaks in. I guess I must be really wanting it too, but like when you talked about writing and journaling I had a thought like, Stephen King, must really need some self help because he writes a lot. Serena Gilbert: Oh man. I don't even want to know what's going on in his brain right now. Those are the long books. Jeff Thompson: But I find myself doing that once in a while, is starting to write and also I write like three pages and I'm like, what's going on here? It's just spilling out and like you said to release that, to have someone to talk to, share stuff with, otherwise it's like a canister, it could just build up and build up and where's it going to go? Beth G.: We don't want the canister to explode so it's similar to having a medical, if you broke your leg, I hope to the powers that be, that you would go get help for that and it's the same with mental health. We all need a little help sometimes, whether it's the common cold or a sinus infection and you have to get antibiotics for that or it's, you know, a single defensive episode we actually get some help for that, if it's a life long illness go get some help for that, and I guess I'm going off on like the stigma around mental illness sometimes and the stigma around disability, but there's no shame in asking for help to get you through, and journaling is wonderful because if we can get it on paper it gets it out of our head. So we quit thinking about it. Serena Gilbert: You're making us just reflect so much, Beth. Jeff Thompson: I know. Serena Gilbert: Because I was just thinking like personally, things that, Jeff's going to laugh at this, but like hobbies help me a lot and it's hard for me, at least it was for me, to find a hobby that I can stick with consistently enough, and that was like helpful and accessible and all that great stuff and this podcast thing has really helped me. It's like something I look forward to every week and it's fun. Like I really look forward to it, I have fun sharing and I have fun helping people on it, certainly I think it's helped my mood, I don't know, I guess I'll just have to ask my husband. I think hobbies can play a big role in that mental health. Beth G.: There's a lot to be said around that, I'm glad you brought that up Serena because it makes me think of, your podcast helps others and so something I thought about I'd like to do my own podcast at some point as well because for me helping others makes me feel good, and does lift my mood and so if I have something hopefully worthy of others hearing that might help them move forward or help them see things differently or help them get a different perspective, I want to be able to do that. That makes me feel good when someone says, I never thought of it that way, or, that makes sense, or something like that. Serena Gilbert: Jeff, you have a new podcast perhaps. Jeff Thompson: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Serena Gilbert: Let's add more. Jeff Thompson: Yes, this will be podcast 396, I believe it is, you'd think I'd be cured by now right, but you're absolutely right it does feel good when you capture moments and you can share it out there so other people can hear those moments and they're archived and you never know, like we'll get a message that someone listened to a podcast that was done a hundred ago, but it connected with them and that's what it's ... I just wish ... I don't know ... it's just interesting about podcasting. What it does for me and helping others. How you use it to teach and so tapping into all these people, and you yourself Beth, tapping into these people a little bit and hearing their stories and having them talk and all that, it's all ways of getting it out there and you know, you don't have to be on National News to get a story out. You can do it on podcasting and that's what I think we really like about that, even us, the little people we can get out there and make a difference. Beth G.: Absolutely. Jeff Thompson: I didn't say you were little, Serena. Serena Gilbert: Are you ... see that went right over my head if you were ... Jeff Thompson: Earlier, you mentioned you had the small Apple watch. Serena Gilbert: Ha ha ha. That was on a previous podcast, Beth. Jeff Thompson: Yes. Beth G.: I missed that one. Jeff Thompson: So Beth, I have a question for you. Beth G.: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Jeff Thompson: What suggestion would you have for someone who is in that transitioning age, whether it's from high school to college to the work place, because you mentioned that earlier, what suggestions would you have for that person, just headed down that journey? Beth G.: I think no matter how frustrated you get, don't give up. As far as applying for jobs, that becomes your full time job, whether you're sighted or have a disability. It's still going to be your full time job and I think when we have a vision loss, it may take us a little longer. There's some great resources out there, if you need some support with making sure your resume is formatted, whatever you need to help yourself be ready for the interview process but don't give up. Keep applying. The rejection's going to happen and it's going to hurt but don't stop because eventually you'll get there. I wish I had a better suggestion than that one, and it goes back to your coping skills, what are your coping tools, what's going to help you most when you do get down? When you lose your self confidence, when you lose your self-esteem temporarily because you're getting rejected so many times. Serena Gilbert: So Jeff edit this part out. So Jeff edit this part out. So Jeff edit this part out. Beth, I swear you must be bugging Jeff and I because you are ... I cannot tell you how much you are mirroring the things that we've said on the last, maybe two or three episodes we've recorded but not actually released yet. I mean, I don't know the right word, but it's kind of nice to hear that we're at least somewhat on the right page with the things that we are are putting out there. Beth G.: I mean those of us who live it, get it. That sounds very cheesy, but it's true. Jeff Thompson: Hey, we like cheesy. We didn't know that before, but now we do. Beth G.: I think there's a common thread or a common bond with any individual who experiences life differently if you will, than the rest of the population. Whether it's vision loss, whether it's hearing loss, whether it's mental disability, whatever it is, when we have people who are similar to us or have experienced similar situations, there's a common bond. Serena Gilbert: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Jeff Thompson: Yes, and I think that bond is when someone sits down across the desk from you and realizes that you are blind, visually impaired, that commonality right there make a connection, just like when I had teachers, sighted teachers, but then when I found someone else that was visually impaired, or blind, you know, I didn't know anybody at the time, so it really helped bridge that connection, I could relate and I could listen and not that I gave more value to it, but it just drew me in fast. Serena Gilbert: And it's almost like the, well if they can do it, I can do it, kind of mentality. Not that there's, not to like demean anyone or anything, but it's someone who's done this pathway they've been successful at it, so surely I can do the same thing? Beth G.: Sure, and I've had clients tell me that, well if you can do it, I can do it. It's like, well my disability is different than yours, but that doesn't mean you can't do it. Serena Gilbert: Yes. Beth G.: I think everybody can do it if they're given the right tools and the right support. It may take some longer and some may have some different goals they wish to achieve. I'm a firm believer, if it's not your goal you're not going to achieve it. So, make sure your goals are your goals, not your parent's goals, not your spouse's goals, they're your goals and if you have the right tools and support, you can get there. Jeff Thompson: I have a friend, Jessica Cox said, it's not can I do it, it's how can I do it? Beth G.: Exactly. Jeff Thompson: So when you get to that point where you realize you have worth, you have value and all that other good stuff going, when the ball's rolling in the right direction then you can start thinking of the positives, like how can I do that? Beth G.: And you can start talking about, when I do this, not if I can do this? Because if and when are two very powerful different words with very different meanings. Serena Gilbert: Stop making us think, Beth. Jeff Thompson: You're focusing, aren't you Serena? Serena Gilbert: I am. Jeff Thompson: I just love the focus of this podcast, you know, this is really one of those ones that is kind of, hidden, it's not one of the obvious ones, like a resume, it's wrong, it's right. Mental health, your ability to cope and to deal with things is very important but we all don't wear it on our sleeves all the time. Beth G.: No, it's also as unique as each of us is because we all present differently. Our symptoms present differently. Our coping skills are different from one of us to the other. Serena Gilbert: And I don't feel like I looked at every blindness podcast that's out there, but I've yet to see anyone really write about this topic or cover it, and I'd like to have it be out there more so there's not so much stigma with it. Beth G.: Which is exactly why I want to start my own podcast, honestly. I'd love to get something off the ground, and there are a lot of directions to go with this as we talked about in previous conversations, but I really think it's a ... I've looked as well and I thought I found something, because it's untapped niche that needs to be heard. Serena Gilbert: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Jeff Thompson: Well I would definitely listen, because I figure I just got my free session already, today. Serena Gilbert: We've got like three sessions, like we owe her so much money right now, Jeff. Jeff Thompson: Shh, shh. That's why I said one session, Serena. Beth G.: Once I can find some office space and then get the private practice going. Jeff Thompson: There you go. Serena Gilbert: We'll just Skype you, you know. Beth G.: This was a little challenging in the sense there's just so much content and I feel like I've just touched the surface on some of this. Jeff Thompson: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Beth G.: But, I think that's a lot of podcasts that you can look at the surface and if they want to go deeper, they can. Serena Gilbert: So Beth, do you have any tips that you'd like to give some of our sighted listeners? Beth G.: Absolutely, one of them being, please believe us if we tell you we cannot see something, it's very difficult oftentimes, to explain what we can or cannot see, but if we cannot see it, we truly cannot see it and please accept that and move forward. And another one I think is helpful, if you're going to rearrange the office or the house, please tell us you've rearranged the furniture. Our shins really hate it when we come home and hit the coffee table we thought used to be there. Or you're going to sit on the couch but you're on the floor because the couch has mysteriously moved while you've been gone. It's just super helpful if you could let us know that you rearranged in our absence. Beth G.: And then lastly I think it's helpful if someone can say their name, before they speak to us so we can learn and match the voice with name. I don't know about anyone else, but it's not super fun going, is that Britney, is that Monica, is that Jo-anne, who is ... I know that person but I cannot place their name with their voice. Instead, you can say, hi Beth, it's John, then in time we can learn what your voice sounds like and lastly, it's a little embarrassing on our part if we end up talking to ourselves because we didn't see you walk out of it. So if you could sometimes announce that you're walking away, we don't talk to empty air that way. Beth G.: And those all may sound kind of silly or common sense but we don't always think in terms like that. So just a few things I wanted to add. Jeff Thompson: Well Beth, thank you so much for coming on The Job Insights, this has been a great podcast, great topics and can you give us some information if you want people to be able to contact you? Beth G.: Sure, it was my pleasure to be here and thank you so much for having me. I enjoyed talking about these topics as you can tell because I can talk all night. To contact me, I don't have a website up yet, it's coming soon so I'm working on a website, but until then, if anyone has any questions or would like to contact me, my email address is Bethg, as in golf, lpc, as in licensed professional councilor, @gmail.com. So Bethglpc@gmail.com is the best way to get a hold of me right now and hopefully the website will be coming soon. So that's me. Jeff Thompson: Well, Beth thank you so much. Beth G.: I enjoyed it, I really enjoyed being here and getting to know both of you more, and hopefully being able to help others in the process. Serena Gilbert: Thanks so much Beth. Beth G.: You're welcome. Thank you. Serena Gilbert: Bye Jeff. Jeff Thompson: And we'll see you next time Serena, on Job Insights, and you can follow Job Insights on twitter @jobinsightsvip send us an email jobinsights@blindabilities.com. We're part of the blind abilities network and you can find us on the web at www.blindabilities.com and thank you Chee Chau for the beautiful music, You can follow Chee Chau on Twitter @LCheeChau Jeff Thompson: And as always we want to thank you for listening, we hope you enjoyed and until next time. Bye bye. [Music] [Transition noise] When we share what we see through each other's eyes... [Multiple voices overlapping, in unison, to form a single sentence] ...We can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations, and the realities of Blind Abilities. Jeff Thompson: For more podcasts with a blindness perspective: Check us out on the web at www.BlindAbilities.com On Twitter @BlindAbilities Download our app from the App store: 'Blind Abilities'; that's two words. Or send us an e-mail at: info@blindabilities.com Thanks for listening.
Job Insights #5: Transportation to the Workplace – Traveling vs. Exploring Welcome to Episode 5 of Job Insights with Serina Gilbert and Jeff Thompson. We focus on Employment, Careers, enhancing opportunities and bringing you the latest innovations from across the Vocational Rehabilitation field to ensure your choices lead you down the career pathway that you want and succeed in gainful employment. From getting started with services, to assessments, Individual Plan for Employment (IPE) to gaining the skills to succeed and tools for success, Job Insights will be giving you tips and tricks to help your journey to employment and break down the barriers along the way. Job Insights Episode #5 is all about Transportation, How do you get to work, school or to interviews? With guest, Joe Dinero, a Assistive Technology Instructor from New York City, Serina and Jeff talk about the ways we all get around and how multiple means of transportation is a must in this ever changing world of commuting to and fro. Trains, buses and public transit to navigating new locations, we share our experiences, successes and short falls, no pun intended Joe. We bring up some apps that help our transportation needs and some that help eliminate transportation all together. That would be shopping with Shipt, a new app that like an Uber or Lift service, they shop your list and deliver the same day! Yes, Uber and Lift are mentioned as well and how the creativeness is allowing more of us to consider using these services more and more. Join the Job Insights team with Joe Dinero in this transporting episode of Job Insights. Check out episode 5 of Job Insights and send us your feedback and topic suggestions by email. Follow the Job Insights team on twitter @JobInsightsVIP Job Insights is part of the Blind Abilities network. Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store.
Welcome to Job Insights Extra, part of the Job Insights Podcast with Serina Gilbert and Jeff Thompson, a podcast focused on the world of employment, career pathways and gainful and meaningful employment. The Job Insights Extra podcasts are success stories, interviews and demos that enhance the experience of reaching that career you want. On Job Insights Extra #5 we talk to Dan Sippl, President of the Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America (RSVA)at their annual Sage Brush Convention in Las Vegas. The RSVA is an organization of Blind venders part of the Business Enterprise Program and under the Randolph-Sheppard Act which allows for business opportunities for people who are blind. Each year RSVA gathers and brings in speakers and business representatives to help educate and share ideas programs and inovative strategies to enhance the opportunities and possibilities in the highly competitive market of food services and vending operations. If you are interested in becoming your own boss and want to run your own business, be sure to contact Dan sippl and the RSVA and they will surely provide you with the information to get you started on a lifetime career. You can inquire about the BEP in your state by contacting your State Services for the Blind, your Vocational Rehab and ask to speak to your state’s director of the BEP. Here are some links to get you started: RSVA on the web www.randolph-sheppard.org http://www.randolph-sheppard.org Here is a podcast all about the BEP: The Business Enterprise program: Business Ownership Opportunities and a Promising Career Thank you for listening! Follow Job Insights on Twitter @JobInsightsVIP Do you have any suggestions or feedback? Send the Job Insights Team an email Job Insights is part of the Blind Abilities Network. You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store.
Job Insights Extra: Adjustment to Blindness - Meet Rob Hobson: College Prep and Success All in One. Transcript Provided Job Insights Extra brings you Rob Hobson, Cordinator for Professional Development and College prep at Blindness Learning In New Dimensions, Inc. Best known as Blind, Inc. located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Rob tells his story how he overcame the challenges that nearly defeated him when entering his Masters program. He made a decision to improve his Blindness skills and this led him on the journey he continues today. From nearly bailing out to exceeding his own expectations by finishing his Masters degree ahead of time and landing a job in the career he wanted. Rob talks about his job details when he started as an Orientation and Mobility instructor to his duties today as Cordinator of Professional Development and the College Prep program. Join Rob Hobson and Jeff Thompson on this brief look into Rob’s Adjustment to Blindness and how he is helping others adjust to their Blindness today. You can find out more about Blind,Inc and Adjustment to Blindness on the web at www.BlindInc.org You can also contact Rob and Blind, Inc. via email You can find out more about State Services for the Blind on the web at www.MN.Gov/Deed/SSB And to find Services in your state check out the American Foundation for the Blind web site and enter your State’s name in the, “Find Local Services” section. Thank you for listening! You can follow Job Insights on Twitter @JobInsightsVIP Send the Job Insights Team and email and give us some feedback and suggest some topics you would like to see us cover. Job Insights is part of the Blind Abilities Network. You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store. Job Insights Extra: Adjustment to Blindness - Meet Rob Hobson: College Prep and Success All in One. Transcript Provided [Music] Rob: When I started that semester, I soon realized that the skills I used in college from my undergrad weren't gonna work in grad school. Jeff: That's the voice of Rob Hobson, Coordinator of Professional Development and College Prep at Blindness Learning in New Dimensions. Rob: Set up an interview and came up here in early December of 2008 and I was offered a position and I accepted. Jeff: Rob talks about the challenges that he faced when transitioning from college to his master's degree program, and how adjustment to blindness training gave him the skills and confidence to succeed. Rob: We use structure discovery which utilizes the environment as a teaching tool and if you only just know one specific route, that can be really debilitating because that's all you know. Jeff: And you can find the Job Insights podcast on blindabilities.com, part of the Blind Abilities Network with host Serina Gilbert and myself Jeff Thompson, and you can contact us by email at JobInsights@blindabilities.com, and join us on the job insight support group on Facebook, on Twitter at Job Insights VIP. Rob: Get that adjustment to blindness training because it is vital for you to be able to compete out there with your sighted peers. Keep an open mind because there is a lot of life after blindness. [Music] Jeff: I went down to South Minneapolis to the historic Pillsbury mansion, the home of Blind Incorporated and that's where we met up with Rob Hobson, we hope you enjoy! [Music] Welcome to Blind Abilities I'm Jeff Thompson and today we're down at Blind Incorporated in Minneapolis we're talking to Rob Hobson and he's the Coordinator for Professional Development and College Prep. How are you doing Rob? Rob: I'm doing well on yourself Jeff? Jeff: Doing good thanks, Rob thanks for taking the time to coming on the Blind Abilities and sharing a little bit about your journey through blindness and your job that you have. Rob: Oh thank you I'm happy to be here. Jeff: Well Rob, can you tell a little bit about what your job is like here? Rob: Well working here at Blind Incorporated, it's a lot of fun, we have a great team and we work together as a team to provide adjustment to blindness training to college-age students, to adults, to seniors, and we have transition programming, and we even have a buddy program which covers 9 to 13 year olds. Jeff: You cover the whole gauntlet? Rob: Yeah we do, it's, it's great, it's, it's a lot of fun. [Bass guitar sound effect] Jeff: Now you did not start out as a Program Coordinator? Rob: Well when I started at Blind Incorporated, I started in 2009, but I should go further back, actually, it's actually a little journey. In 2006 I started grad school at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale to get a master's degree in public administration, on paper that sounds great, when I started that semester I soon realized that the skills I used in college from my undergrad weren't gonna work in grad school. The bar was a lot higher, note takers were hard to get, because I utilized their services through disability services through the campus and I realized that my skills weren't up to par because I just couldn't keep up. Every time I thought I did great, I was still further behind. What really hit it for me was when I took this budgeting class and I thought I got all the points possible, and in that class it was zero to five, five was like the max of points you can get, so I thought hey, I might have gotten a four or five, and I got my grade and it was a 1.5, and the words that really changed my view was, well I felt bad, so I just gave you a 1.5. And that really hurt, it really set, threw me back a loop, you know, it's like wow, I've never had that happen to me before. I called some friends who are in the NFB and I talked to them about, you know, maybe it's time for me to get some adjustment to blindness training. I knew it would be a process because getting Illinois, because that's where I lived at the time, to pay for it was a process. I've heard horror stories that sometimes it could take two years but I was pretty confident that it wouldn't take that long. So in August of 2006 I met with a counselor, I convinced her to start the process and I had an O&M evaluation. I wrote a letter stating why I needed this training and what it was going to do for me, so I had an O&M evaluation, through the letter I was able to convince them to provide me the opportunity to go to the Louisiana Center for the blind in Ruston Louisiana. I started my program at the end of March of 2007, and that's when I started my journey in blindness training. Now to be fair, my goal was to get through the program, go back to Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, and complete my Master's in Public Administration Degree. Well while I was in the program, it was suggested to me that I should consider the Louisiana Tech O&M program and I considered it for about 1/2 a second and I thought no that's not me. As they say it, it put the seed there and throughout the summer of 2007 I realized that hey, you know I might actually like this. I started the process in the fall to go into Louisiana Tech, in the end of November I started my first classes as a Louisiana Tech student in grad school. Jeff: Now Rob, could it be that winter was coming and.... Rob: I'm not gonna lie, that was true, I thought that was a good benefit but really I was excited to start this program because I knew that, you know at the end of this program I would be able to get a job, and believe it or not, throughout that year it took me a year, end of November of 2007, and by November 19th of 2008 I walked away with a college degree, a graduate degree, from Louisiana Tech. It was a rough year, they say that a master's degree generally is a year and a half to two years, I did it in a year, it was probably the hardest year of my whole life at that time. Jeff: Congratulations! Rob: Thank you. I soon talked to Sean Mayo who was the Executive Director of Blind Incorporated, set up an interview and came up here in early December of 2008 and I was offered the position and I accepted. In January of 2009 I started as a Blind Incorporated employee, and to be fair, I only planned to be here year after about a month of working here because it was so cold, but I soon liked it, teaching cane travel was a lot of fun, it took me a while to get into my zone, you know because when you come to a new city you have to learn how to navigate the streets and learn the grid, the outline, you know all of the names of the roads, and I knew I had the skills to teach, it was a matter of learning the environment so I could teach and understand how to relate that information to my students. Jeff: So did you do a lot of exploring in your off time and just try and navigate the city and learn it? Rob: I did, I spent a lot of time learning south Minneapolis, I spent some time with Zach Ellingson who was the full-time cane travel instructor at the time, and we talked a lot, he really helped me gain the information necessary to teach. I spent some time observing him just to see how he taught because you know, when you're still a new teacher, you still like to get other teaching styles and I knew Zach was really successful at what he was doing and it was a good resource to work with. I spent a lot of time on weekends going out to other places in the city but at the time I really focused on south Minneapolis because I knew majority of my instruction was gonna be during that time. I later throughout the years, I gained knowledge in Northeast Minneapolis, Southeast Minneapolis, St. Paul, I know some of St. Paul, I don't know a lot of it but I know enough to to be able to teach it. Jeff: Now learning the areas that you did, it's pretty much transferable skills the way you teach here right? Rob: It is, the skills are transferable but you know it's like anything else, when you want to teach someone you have to still know what you're teaching, does that make sense? Because we also teach how to navigate the area via some of the names, so I needed to know those names so I can you know pass that information along, learn bus routes, I learned a lot of the bus routes, but yes, the skills I learned in Ruston Louisiana were transferable once I figured out the grid system and for an example, Hennepin Avenue is your divider between north and south Minneapolis, and the river, the Mississippi River divides southeast Minneapolis and northeast Minneapolis from north and south Minneapolis, and anything more than that you get a little complicated because it depends on where you are further south in the city, you actually have the river divider between St. Paul and Minneapolis. [Bass Guitar Sound Effect] Jeff: There's always been a debate about people sometimes teaching route travel compared to teaching skills that will allow you to explore other areas and use the same set of skills. Rob: That is true, in our format we use structure discovery which utilizes the environment as a teaching tool. We do start off with students in the beginning giving them simple route assignments so that they learn to gain that confidence and gain those problem-solving skills so that they're able to change those routes, make a diversion if need be, I mean because, well if you've walked in Minneapolis in the summer, you know that, maybe every, about every few blocks there's construction, or they tear up a sidewalk to put in a new one, or whatnot, you have to be able to problem solve in that and if you only just know one specific route, that can be really debilitating because that's all you know, and how are you gonna be able to get through that situation. Jeff: Yep I graduated from Blind Incorporated and I remember the whole thing, the only thing Zack always got upset was, I grew up here so, when he was trying to fool me or something, I'd hear a church bell. Rob: Oh, and that gave it away didn't it? Jeff: I could identify the church, so he would be more creative next time you know, just knowing that I had a few cues that other people didn't have so it was always interesting. Now in your new position, what do you do for Blind Incorporated? Rob: Currently I set up all of our activities, I coordinate from beginning to end. For an example last year we went camping for the first time in I don't know how many years, at least since I've been here we've never gone camping up to that point, and we actually went camping, we stayed in tents and that was a long process to put that together because there's a lot of details involved. It's not like we all just got in a van and drove up to Duluth area and pick the camping site and just went camping. There's a lot of details involved when you take 30 people, 30 of your closest friends and students up to, up to go camping. So there's logistics because you have to work on you know the amount of food, how many tents, how many people per tents, just a lot of logistics. I coordinate all of the logistics to make sure everything falls in line, all of our activities from camping to just going rock climbing at vertical endeavors. Starting last year we started putting together professional development for the staff and students, some of the highlights, we had Kevin O'Connor come in, who is a renowned professional speaker who came in and talked to our staff and students on basically just professional development, working with each other, and what does it mean to be professional, and covered all of those components. We also had somebody come in and do a multicultural training, we had somebody come in and talk about cognitive disabilities, we've done some first aid CPR, so we've done a lot of different programming, but we've done it before but not to this caliber, so we really have a professional development piece about every three months or so for the staff and we started incorporating the students in that as well because it's important I think for our students to be able to have that information, they can put it on their resume, and I think it makes them even more employable. [Music] Jeff: You also had a program called Blind and Socially Savvy, can you tell us a little bit about what that is? Rob: So Blind and Socially Savvy really covers the soft skills, starting in conversation with somebody, proper way to introduce somebody, etiquette, so they have an etiquette meal where they actually sit down, a full meal and they learn how to conduct themselves in a professional environment because I'm sure you know Jeff that there are always interviews, sometimes those interviews are sitting down with a meal with your future employer, so it's a great opportunity to be able to conduct yourself professionally, it makes it even more likely for you to get that job. Also it's good to be professional and to have that proper etiquette because you're going to be amongst peers, whether they're your fellow co-workers, or friends, family, maybe you volunteer in an organization, it's great to have that etiquette because it puts you even higher up on the bar of success. Jeff: I attended something very similar to that and I remember they said, your bread is not a mop and turn your phone off, and pay all your attention to the person, it's not about the food mostly, it's about the interview so to say, or the person that you're attending with. Rob: That is correct. Jeff: And then they went through, start from the, just like on the Titanic, start with the outside silver and wake work your way in, so there's a lot of information there that people are kind of expected to know, but if you haven't had the opportunity to learn it, Blind and Socially Savvy that you guys provide here, is awesome! Rob: Yeah and we didn't do it ourselves, we did it along with State Services for the Blind, we worked well with them and Sheila Koenig who's the coordinator for transition for SSB, she worked really well with Dan Wenzel the executive director here, and Michelle Get, who coordinates our transition programs. Jeff: And you do have a lot of programs here and opportunities that you mentioned early and it's really neat to see all the stuff that's happening from the summer to prep to like I said you cover the whole gauntlet here. Rob: Yep we also are starting a new program, it's our College Programming or I like to call it College Prep and what it is is students come in maybe they don't want to do a full six to nine month program but they want to come in and get some of those non-visual adjustment to blindness skills. So they'll come in for a summer, get that training, and if they're new to going to college we actually have a college class component that would start in the fall where they could take a class and still continue to get some adjustment to blindness skills, we would work with them on navigating a campus, and specifically that campus, and we would also work with them on study skills, note-taking skills, all of the the skills necessary to be successful in college. I know when I first started college I was absolutely terrified and I think even now with, with the technology being the way it is, back then you know if you had a computer you were lucky, but nowadays there's phones, there's Braille displays, there's lots of different technology out there that we would be able to work with students on so that they are fully competent and capable to be successful in college so that they can be employable in the future. Jeff: And being able to use that equipment on day one! Rob: Exactly, I mean that's, I think that's a really good point Jeff, you don't want to start, get your technology September first when you start at the class in late August and then have to learn how to use it while taking classes at the same time. We like to work with students early so that they have those skills when they start the college class, that they are able to know how to use their technology, take the best notes possible so that they can be self-sufficient. [Music] Jeff: Rob Hobson thank you very much for what Blind Incorporated does here in Minneapolis and across the nation because other students come from other states and you guys give them an opportunity to succeed, give them skills and the confidence to do so. What advice would you give to someone who has recently become blind visually impaired or has trouble reading the printed word, and what advice would you give them as they start that journey? Rob: I would say keep an open mind, blindness is probably the one of the most terrifying disabilities out there, and really it's because of the unknown, it's a sighted world out there, people perceive through what they see, but keep an open mind because there is a lot of life after blindness. I lost my vision I, I wasn't fully sighted but when I did have some vision I lost it pretty quickly due to a retinal detachment and, and that's a long journey itself, but I know what it's like, it's tough, but what I can tell you is working with State Services for the Blind, figure out your options, whether it's Blind Incorporated, VLR, or Duluth Lighthouse, get that adjustment to blindness training because it is vital for you to be able to compete out there with your sighted peers and really that adjustment to blindness training is what's going to put you on that same platform for success. Learn those skills, know how to cook, clean, learn to read Braille, technology, cane travel, because you got to be able to get there on your own. You can always use Uber and Lyft but I can tell you that stuff's expensive, I know I look at my bank account every month, not that I use it every day but I use it just for quick things, it's expensive, so you're not going to be able to do that all the time, so you've got to pick up those, you know learn those non-visual skills that you can travel independently. Remember that blindness is not a tragedy. I like to say blindness is what you make of it, you can look at it as a tragedy, or you can look at it as, you know what, this is a new challenge, and I'm here to overcome it. Jeff: So Rob, if someone want to get a hold of you or Blind Incorporated, do you have any contact information? Rob: Sure do, you can call our main number 612-872-0100, and ask for Jennifer Wenzels, she handles our intake. You can also ask for me, I'm happy to talk to you if you have any questions, my extension is 220, and Jennifer's extension is 251. We also if you like email, you can send an email to info@blindinc.org. Jeff: info@blindinc.org, well Rob thank you once again for taking the time, sharing your story, sharing your experience with the listeners and, really appreciate it. Rob: Oh you're welcome Jeff, it was a pleasure. [Music] Jeff: Yes it was a real pleasure talking to Rob Hobson, and if you want a contact Blind Incorporated, send them an email at info@blindinc.org, on the web at blindinc.org, and to find out more about State Services for the Blind check us out on the web at www.mn.gov/deed/ssb, and to find services in your state check out American Foundation for the Blind's website at AFB.org. And Thank You Chee Chau for the beautiful music and you can follow Chee Chau on Twitter at lcheechau. Once again, thank you for listening, we hope you enjoyed, and until next time bye-bye [Music] [Multiple voices] When we share what we see through each other's eyes, We can then begin to bridge the Gap between the limited expectations and the realities of Blind Abilities. Jeff: For more podcast with the blindness perspective, check us out on the web at www.blindabilities.com, on twitter at BlindAbilities, download our app from the app store, Blind Abilities, that's two words, or send us an email at info@blindabilities.com, thanks for listening.
Job Insights #4: Apps With Productivity in Mind for Education and in the Workplace. Transcript Provided Welcome to the 4th episode of Job Insights with Serina Gilbert and Jef Thompson. We focus on Employment, Careers, enhancing opportunities and bringing you the latest innovations from across the Vocational Rehabilitation field to ensure your choices lead you down the career pathway that you want and succeed in gainful employment. From getting started with services, to assessments, Individual Plan for Employment (IPE) to gaining the skills to succeed and tools for success, Job Insights will be giving you tips and tricks to help your journey to employment and break down the barriers along the way. On this 4th episode of Job Insights Hope Paulos joins Serina Gilbert and Jeff Thompson in the studio and they talk about productivity apps and software. From the classroom to the workplace, these apps are geared towards making your daily challenges a bit more manageable, efficient and productive. Hours Tracker, Black Board, Drafts, Files, SeeingAI, Dictionary Thesaurus Pro, KNFBReader and Bookshare’s Read To Go app are all mentioned with some great discussion about how we use these apps. A great little Scan Stand named Foppidoo makes the scene and a conversation on Lift and Uber gets quite a chat as well. You can check out the Meet Me Accessibly book from Jonathan Mosen and learn about Zoom on the PC. Join the Job Insights crew and download some apps and give them a whirl. Hey, productivity rocks! We hope you enjoy this Job Insights episode and you can send your feedback and suggestions to the Job Insights team by email at JobInsights@BlindAbilities.com Follow the Job Insights team on twitter @JobInsightsVIP Job Insights is part of the Blind Abilities network. A big Thank You goes out to CheeChau for his beautiful music! Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Job Insights #4: Apps With Productivity in Mind for Education and in the Workplace. Transcript Provided [Music] Female voice: I feel like I'm getting a lot better education so yeah, I think, I think the online learning is an equalizer. Jeff: Job Insights, a podcast to help you carve out your career pathway and enhance the opportunities for gainful employment. Female Voice: But sometimes I require KNFB Reader when I have more than one page that I want to kind of read continuously. Jeff: Learn about resources for training education and employment opportunities. Female Voice: Blackboard, that is a learning management system and a lot of universities are using them as well for classes. So this particular app is available on Android, iOS, and PC, and Mac of course. Jeff: We will hear from people seeking careers, employment, from professionals in the educational field, teachers, and innovators in this ever-changing world of technology to help you navigate the employment world and give you Job Insights and enhance the opportunities to choose the career you want. Male Voice: Fopydo people sounds good and I actually at that time asked my son, and I, it was actually a play on the on Scooby-doo. Jeff: And you can find the Job Insights podcast on BlindAbilities.com, part of the Blind Abilities Network with hosts Serina Gilbert and myself Jeff Thompson, and you can contact us by email at JobInsights@BlindAbilities.com, leave us some feedback, or suggest some topics that we cover. On Twitter at Job Insights VIP, and check out the Job Insights support group on Facebook where you can learn, share, advise, and interact with the Job Insights community. [Music] Female Voice: Lift also released an update to their service dog policy saying that an allergy or fear of animals is not a valid reason to not pick up an individual with the service animal. Jeff: But hey it's a good learning tool, because it's just repetitious and pretty soon it just starts coming to you, mm-hmm, so I dug right in, when I saw they had flashcards I went Wow! [Music] Jeff: And now please welcome Serina Gilbert and Jeff Thompson with Job Insights. [Music] Jeff: Welcome to Job Insights and this week we're talking about apps, apps that you'll use in school, at the workplace, and these are productivity type of apps, and with me today of course is Serina Gilbert how are you doing? Serina: I'm good Jeff, how are you? Jeff: I'm just doing great and we got a guest today all the way from Maine. Hope Paulos, how are you Hope? Hope: I'm doing great, how are you? Jeff: I'm doing good, we're all doing good, so that's good. Today we're gonna talk about apps, you know some of these apps are mostly productivity type of things, stuff that you'll use to, you know get things done and that's, that's what we're, we're all about here on Job Insights. So Serina, last podcast you said you were holding out on us from what you're gonna tell us, is the cliffhanger over or are you gonna tell us? Serina: Oh we've got a little bit of a wait cuz we have to talk to Hope first, we have a guest. Jeff: How about you Hope, what do you got? Hope: I certainly don't have a cliffhanger. [Laughter] Serina: We set her up there Jeff! Jeff: yeah. Hope: Yeah you did! [Laughter] Jeff: So Hope, how's it going out and Maine? Hope: It's going well, the weather is nice finally, when I talked to you and Pete last time, it was March, and it was in the 20's, 20 degrees. Now we are in about the 60's, 70's, so I am absolutely loving it, birds are chirping, the guide dog is going for walks, he's enjoying it, Jeff: Is he bringing you with? Hope: Oh yeah of course! [Laughter] Jeff: That's great! Serina: But Jeff needs to know if you planted any Apple trees? Hope: No. Serina: Only PC trees? Hope: Only PC trees. [Laughter] Jeff: Oh that's the running joke isn't it? So when it comes to productivity type of apps, Hope what did you bring to the show today? Hope: Sure, so I have a couple of them. I don't use this particular one very much right now because I do work for Apple, and Apple has me on a strict schedule so I don't need this particular one, but for people who are freelancing, the name of the app is called Hours Tracker, it's a free app and basically it allows you to track your hours of course, hence the name, but it also allows you to track your earnings, and it will deduct the taxes as well. So it will tell you how much is deducting for taxes. So it's great for individuals who are freelancing. The second app that I have brought to the show is Blackboard. That is a Learning Management System and a lot of universities are using them as well for classes, so this particular app is available on Android, iOS, and PC, and Mac of course. This will allow you to do your classes online literally anywhere and actually a couple of the blindness organizations were working in tandem to get this particular app accessible. It's extremely accessible, there was only one thing that I commented on a couple weeks ago and I sent feedback in to the iOS developers and they fixed it. They're very very good about fixing issues that people might have. The other app that I brought, that I brought to the show is Learning Ally. This is an app that will allow you to download books and it's also good for individuals who are dyslexic and who have low vision because I believe it will allow you to magnify the print in the actual book so you can read along with the narrator which is quite helpful. That's more University as well, University-type app, Productivity app and of course the last app would be the Bookshare app. The Read2Go, this allows you if you have a membership to Bookshare, which I believe most students can get for free, it allows you to read the books on your phone be it Android or iOS. Jeff: Now on the Hours Tracker, is that what it's called? Hour Tracker? Hope: Hours Tracker yeah. Jeff: Hours Tracker. So when you're doing the setup, your presets, do you put in your wage, and then it just calculates it and are you able to output that anywhere, or is it just something you read? Hope: Absolutely, so this particular program allows you to put in the wage, and it allows you to put in whether or not taxes are withheld, so technically even if you were, you know not freelancing, if you working a job as an employee, a W2, you could use it as well. Basically it allows you to put in your breaks and your lunches and things like that, and it lets you know when to go on the break, and when to go to lunch, and when to clock out, and when to clock in. [Music] App Voice: Sample Job, 0.05H today, 0H button, clock out now or long-press for extras menu, button, next clock out now, button, cause now, button, break now button, break now, sample job 0 H on break 8:10 a.m., 0.02H button, end break or long press for extras menu button, end break. Hope: It also will let you know, like you can, you can set a reminder to have it automatically clock in when you get to work, and yes you can send it, I think it's a CSV file, or CV file, something like that, a database file, and it will put it in an Excel spreadsheet I think as well, so that you can show it to your employer. Jeff: That's kind of neat. Serina: That's pretty cool I like that. Hope: Yeah it's a it's a pretty neat app for sure. Jeff: Intuit the makers of QuickBooks and various tax applications has a program and it might be part of their bundle and I believe you can buy it separately, I believe it's called Self-Employed, but that sells on a monthly subscription for 7 to 8 dollars a month. Hope: Yeah this is free and I think, I'm trying to think if I paid for anything, I think I did just because I was freelancing at the time and I wanted them more, more, so it has a lite version and it has a full-featured version, but even the full-featured version wasn't some really really, you know cheap price. Jeff: A one-time fee? Hope: A one-time fee yeah. Jeff: That makes perfectly good sense, economically I can track that pretty good. [Laughter] [Music] Jeff: You can download Hours Tracker free from the App Store or the Google Play Store. Hourlys Tracker is free for up to 21 days of time entries and if you upgrade to the pro or professional, you get rid of all the ads, unlimited amount of entries that you can make, the only difference between the professional and the personal is you can have unlimited amount of jobs in the professional, and you can upgrade to the professional or the personal in the in-app option. The professional will run you $9.99 and the personal will run you $5.99. Once again, a one-time payment, I was really intrigued when I heard about Hours Tracker, I downloaded to my iPhone, and started using it right away, I named a job, I started the time, and when I was completed I stopped the time. I also had the option to input the time that I wanted it to start or input the time that I wanted to stop, otherwise you could do it in real time and that works out really nice. There's also an option that you can take notes and keep them with that job. I found that the accessibility on Hours Tracker on my iPhone was second to none, all the buttons were labeled and the intuitiveness was what I expected for when I have started logging the job, putting in the hours, getting out of the job, putting notes in, was just exactly how I expected it would work and it did work that way. Another small part of the accessibility, it lets you cancel a pop-up or dismiss the pop-up that comes up, and I really like that because if you've ever had a pop-up pop-up and not be able to get rid of it, that's not good. So after kicking around Hours Tracker on my iPhone for one job, I personally recommend this for anybody who is self-employed or someone who works on projects and just wants to have better records of the time they spend on their projects and jobs. [Music] Jeff: So on the Blackboard, I remember I have not experienced Blackboard yet, but I remember going to college and I was at the mercy of every professor that was experimenting by putting stuff on the web and accessing it through a link they give you, and if it was accessible you got lucky, so Blackboard is a collective effort to make it accessible for everyone. Hope: Absolutely, so it all depends on the type of class you're taking obviously right, if people don't know I'm going back to school to become a teacher of the blind and visually impaired and so all of the courses need to be accessible to me. So the professor's will tag their images so that I can know what's going on, their quizzes are all accessible, obviously the discussion boards are all accessible, and I use a combination of the two apps, so I use the combination of Blackboard and I use Learning ally to be able to do my classwork, and literally like I said, I can do it anywhere. With the phone if I have a Braille display and/or a Bluetooth keyboard I can do my homework on the beach or in the park you know, so literally anywhere and that's huge compared to when I was going back to school to get my undergrad degree, like you know 2009, that's when I graduated so it's, it's huge it's a huge step up. Serina: Yeah I remember using Blackboard when I was doing my master's degree which would have been gosh, probably around the same time as you are doing your undergrad, so I finished in 2010 and so, I don't know, 2007, 2008, somewhere around there's when I started it and they used Blackboard for everything. My program was pretty much 100% online, we didn't have the app back then, we just had the website, but even back then the website was pretty accessible. I rarely had any difficulties with it and I was going for the rehabilitation counseling so the professors were a little bit more cognizant of accessible media and documents and things like that. I loved using blackboard because it is easy to log on to, you know if I was on a break at work or whatever, or at home trying to get a discussion posted or something like that. Hope: Yeah it is really easy to use extremely easy to use. Jeff: Is that why you opted to do your classes online, not that you're on an island out off the shore of Maine, but..... [Laughter] Hope: Yeah I think, I think it's easier because I've done classes on site to, not having to do as my masters, but having to do with my undergrads degree. I find the digital world to be a lot more accessible, I just remember going to classes on site and didn't have a lot of input from the professor. The professor was teaching to a lecture hall full of I don't know, a hundred students, I just felt like I was kind of left out and wasn't getting all the notes that I needed to get, whereas here taking the classes online and using, again the combination of Blackboard and Learning Ally, I'm able to take the notes that I need, I'm able to contact my professors if I need to. I have peer to peer interaction as well. I feel like I'm getting a lot better education, so yeah I think, I think the online learning is an equalizer. Jeff: Mm-hmm. Hope: Of sorts. Jeff: Yeah that's great because you know everyone has to do what works for them and if you found a good way of doing it that's great, having those two apps makes it all accessible. Hope: For the most part yeah everything is accessible, even from registering for classes, I go to Missouri State University, so using Missouri State's website is accessible. It's just huge, it's what we're able to do as people who are blind and visually impaired with a digital world, it's absolutely huge. Jeff: So is that something you looked for when you were looking for an online course that they did use Blackboard? Hope: Not really, I didn't know what they used, I contacted them, I did ask them in the beginning when I was registering for the program what they used and I could have used Moodle, Moodle was another application, another learning management system that I'm familiar with and either one I would have been fine with. I looked online and and saw the collaboration between the two blindness organizations regarding Blackboard and I'm like okay this is going to be fine, this is gonna be great, I know it's gonna be accessible, I contacted my professors beforehand and gave them my accommodations and all that and said I need extra time and because it's a digital world they can input my time-and-a-half for quizzes and allow me to have that time and you know they can input that in Blackboard and all is good. I can't speak enough good things about accessibility and digital stuff. Jeff: So let's see, there's Learning Ally, we will put that in the show notes, we'll put Blackboard in the show, we'll put all these in the show notes so people can click on them and go right to the App Store or the Google Play Store and we'll have the links there, so back to the cliffhanger. [Laughter] Jeff: Hi Serina. Serina: And I thought of one like while we were sitting here, so even you'll be surprised Jeff. Jeff: Ooo. [Laughter] Serina: My absolute number one favorite app and I see it all over all of the groups like iPhone and iPad apps, and the assistive technology group, all of them, a seeing AI, I don't think it's any surprise there. That app allows me to be a lot less dependent on a human reader to just go through what's in my mailbox that I get at work. Now I can just kind of okay, yeah I need someone to finish reading that to me, or oh, this is just something that needs to go in the file, it's cut down on how much time I have to spend with somebody sitting at my desk with me going through stuff, and it's free, which is amazing to me because I remember reading gosh, I think it was like two years ago when Microsoft had their hackathon and they had released a video about seeing AI and they were showing a demo of it and I was like, well that's cool but it'll never come out and if it does it'll be super expensive. And then all of a sudden there's a link, and it's free, and it works, like amazingly and it, I can't thank Microsoft enough for that, that actually was a big surprise for me. Jeff: Yeah, you just open it up and boom, short text is reading. Serina: Yeah, from across the room right Jeff! [Laughter] Jeff: Yeah, that happened to me and, I shouldn't say it but I was that Orcam demonstration when they were having the little issues, and I was reading the wall that had their sign on it, so I was like wow, this is already talking, just out of the box, just turn it on and there it is. Male Voice: I use seeing AI all of the time to determine what's in my medicine cabinet, for documents you know I use seeing AI for short text. [Music] Female Voice: I use the document reader all the time, not gonna say it's as good as KNFB Reader because it's not. I did a test between reading my mail with it and with KNFB Reader and I found KNFB Reader to be far more stable, but I still like the app, I use it a lot, I'm glad that it's one of the tools in our toolbox. Female voice: For reading and stuff I used to go to KNFB Reader all the time but it just seems like Prizmo go and seeing AI is so much easier that I tend to go to them more. Male Voice: Seeing AI is my main go-to app and I use that, the short text channel mostly if I can't identify an item with that I will switch to the product channel if it has a barcode. A lot of the apps like [Inaudible] and Aipoly Vision and [inaudible], I've deleted most of those off of there because I can accomplish the same thing with seeing AI [Music] Male Voice: Jeffrey I see apps like Aipoly Vision, [Inaudible], Identifee, of course the KNFB Reader, I think seeing AI is becoming the main tool in the toolbox. Jeff: And you know, all the other channels that they have on their to four options but that's the one I use all the time because, you open it up it works. Serina: Yeah there's a handwriting one too that I've tried only a couple of times, but it surprisingly did recognize the handwriting enough for me to figure out at least what the note was generally about cuz sometimes my clients will stop in and I can't see them, and they'll leave a handwritten note at the front desk and obviously it's probably dependent on the individuals handwriting but I was at least able to get the name of the client and know, okay I'll just call them and see what they needed. Jeff: Hmm, well that's good. Serina: That one's in BETA I think. Jeff: Yeah you always wonder when they have a little feature that's in there and they tag the word BETA after it's like, you better use it now because it may not be there! Serina: Or it's like the disclaimer don't trust this feature. It might not work right! Jeff: Mm-hm try it on a doctor's prescription. [Laughter] Serina: Oh gosh. Jeff: That's the to test. Serina: This is totally not productive but when seeing AI first came out, we were playing with it in my office to see how old it thought everyone was. [Laughter] So all of my co-workers were like changing their hairstyles or putting on glasses or taking off glasses to try to trick it to make it think that they were younger. Jeff: That's a great use of state-funded money. [Laughter] Serina: Hey! Jeff: I know everyone's been doing that, it's kind of a novelty thing and that's like artificial intelligence to me when they're built into apps to me, it's like you know when you go to the carnival, you know, they'll guess your age and you win the whistle or something but you know, I'm not into the novelty stuff but that really does work. Serina: Hope, do you use seeing AI for any of your school work, or since it's mostly digital do you not have to use it a lot? Hope: Yeah I use it sometimes, I use it for work actually to find out whether or not my Mac, my work Mac is gonna turn on correctly. We have so many policies in place at Apple that sometimes voice-over doesn't turn on correctly and so I use either seeing AI or I also use AIRA for that, but most of the time I just grab my phone and you seeing AI. Speaking of the, or how old people were, I actually did that last weekend I think it was on my grandmother's 93rd birthday. I went up to her and took a picture of her and had seeing AI tell her how old she was, now again she's 93 right, so it said a 65 year old woman is smiling, or looks happy or something like that and she's like, wait, did it say 65? [Laughter] Hope: Shes like, I like that! So it made her day. Serina: Yeah. Jeff: I actually think for women they do have a built in algorithm that knocks off a couple years just to you know, keep the customers happy. Serina: No it added 10 years to mine, no matter what it says 10 years. Hope: Oh really. That's funny! [Laughter] Jeff: The algorithm breaker! Serina: Gosh. [Laughter] The other one that I use is obviously very similar to seeing AI but sometimes I require KNFB Reader when I have more than one page that I want to kind of read continuously. To my knowledge I don't know that you can scan multiple pages in seeing AI and if you can, somebody let me know, cuz I actually like it a little bit better. But sometimes when I'm working from home and I don't have access to my flatbed scanner but I need to read some printed like medical documents or things like that, I'll take out KNFB Reader and just scan a whole bunch of pages all at once and then read it, through it continuously, so that's very helpful, and then also you can save on KNFB Reader in their file system, and I think I saw on the latest update that now they can sync with Google Drive and Dropbox now to, so that's kind of a really cool feature that they've integrated in there now. Jeff: Yeah I like the KNFB Reader when I have like, I might have 10 pages of something to read and I don't want to take a picture of each of them so I put it on double sheet and then batch mode and when I turn the page it'll sense that, so you know you got the page turning then ch-ch-ch. KNFB Reader Voice: Manual picture button, automatic picture, picture from ste..., alert, please place your device on an empty document stand and align the camera with the aperture, okay, button, flash off, button, multi-page mode off, button, multi-page mode on. [Camera Sound Effect] Serina: Do you have a stand that you use with it? Jeff: Yeah I do, its the Fopydo and it was designed by Thomas Wardega, and here he is. Thomas: Fopydo sounds good, and I actually at that time asked my son, and it was actually a play on the on Scooby Doo. So basically this was designed from the ground up for people who are blind and visually impaired and along that process I learned to work with people who are blind so I went through a couple of revisions of the stand before I even started selling it just to make sure that people are happy with using it and that it fulfills whatever is needed from a scanning stand for people who are blind and visually impaired. [Camera Sound Effect] Jeff: It comes with a set of instructions that you can scan, you can put it together, once you got it together it just folds right up and you can put it in a suitcase, it takes up very little real estate. Serina: Oh I need one, and does it work with any phone or? Jeff: Well back when I talked with him he said it would handle, if you balanced it right, and iPad Mini, so I, I guess your your beast of a phone, your iPhone X may work. [Laughter] Serina: Yeah and put the link in the show notes cuz I've been, I thought, I had somebody looking for one before and they were like $50, I'm like mm-hmm, I'll just hold it up, you know. [Laughter] Jeff: Having the batch mode on the KNFB Reader really makes it viable product for someone that's in school that may have to be scanning a lot of pages. Serina: I definitely need one of those. Jeff: Yeah we'll put the link in the show notes and I believe he sells it on Amazon and if you have Amazon Prime, there you go, ten, twelve bucks. Serina: Primes getting expensive though it's like $120.00 starting this year. Hope: I think there's a discount for students. Serina: It's half off for students cuz I had that for a couple of years, and then they got smart and realized that I'm not a student anymore because my school let me keep my student email address for years, and I don't even think I have it anymore now. Now they make you verify by sending in like a schedule. Hope: Oh really? Serina: Yeah. Hope: Similar to Apple music, they do the same thing. Serina: Yeah, and I think Spotify does the same thing too. Hope: Yep. Serina: They got smart. Jeff: So we'll have to put the link in there for Amazon Prime half off for students, that's good news. Serina: Yeah that's it, and half off of Apple music and Spotify, not that those are, those could be productivity apps because if you need music to stay focused. Hope: Technically yeah, exactly, that works! Jeff: Or books. Hope: Yeah. Jeff: Amazon still sells books. Serina: Who orders books anymore? Jeff: Does anybody use Audible for books? Serina: I do not, I totally looked at it, but every time I looked at it I just can't, like I think it's thirteen ninety-nine a month for so many credits and one, the amount of credits you get for that amount is equal to downloading one book, and I haven't found that it's better than just using BARD, because they usually have especially if it's a best-seller what I want anyway. Jeff: Mm-hmm and the BARD app is totally accessible too. Serina: Yeah it's, it's a little old school sometimes, it has its glitches but it gets the job done. Hope: It can be yeah, exactly. Jeff: But it's, it's something that if you do send in a report and stuff like that they'll fix it? We can hope for the best right Hope? Hope: Yeah exactly, yeah sure, I'll write them, I'll give them a good report! Jeff: There you go. Hope: Sure. [Laughter] Serina: Well and it's hard because I know, I think that's run by the Library of Congress so that probably takes like an act of Congress just to get a glitch fixed you know. Jeff: Oh good one! Serina: I didn't mean it to be all cheesy but it's kind of funny. Jeff: Yeah it is, it is, it's nice when things work and you know, you were talking about seeing AI when you open it up short text just starts. I got an app called Drafts, just like the seeing AI, when you open it up it just works the short text is working, do you open it up and the cursors waiting up in the upper left-hand corner and you can start typing, you don't have to open up a new file. The neat thing is if you're in a meeting and you're taking notes and you can set it for certain increments of minutes that pass by and then next time like you open your phone, say it closed, it'll start a new file automatically. Serina: Well that's cool. Jeff: So you're not adding to your recipe you wrote two days ago that's still sitting there, do you want to save it, you don't know if you should save it, it automatically, so if you set it up for 10 minutes, if 10 minutes goes by, it saves it, and opens up a new one, just ready to go, so it's like a new sheet of scratch pad for you, can actually do some markups on it, yeah share it anywhere you want, it's really cool. I do the cut and paste and then just pop it into an email, bang! Serina: I like that, is that a free up too? Jeff: Yeah Drafts is free, I think it's called Drafts 5, there is a professional upgrade, a pro version and that is $20 a year or two dollars a month, but you can do a lot with just the Drafts app. I just love that because when you just want to take down a note, I don't like going into, I use pages because it syncs up with my apple orchard but when I'm at someplace where the meetings starting and I open up pages, you know it has to load up, it goes to the recent, and it seems like, you know all the gears have to spin around five times before anything happens, but this one opens up just bang, it's ready to go. Serina: I especially have that problem using the native Notes app on the iOS devices. Ever since they made it where you've got some notes on your iPhone, some on iCloud, some on Google Drive, or Dropbox or wherever, it's so hard for me to figure out where my notes are anymore that I just don't use that app anymore. Jeff: And that's my second app that I was going to talk about, it's the files app in iOS platform on the iPhone. Files, if you don't know where it went because it says, oh it's stored on the iCloud, or on the desktop in the iCloud, or on the iCloud Drive or wherever, and you start hunting around, but if you go to files and go to most recent, it'll check all those files, all those different drives, all the different places on your phone and everything, but if you go to recent and then if you click up on top you can go back and actually go specifically only to one area where you think it is, but if you put it on all, its checking all those drives that you have synced up with it and you can usually find it, so when I get lost for a second I just open up files and go to the most recent and there it is. Serina: That's a good tip, I didn't know that. I never really knew the point of the files app. Jeff: Yeah check it out, open it up and just see, and you'll see what you've been doing lately. Seirna: So I have one more that you do not know that is my favorite apps to use, any guesses? Jeff: Hope, what do you think it is? Hope: Hmmm, Uber, no it's not productivity, nevermind. [Laughter] Serina: Well technically it is, I do use Uber and Lyft a lot for work actually because I have to go as part of my job, I have to be at high schools and things like that and I am almost an exclusive Lyft user personally. Jeff: And why Lyft over Uber? Serina: I just have found just with my personal experience in the city that I live in that I've had better luck with Lyft drivers as far as friendliness and I have a service animal so, I've never been rejected on Uber, I'm actually, the only place I was was actually on Lyft. I found that the cars have been cleaner and the drivers just seem friendlier and with Uber I specifically am NOT a fan of the, if we wait more than two minutes, we're gonna charge you policy. Hope: Oh that's not good. Serina: Yeah that's a newer policy, maybe in the last six months and that policy just really bothers me especially when you're visually impaired. Drivers will say they're there and you're like where? You know, and if they're automatically gonna charge you, I think it's, I don't, I guess it's maybe like five dollars, if the driver has to wait I believe it's more than two minutes, like that's stressful, it's already nerve-racking like being like, hey I've got a service animal, are they gonna drive right past me, are they gonna pick me up, and then to know they're also gonna charge me an extra five bucks if I can't find them. And then they also tend to do the walk here and meet your driver thing. Jeff: Oh yeah. Serina: And I've never had that happen with Lyft no matter, I've been in downtown Denver and that's not happened before, but Uber will send you up a random parking lot or something to meet your driver. Hope: Oh wow! No thank you. Serina: Yeah so that's more why I'm Lyft exclusive, and then on the driver side I'm not quite sure how it breaks down, I don't remember how much the drivers get but I know with Uber it's not like a set percentage that the drivers get as far as, like I think it with Lyft the drivers get 75% of the fares With Uber, nobody really knows what percentage of the fare they get because they can, I've had drivers say like, yeah I've done rides Denver to you know, the DIA Airport and sometimes I get 60, sometimes I get a hundred, like there's no, I guess transparency with it. Jeff: Mmm-hm. Serina: And I can only speak to you know what I'm told, but I just personally feel better about using Lyft and for those who don't know, Lyft also released an update to their service dog policy saying that an allergy or a fear of animals is not a valid reason to not pick up an individual with a service animal and I feel like that's a very strong policy, and that's telling you where they stand on that very clearly, and I'm not, I'm not sure if Uber has come out as strong as they did. But that's all for a whole another podcast, you have to use all that when we talk about transportation. [Laughter] Jeff: No that's, that's good information because in my neck of the woods my wife uses Lyft, I use Uber and yet, I've been noticing that at certain peak times the price goes way up and other times it's low, and the waiting time changes, but you know, if it were two minutes, it's sometimes it's as low as thirty seven cents, but other times it's higher, you know, so things, I think it's the area you're in that really has, it makes a difference between which one you use, it is productivity because you got to get places and it's nice to know you can get there. Serina: And on time and on your own time. Jeff: Good. Serina: But that was a really good guess that brought on a whole another discussion, I liked it. [Laughter] Serina: But honestly we're on the app right now. Jeff: Ahh, zoom zoom. [Laughter] Serina: But part of my job is to train other people and to hold conference calls and things like that, and to my knowledge as far as like a true training platform where you can record and share your screen and things like that, I found that Zoom is the most accessible system out there that's also used by like companies all over the place. I know Skype is out there, but I don't know if Skype lets you like record the calls and things like that, I don't, like independently, not by pushing it through a different software but just right in the program recording it and having that access to be able to share your screen and still use your PowerPoint effectively and things like that. Jeff: Mm-hmm, and we're doing a neat thing for the first time here and we didn't know if we could do it but Hope sat beside us waiting patiently for us, but we figured it out and we're recording on two ends right now. Serina: Unless I pushed the wrong button again which is very possible. [Laughter] Jeff: Another cliffhanger, stay tuned next week when we find out! Serina: That will be our opener next week. Guess what I actually did it right! Jeff: You know, I'm starting to like Zoom because it's like I can't even tell you, you guys are here, because typically when we're using Skype in my headphones, I have this hiss when other people aren't talking so there's continuous hisses going on and then in the editing phase. So Zoom's really good and I really like the feature where you can send an email and people can just click on the link and they connect right up. Serina: Yep, it makes it really really easy. Hope: So a question I have, you mentioned sharing your screen, how accessible is that with voiceover? I heard through the grapevine that the voice-over will read actually what's on the screen. I don't know if it's true or not? Serina: So I haven't had a chance to test that because at work we don't use any Max, and then when I'm on a Zoom call and I am a participant I'm not usually on my iPhone. Hope: Right. Serina: So if you are leading the meeting and you're sharing your screen, it's actually pushing through a video of your screen, so it's almost like, I just imagine like a webcam watching your screen or whatever. Hope: Right, so I would assume it's not accessible then. Serine: Correct, but and I don't remember the keystroke, maybe Jeff knows, but I know in the latest major update to the OS on the Macs and iOS, you can have it essentially perform an OCR on the screen like live, with the software on the Mac, but I haven't had a chance to truly test that out just because I'm not usually on Apple devices when I'm participating. The way that I work around that, because I do have to present to individuals that use screen readers as well sometimes, is I usually will send my PowerPoint out ahead of time so that they can follow along while they're listening to the meeting, but then they also have access to the chat panel and everything else, it's just the visual of the video that they're not quite having access to but I, I just send it out ahead of time. Jeff: Yeah I haven't dug too deep into this, but Serina told me about Jonathan Mosen's book, and he did a full fledge book on using Zoom for calls and meetings and stuff like that, and yeah, I believe you can get that on Mosen's consulting on the website, and we'll put a link to that in the show notes. Serina: Yeah the book is called "Meet Me Accessibly" and it's very current based on, because I listen to maybe four or five chapters so far, and it sounds like he recorded it maybe in June of 17 and he does a really good job of letting you hear the screen reader and how it interacts with everything and going through all the different settings and explaining what exactly it is that they all do. Jeff: Yes he does he has quite a few books on Mosen's consulting so when you get there, just look around and he has tutorials on a lot of different topics, he's into the Mac, he's into, no not the Mac as much anymore, but he's into the PC, Microsoft. Serina: All these plugs Jeff, you're going to need to get some royalties! [Laughter] Jeff: Hopefully I get their name right and their website right. Another app that I have that I use and some people laugh at this, I use Dictionary Thesaurus Plus, and if you get the dictionary you can upgrade and you get, its a combination of Dictionary and Thesaurus Plus and I get the word of the day, and I'm just waiting to get that specific word to send Serina because she laughed at me when I talked about this app before. But it's just kind of neat because in there, they have flashcards and I'm on the bottom, they're not labeled but I figured out what two of them are, flashcards, so I took insight today just when I was skipping around there and I made a flashcard so on one side it says insight, on the other side it says the definition, so someone could actually go through there if they have a 10 word list that need to know or learn, like they're in school and they could actually input the word, get the dictionary, and there's also a button that says go to page, so if you want more definition you can just click on it, brings it right to the dictionary page and it's just kind of a neat resource if you're into that you know. If you want to know what words mean. Serina: Well that could you, I mean you just brought up a good point though, that could be a really good study aid for somebody if you're in a class where there's a lot of maybe theories, or specific definitions you need to know, you could load all those in there and while you're on the bus or whatever kind of be going through those, probably a more fun way than just reading the book. Jeff: Yeah and that's why I did it, like when I took Spanish, I made, I made note cards. I took these note cards and I brailled on one side, and then on the other side I had some other Braille, the translation in English to what it was, so I could just go through, and people were like joking with me like, Oh flashcards, it's like it's something for the kids or something, but hey, it's a good learning tool because it's just repetitious and pretty soon it just starts coming to you. Serina: Mmm-hmm. Jeff: So I dug right in when I saw they had flashcards, I went wow! So I really like that and it's, uh I think there's a fee for the upgrade, might be a few dollars but you can get download at all for free and test it and then in the in-app you can upgrade. Serina: Nice! Jeff: Well I think we got a handful of apps here that you know through experience we, we've been trying, we've been using and stuff. Some of these apps if you find them useful click on the show notes, download them, check them out, and if you have any feedback or suggestions on the apps that you want us to do on our next show, give us a jingle, drop us an email at JobInsights@blindabilities.com, on Twitter at Job Insights VIP, and uh, let us know what you think. Serina: What are we talking about next tiem John....John? Wow! Sorry! [Laughter] Jeff: Well Sarah! [Laughter] Jeff: What will our next one be on? Serina: I don't know, we have so many topics, normally I'm like, let's take this, let's let Hope pick the next topic, no pressure! Hope: No pressure yeah right mm-hmm! Let's do transportation since we kind of talked a little bit about it in this one, that would make sense. Serina: Getting to work. Hope: Yeah, absolutely. Serina: Perfect. Jeff: Getting to work, school, college. Hope: Yeah. Jeff: There you go Sarah! Serina: Stop it! [Laughter] Jeff: And if you want to contact Hope, she's on Twitter. Serina: If you want people to have it? Hope: Yeah my Twitter is Fidelco, capital F as in Foxtrot, I, D as in Delta, E, L, C, O, 4, the number four, ever. My email address is hopepaulos@gmail.com, so hopepaulos@gmail.com. Jeff: Well Hope thank you very much for coming on to Job Insights, it's really neat to have you and we're gonna have you back as soon as possible here for our next round table. Hope: Thank you so much Jeff and Serina, it was wonderful being here. I appreciate it! Serina: Yep, you have a great day! Hope: Thank you! Jeff: Do you know it's nearly midnight and you said have a great day? Serina: Well this will come out during the day. [Laughter] [Music] Jeff: It was a real pleasure having Hope Paulos join us on the show today, all the way from Maine, and next week when we're talking about transportation all the way from New York we'll have Joe De Niro, so stay tuned to the next episode of Job Insights. And a big shout-out to Chee Chau for his beautiful music and you can follow him on Twitter at lcheechau, as always thank you for listening, we hope you enjoyed, and until next time bye-bye [Multiple voices] When we share what we see through each other's eyes, We can then begin to bridge the Gap between the limited expectations and the realities of Blind Abilities. Jeff: For more podcast with the blindness perspective, check us out on the web at www.blindabilities.com, on twitter at BlindAbilities, download our app from the app store, Blind Abilities, that's two words, or send us an email at info@blindabilities.com, thanks for listening.
Job Insights Extra #3: College Advice from Michael Hingson, Best Selling Author, Advocate and Inspirational Speaker. Transcript Provided Welcome to Job Insights Extra, part of the Job Insights Podcast with Serina Gilbert and Jeff Thompson, a podcast focused on the world of employment, career pathways and gainful and meaningful employment. The Job Insights Extra podcasts are success stories, interviews and demos that enhance the experience of reaching that career you want. On Job Insights Extra #3: we bring you College advice from Michael Hingson, Best Selling Author, Advocate and Inspirational Speaker. Michael Hingson joins us in the studio and shares his advice to students transitioning from high school to college and the workplace. He refers to some of his college experiences and how he transferred those skills into his workplace. Michael tells us how those very skills attributed to his successful navigation down the 72 flights of stairs to safety with his guide dog Roselyn. Michael led many others to safety that 11th day of September back in 2001 and shares part of that story with us here on Job Insights Extra. We previously interviewed Michael about his book, “Thunder Dog” and you can listen to that podcast on Blind Abilities.bringing-the-thunder-to-aira/ You can learn more about Michael Hingson on his web site www.MichaelHingson.com And follow Michael on Twitter @MHingson Here is a short bio taken from his web site: On September 11, 2001, a blind man escaped the World Trade Center by walking down 78 flights of stairs with his guide dog. Days later, America fell in love with Mike and Roselle and the special bond that helped them both survive one of the country’s darkest days. Immediately after the 9-11 tragedy, Michael was featured on the Larry King show five times. To quote Larry King… “This media exposure changed the course of Michael’s life and launched him into a speaking career that has spanned over a decade. He now travels the world as a keynote and inspirational speaker that can motivate audiences to action.” Thank you for listening. Follow Job Insights on Twitter @JobInsightsVIP Do you have any suggestions or feedback? Send the Job Insights Team an email Job Insights is part of the Blind Abilities Network. You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store. Full Transcript Job Insights Extra #3: College Advice from Michael Hingson, Best Selling Author, Advocate and Inspirational Speaker. Transcript Provided [Music] Jeff: Job Insights is a podcast that is helping you find careers and gainful employment through innovations and opportunities. You can find the Job Insights podcast on BlindAbilities.com, part of the Blind Abilities Network, and as part of the Job Insights podcast we will be bringing you the Job Insights Extras, consisting of interviews, demonstrations, and news surrounding employment, careers, and jobs, with hosts Serina Gilbert and myself, Jeff Thompson. sAnd you can contact us by email at jobinsights@BlindAbilities.com, leave us some feedback or suggest some topics that we cover, on Twitter at Job Insights VIP. [Sound Effect] Micheal: Everyone just turned in ran as we heard this Rumble that became this deafening roar in like about a half a second which was tower two collapsing about a hundred yards away from our position. The airplane hit 18 floors above us on the other side of the building, we had no clue what had happened. [Sound Effect] Jeff: Those are the words of Michael Hingson, he's the author of Thunder Dog, a book about 9/11 where on September 11th 2001, a terroristic attack took down the World Trade Center towers. Michael happened to be in one of the towers and led a group of people along with his guide dog Roselle to safety. We did an entire podcast on this topic and we put a link in the show notes where you can find it on Blind Abilities. Once again we caught up with Michael Hingson and asked him the question about transition age students, what advice he would have for someone transitioning from high school to college to the workplace? Michael was so kind to share with us some advice and some of his experiences from his college days as well, so we hope you enjoyed this Job Insights Extra. Micheal: We have some unique advantages now and we have some real serious problems now compared to when I went to college. [Sound Effect] For high school kids going on, learn all that you can, learn to know yourself, learn skills. [Sound Effect] Jeff: And now, here's Michael Hingson. Micheal: I think that college is an adventure. I think that becoming more independent as most people will if you go to college and leave home to go to college live on campus or an apartment, but typically on campus, maybe not too far away from home, may be a long way from home, but that's an adventure and, and accept it and embrace it as an adventure first and foremost. Live every life moment to the best that you can, live to the fullest because you won't have that opportunity again. Everything that you do will be a memory but it will also be a learning experience for you. I know that when I went to college, went to the University of California-Irvine which was a hundred miles away from where I grew up. I lived on campus for three years and I remember a lot of what I did on campus because I just considered it a great adventure. We have some unique advantages now and we have some real serious problems now compared to when I went to college, the advantages are there's a lot of Technology, there are a lot more books available, and again if people aren't proficient in Braille, they ought to get proficient in Braille, but we have some disadvantages. Most colleges have an office for disabled students and they have these people who are hired to basically do everything for us, they hire our readers, we don't get to do that like we used to, which means that we lose the opportunity to develop a skill that will help us in the workforce. The skill is finding readers, finding readers that work for us not that work on the terms of the office for disabled students, and likewise, if we don't do well with them, we can fire them, we don't have that option nearly as much as we used to. So students need to use college to learn that independence and to learn those skills that will help them in whatever else they do in life. Braille is important because without the ability to truly read and write, people will not function well in college, much less when they leave College, they will not have the skills that they need to be able to compose good articulate relevant sentences and they won't spell as well and they just plain won't have had the opportunity that they really should get. So I think it's important that students in high school take advantage of all the things that are offered and learn to be self-reliant, and it doesn't mean you don't learn to ask for help, but learn to be self-reliant. I spent time at the World Trade Center learning where everything was, I walked around with a cane, I worked after a while to get, just to get lost, because by getting lost I obviously found someplace I didn't know before and it got to the point where I couldn't get lost in the World Trade Center, and as I loved to tell people, you could drug me and knock me out, and I wake up, and you've put me somewhere and I'll know where I am within just three seconds because I knew that complex that well. I did that in part because I kept thinking, what am I gonna do first emergency and how am I going to get out? It was the mid-atlantic region Sales Manager for my company that is as the leader of that office I had to be responsible for the people in the office, which means I had to know what to do in order to get them to do what needed to be done on what they had to do. I could not have done that if I didn't take the time to learn to be self-reliant and to learn to do whatever I need to do in any circumstance that I could. So for me every day I went in the World Trade Center I almost subconsciously thought, what am I gonna do if there's an emergency today? Well one day I guess I made it happen, and suddenly an emergency did occur, but I knew what to do, and that's why I didn't really panic. People have said to me, well you were so calm, I was because I knew what to do, and I also know myself well enough that, if something different had happened and suddenly it was a real crisis situation, well it was when Tower 2 was collapsing, I could deal with it or or I couldn't. You know, yeah we were going to survive or we weren't, but I knew that I could deal with whatever situation there was to the best of my ability and stay focused. So high school kids need to learn that, they need to spend that time, especially blind kids, I don't mean totally blind but I mean blind with eyesight, but kids just who don't see well enough to function as a fully sighted person, and I think that's the definition of blindness. You're blind when your eyesight is diminished to the point where you can't see well enough to function as a sighted person and you have to use alternative techniques. That includes Braille, and I keep emphasizing that because I think it's so important for people. So for high school kids going on, learn all that you can, learn to know yourself, learn skills and use them in college. When you go to college, don't learn how to just get from your dorm to the library, learn how to get around the campus, learn how to go from any point A to any point B. What I did after a while having learned that other kids did it on campus, was I learned where all the shortcuts were, that is through the steam tunnels that went underground and that you weren't supposed to use, but hey we all did because it cut the time to get from one side of the campus to the other by half, so we did it, and I learned how to do that as well as anyone else because I wanted to have those same opportunities. I didn't know just how to get from my dorm to computer science or physical sciences or whatever, I learned where every building was so that I could go wherever depending on what kind of class I, I had. I learned to make friends with faculty. I was, I never said Dan, but I knew Chancellor Dan Aldrich, and I would, I spent time in his office a couple times because he wanted to get to know me and I wanted to certainly get to know him to, to just understand him and and hopefully educate him a little bit more about me being blind. My academic adviser was the Dean of physical sciences, Fred Reines who was the discoverer of the subatomic particle of the neutrino, won a Nobel Prize for it, and he was the one who encouraged me to do that, he encouraged me to get to know the administrative staff, he said there will be time that they can assist you and and they may ask you things, but they'll never do it if you guys don't know each other, and I think that was an important lesson too. So again there's a lot, there's a lot to do when you get to be a blind college student, but it's worth doing all of that to make the experience better and to make sure that you have all the power and all the skills behind you that you need. Jeff: Michael do you have any favorite quotes that you would like to share with our listeners? Micheal: Well I think in Thunderdog especially, one of my favorite quotes and the one I use most often is, "don't let your sight get in the way of your vision", and I try to use that with sighted people a lot who talk about blindness and all that and they say, well you know, but, how can you do that? Well I'm doing it, don't lay your sight get in the way your vision right? When people tell me, well you don't have any vision, and I say, no I don't see, but I have lots of vision. Now I'm certainly creating a play on words, but still it's true. We often don't see beyond our eyeballs, and bottom line is that we have as much vision as the next group of people if given the opportunity to use it and again eyesight isn't what should hold us back so that's one of my favorite quotes. Another one and again I use it in Thunderdog is, because it's true with Roselle, and was true of others on September 11, 2001, "Sometimes being a hero is just doing your job", and you know, I was just doing my job, people say you're a hero, and if they do they do, but I was just doing what I needed to do and I was helping people get out and I got out and that's what we should do. But if it helps people to think that it, but, and if it will help them think more possibly about what, possibly about what we can all do then it's a worthwhile thing. [Sound Effect] Jeff: We've been speaking to Michael Hingson, number one book seller, author of "Thunderdog", inspirational speaker, advocate, and you can follow Michael on his website at Michaelhingson.com, and on Twitter at M Hingson, that's M H I N G S O N on Twitter. We hope you enjoyed this episode of Job Insights Extra and you can find all the Job Insights podcasts and the Job Insights Extras on Blind Abilities. You can find us on the web at www.blindabilities.com, on Twitter at Blind Abilities, and follow Job Insights on Twitter at Job Insights VIP. Download the free Blind Abilities app from the app store or the Google Play Store. Enable the Alexa skill just by saying enable Blind Abilities. [Music] Jeff: Once again, thanks for listening, we hope you enjoyed, and until next time, bye bye! And thank you Chee Chau for the beautiful music. Follow Chee Chau on Twitter at LCheeChau. [Multiple voices] When we share what we see through each other's eyes, We can then begin to bridge the Gap between the limited expectations and the realities of Blind Abilities. Jeff: For more podcast with the blindness perspective, check us out on the web at www.blindabilities.com, on twitter at BlindAbilities, download our app from the app store, Blind Abilities, that's two words, or send us an email at info@blindabilities.com, thanks for listening.
Job Insights #3: Mastering the Elephant in the Room - Disclosing a Disability in the Job Interview Process. Transcription Provided Full Transcription Below Welcome to Episode 3 of Job Insights with Serina Gilbert and Jef Thompson. We focus on Employment, Careers, enhancing opportunities and bringing you the latest innovations from across the Vocational Rehabilitation field to ensure your choices lead you down the career pathway that you want and succeed in gainful employment. From getting started with services, to assessments, Individual Plan for Employment (IPE) to gaining the skills to succeed and tools for success, Job Insights will be giving you tips and tricks to help your journey to employment and break down the barriers along the way. In this episode we take on the White Elephant in the Room, that is, the job interview room. With guest voices answering the question, “Do you disclose your disability during the job interview process, and if so, when do you disclose?” Hosts Serina Gilbert and Jeff Thompson take a good look at this Million Dollar question from all points of view and leave you with information that will better prepare you for your job interview process. There may not be one set way and being prepared for the job interview gives you an advantage that may help you land the career you want. Check out episode 3 of Job Insights and send us your feedback and topic suggestions by email. mailto:jobinsights@blindabilities.com Follow the Job Insights team on twitter @JobInsightsVIP http://www.twitter.com/jobinsightsvip Job Insights is part of the Blind Abilities network. Thank you for listening. You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store. Full Transcription [Music] Female voice: And most of the people that worked there did not know that I had any sort of vision impairment or anything like that, and at that time I was not comfortable walking around with my cane. Jeff: Job Insights, a podcast to help you carve out your career pathway and enhance the opportunities for gainful employment. Female voice: Because an interview is not just the employer figuring out if they want to hire you, it's you figuring out if you want to work for the employer as well. Jeff: To help you navigate the employment world and give you Job Insights and enhance the opportunities to choose the career you want. Selling yourself, you want to be the best box of cereal on the shelf because when people come down they're looking at all the colors all the things, what makes them pick a certain box? Is it the toy inside, is it the fancy colors? So you had to start selling yourself and be the one they pick. Female voice: If you have more of a obvious disability, you want to make sure that you kind of address that in a way that makes it so that they're not thinking about that, they're thinking about your skills, that's what their inner monologue isn't about you, it's about what they think that you can't do in their bias. Jeff: And you can find the Job Insights podcast on Blindabilities.com, part of the Blind Abilities network, with host Serina Gilbert and myself, Jeff Thompson. And you can contact us by email at Job Insights@BlindAbilities.com, leave us some feedback or suggest some topics that we cover. On Twitter at Job Insights VIP and check out the Job Insight support group on Facebook where you can learn, share, advise, and interact with the Job Insights community. [Music] Female voice: I didn't catch them off guard by showing up with a cane, and I found that that approach worked really well for me. [Music] Jeff: Learn about resources for training, education, and employment opportunities. Female voice: I think sighted people just like since video calls exist, they, that's what they use, so it's definitely becoming, it's going to be a type of interview than most people will have I think. Jeff: And now please welcome Serina Gilbert and Jeff Thompson with Job Insights. Hey Serina! Serina: Hey Jeff! Jeff: To disclose or not to disclose, that is the question I ask of thee. Serina: Have you been reading Shakespeare? Jeff: No, but I have been reading the Job Insights support group page. There's been a topic going on there about disclosure. Serina: Yeah it seems like a lot of people have some different opinions on, do I talk about my disability in the job interview, do I not? [Sound Effect] Female voice: I have a very disability in that I use a cane, and I can't make eye contact and so I find that usually, and this is the same thing that I did after the phone interview but before the in-person interview, I disclosed. [Sound Effect] Female voice: Do I talk about it when I'm doing my cover letter or my resume or not? [Sound Effect] Male voice: If you're applying for a position and it involves using some kind of accommodation, then it's probably wise to disclose it. [Sound Effect] Serina: And I really wanted to see if we could talk about that a little bit today get some different opinions. [Sound Effect] Female voice: If I need to than I do, if I don't need to I don't. [Sound Effect] Serina: Just get it all out there, I know this will be a pretty divisive topic, everyone has some pretty strong opinions on disability disclosure. We're here to offer you some tips on what might help you in the job interview process, when might be a good time to disclose and work to your advantage in a job interview, and maybe when might not be a great time to bring that up in a job interview. Jeff: And when to know the difference, that's um, I think the most important thing. Serina: Exactly. Jeff: Some of the topics that came up really shocked me like, I do my own accommodations a gentleman said, and that just made me cock my head and I had to think about that for a little bit, and yeah I get that, or someone says how dare you can you show up and shock them by showing up with a cane, you didn't tell them, and I'm thinking, like in some situations the resume does not have a spot for that, they may be able to dissect it out of the some of the positions you've held, or some of the companies who worked for, but I think mostly it's one of those situations that you're prepared for either way. Serina: Well and it's interesting that you brought up the I provide my own accommodations piece of the equation. I respect anyone who wants to step up and say here's what I need, I already have it, that's great, but in a lot of systems you can't install your own programs onto computers without having some significant permission. For example I work for a government agency, there's no way they're gonna give me an administrative password and all kinds of leeway to install any programs that I want because who knows what they could do to their network. Of course I know that JAWS is safe and I know that they know that JAWS is safe, but they still have to have some sort of system for managing the programs that are on their server and other network because what if you install a pirated piece of software then what, not saying that you would, most employers unless it's a real small company, it is their legal responsibility to provide you with that reasonable accommodation so why not take them up on it as opposed to using your hard-earned money to purchase those licenses and keep that up on somebody else's computer. Jeff: So having JAWS, having accommodations, and talking to them about accommodations that to, to read the screen, you can even have a person come in to do evaluation of what kind of software they're using, what kind of databases they're using, the see if you can gain access, and further down the line some scripts could even be made to help these specialized programs that they utilize just so you can overcome that hurdle, and it might be just a button that you have to get past. Serina: Exactly. Jeff: So there's some great services that are out there when you're trying to get a job, especially when you're into the job field, it seems like State Services has a whole arsenal of people that are help at that point, or if you're trying to retain a job too. Serina: That's a really good point, yes if you maybe already have a job, gosh I didn't even think about that Jeff, if you, if you already are working, I've seen that and quite a few of the support groups on Facebook, I'm working, I'm losing my vision, I don't think I can work anymore, and just remember that if you are having vision difficulties at work, you are still able to go apply for services at vocational rehabilitation and see what kinds of things they might be able to put place so that you can keep your job. I'd hate to see somebody that has 20 or 25 years in a career and you're just that close to retirement and feeling like you have to give up because your vision is changing with all the technology that's out there now, not saying it's gonna be easy, there's gonna be some learning curves for sure, but the sooner you start getting those services, the sooner you can get back to working in the job like you used to. Jeff: Yeah and that job retention it's a lot, I'm not gonna say it's a lot easier, but what it does is, you're gonna go into some specifics you know, you're just gonna do this to bridge this, to bridge that, to shore up what you're not able to do because it's obvious right away, rather than if you leave the job you go back home then you get to start from scratch like, I want to learn how to cook, I wanna, you know so it's interesting at different points when people are losing their vision, but when we're talking about disclosure, is that's a unique point too. I suppose because I've been blind for so long that to me I can live within my skin, and I think the difference is people who are trying to, especially high partials, or partials, they're either around blind people, there the sighted person around sighted people or they're the blind guy, or the blind person. Serina: Mm-hmm. Jeff: But at a job interview, there's a quandary there, do they use their cane or not use their cane and bump into things or do they bring their cane? Serina: You just brought up a really interesting point because I just thought back to when I was 19 and I started getting cane training from vocational rehabilitation, and at that time I was a cashier at a retail store, and most of the people that worked there did not know that I had any sort of vision impairment or anything like that, and at that time, I was not comfortable walking around with my cane. I'd rather bump into somebody then be seen as the blind girl. So at the age of 19 I would have absolutely said, no way I am not disclosing my disability, I can do it just as well as anyone else. I will just work twice as hard, and struggle at times, but now gosh, 20 years later ish, I think totally differently I, I could never personally see an instance where I would not want to disclose that because I don't want it to be the elephant in the room, when I'm being interviewed. Jeff: Mm-hmm. [Sound Effect] Rob Hobson: It's really up to the individual, some people like to not say a thing, show up to the interview, surprise I'm blind, you know, granted they don't say that. I think to the interviewer that, that's a surprise, but if you want to go that route, that's totally fine it's entirely up to you. But I want you to think about something when you go in for that interview, blindness is that, the white elephant in the room, if you don't address it, you're left to whatever conceptions they have a blindness, positive or negative, but if you address it as in a positive way, you bring up the fact that you are blind, and that you utilize accessible technology via you know whether it's JAWS or NVDA, or a system access, whatever it is you use, explain to that employer why you're the best candidate for the job. The long answer is, it's up to the individual, but if you don't address the fact that you're blind, I think it puts you at a disadvantage. Jeff: And that was Rob Hobson, he's the director of programs at Blind Incorporated in Minnesota. [Sound Effect] Jeff: And that's what it is, it's that the elephant in the room, and if you don't squash that, they're gonna paint their own picture as big as a an elephant any way they want to. Serina: Well and the reality is is that every employer knows that they can't come out and say, what's your disability, they can ask, do you require any reasonable accommodations to perform the essential duties of this job, which is a roundabout way of still figuring it out obviously. But if you're coming to an interview and you're using a service animal, or you have a cane, it's right out there and then they're just wondering, well how on earth is she going to be able to do this, or how is he going to be able to spellcheck documents for me, or access the computer? Because the technology that we use is not mainstream, most people don't even understand what a screen reader is unless they know somebody who has a visual impairment. Jeff: Mm-hmm, yeah and that's the point where you have the opportunity to educate them and sell yourself with the skills that you do have. Serina: Exactly, one of the other panelists did bring up a really good point. If it's a phone interview, that's totally different, they don't see you, they have no clue what you look like, what your abilities and capabilities are, and then what you're selling to them. I don't think I would mention it in that interview type of setting, what about you Jeff? Jeff: No I really don't think so, I think the phone call is a situation where they're just starting to get a good feel of how you, you know your social skills, they want to find out if you're a good fit for the team, for the company. Serina: Correct, because we talked about this a little bit on our very first podcast, if you got the interview then they have already determined that you're qualified for the position, they're just trying to see if you're a good fit for the office but, whether that be the culture, or some more specific questions that they weren't able to flush out in the application process, by not discussing your disability when you have a visible disability, you're almost causing the employers to only focus on the fact that you just walked in with a service dog, or with your cane, and is human as people want to be, and is empathetic and understanding as they claim to be, that's still going to be in the forefront of their mind especially if they're not familiar with your disability. Jeff: That's where Daysha the employment specialist brought up a very good point about where you're just talking about and she called it the internal monologue that the hiring person will be creating. [Sound Effect] Daysha: When you do talk to somebody, especially if it's an interview, you're gonna get that tell me about yourself, you could even get that when you just meet an employer at a job fair or an internship fair, tell me about yourself. You want to make sure especially if you have more of a obvious disability, you want to make sure that you kind of address that in a way that makes it so that they're not thinking about that, they're thinking about your skills. A lot of people make the mistake of never seeing anything and then an employer, the whole time that they're talking is thinking, well because they don't have any experience with vision loss, so they're thinking to themselves, I don't know that I could do that if I couldn't see right, I'm not sure that they're gonna be able to do that, that's what, their inner monologue isn't about you, it's about what they think that you can't do and their bias. Tell how you do things, go into it with confidence, know what your skills are ahead of time, know what you have to offer an employer, and just go into it that way. [Sound effect] Serina: Exactly they start putting those doubts in their mind. I don't know if they'll be able to do this, what about safety concerns? That's a really big one, is my workers compensation insurance going to go up because I have this individual in my office who's presumably, whether correct or incorrect, going to be causing more workplace incidents or accidents. Which we all know if you've gotten your orientation and mobility training in your personal adjustment training, your always more safe than the people who are sighted in the office, because you're not walking around on your cell phone or distracted. [Laughter] Jeff: We'll have to put in ramps and handrails, we'll have to label everything and yeah, but you can control that, and I think at that point, you know you're coming in with a cane and you know they don't know it yet, so that's your opportunity right there, that's your opportunity to call out the white elephant in the room in your favor. You can address it and you can tell them exactly like we said, selling yourself, you want to be the best box of cereal on the shelf, because when people come down, they're looking at all the colors, all the things, what makes them pick a certain box? Is it the toy inside, is it the fancy colors? So you have to start selling yourself and be the one they pick. Serina: It's interesting that you mentioned when you come to the interview, let's say with your cane or your service animal, I have seen situations where individuals do have a visual impairment that warrants the use of a cane and they opt to not bring that to the job interview, and I have seen that cause some problems, because when you don't have your cane or your service animal that could create some super awkward situations when you're trying to interview with the employer. As an example, the employer comes out to the lobby to get you, and maybe your vision is not adjusted or whatever the case may be to that particular office environment, and you're walking not so steady, or unsure about yourself, just think of the assumptions that they're putting in their mind now with the individual that's interviewing for the job, but not walking appropriately in their office, or not making eye contact, or not quite getting the handshake. Jeff: Mm-hmm, yeah and that's very important because myself, I have no central vision, and I can pick up some peripheral stuff, but in an interview you're probably trying to make the best eye contact you can, and I was just in an interview, this was a podcast interview and I told the person right off the get-go, don't think I'm looking over your shoulder or something behind you because that's how I sometimes pick things up by looking away from what I'm really looking at, so I actually made them feel more comfortable than them trying to talk during the interview wondering, what's behind me he keeps looking at, or something like that. Serina: Exactly, yeah. Jeff: In reality I, whatever I'm looking at I can't see anyways, so you can control the situation. They're going to start working this white elephant up in the room, they're gonna start, and not even hearing what you're talking about, all the stuff you're talking about, so you have to get control of the conversation a little bit and that's where you can start saying that, how you overcome doing job details that they want like word document that you use because you use JAWS, or how you can use other type of apparatuses or tools for success that get you to the point where you can compete against anybody that they hire. [Sound Effect] Miranda: I say no because I feel like with as much misunderstanding as there is in the world with with blindness, it's easy for a employer or potential employer to look at your resume and see that you're blind and see all these other resumes that he's got to go through that are just as educated, just as qualified as you are, and to simply just let that one go, like alright, I'm not gonna deal with that. I mean because you're you're talking about them having to deal with ADA and all this, all that other kind of stuff, walk in there confident and stuff, don't disclose before you go in, and just be like, hey this is what I can offer your company. If you made it in there, if they invited you in then that means you're qualified and you should have a shot at it just as everybody else. Jeff: You're listening to the voice of Miranda Brandenburg, she's a certified personal trainer and nutritional specialist. Miranda: The vast majority of people out there have never dealt with a blind person or encountered someone, especially one that is out there making waves, that's out there leading the charge, that's out there willing to work and get in there and travel and do this and do that and get out on the mat and fight and compete with sighted peers on every single level that they can. [Sound Effect] Serina: And it doesn't have to be the first thing you talk about you know, it can be something that, because I've never been an interview that didn't say at the end, do you have any other information like to offer me, or do you have any questions for me, I don't, what about you Jeff? I've never not been asked that? Jeff: Every time and have that question, because they want to know something, so I suggest before you going into an interview, go online, read their mission statement, see what company they are, see what they're all about, what, what's their key words, and that's something that you might want to integrate into your dialogue with them, and then when they come with that question, ask that question, like do you have any questions about my ability to do this job? Serina: And the way that I've approached it, I've only had to do it once, because one was I was applying for a County job at a local Workforce Center, and the second interview was using a white cane, was at the division of vocational rehabilitation. So it could not be more of a comfortable environment. I didn't even have to address it there, but the first one I did come in, I had my white cane, towards the end they said, do you have any more information you'd like to share with me? And I said well, you know, you obviously know I have a visual impairment, I just wanted to give you some information on the technology that I use in order to get things done, and I had gone as far as to print out some real short tip sheets on, at that time I was using a portable CCTV, and JAWS, so that they knew I had already thought about the types of things that I might need on the job and was already skilled in that, so that they didn't have to worry about, okay, obviously I'm gonna have to train her on our procedures, but is she also going to have to get training on her technology needs. Jeff: Mm-hmm, and that's a good point to come in there and let them know how you're gonna access the material that they have. Serina: Mm-hmm, now I have seen some questions in our support group about, do I disclose in the application process? A lot of applications are automated and they, some of them do ask if you have a disability. So I wanted to talk a little bit about that because, yes they might be asking if you have a disability, but if, unless they're breaking the law, that information is not to be passed on to the hiring manager or the individual that's reviewing your application. Typically when they're asking if you have a disability or require reasonable accommodation, that information is used for one of two things. The first would be that there is a program called Work Opportunity Tax Credit which allows employers to have taxes reimbursed to them to offset hiring expenses and things like that for hiring individuals in a variety of situations including those that have a disability, as well as those that are on public assistance, or they're using it because they know that they have some sort of testing that all the applicants have to do, and they really truly are trying to reasonably accommodate anybody that might need those accommodations. So I wouldn't hesitate to answer that personally because that could put you in an awkward situation down the road should you have to take, for example if you're applying at a call center, should you have to take one of their tests and all of a sudden you're asking for an accommodation when on the application you said that you don't need accommodations or don't have a disability. Jeff: And the same thing in Minnesota our Governor passed two years ago, he passed the proclamation that 7% of all employees in the state jobs, they'll hire people with disabilities to fill that 7% goal that they want to have, and so in some applications, some situations, there is a checkbox for that, and that way companies that do want to hire people can have that choice too. Serina: And that brings up another good point, the federal government also has a mandate that they have to hire a certain percentage of individuals with disabilities, and in fact, if anyone has been through that federal hiring process, it's a nightmare to say the least. If you do not check that you have a disability, then you're not going to be considered in any of the priority categories which means that your application might never even get looked at for open position. Jeff: Yeah it's a tough area and a lot of us, like I said on the last podcast, a lot of us aren't fully up on everything that there is to know about blindness when you probably, if you weren't born blind, or you just became blind, there's a lot to learn and there's lots of people that are offering suggestions and no one's really wrong, but I think the best fit is the best fit that you feel most comfortable with because if you're uncomfortable they'll know you're uncomfortable with it so, that's why in Minnesota here at the state agency, they do tutoring on job interviews, mock interviews, where you do get the situation that you know, mister mister boss might ask questions or make you feel awkward in a sense just so you can understand that every interview that you go to, you're gonna get a different person that has different preconceived ideas and it's gonna be in a different situation each time. So if you have an opportunity to try a mock interview, that'd be really great experience. Serina: Well and frankly I remember reading an article, I think it was last year, people are actually scared of blindness, they would rather have cancer than be diagnosed with being blind or visually impaired. So imagine that fear then being put into the situation of, oh my gosh how could I possibly hire somebody that has this visual impairment? If you don't address how you do things in the workplace. Jeff: Mm-hmm that's a great point, another great point is to remember they want to hire someone who can get the job done. Bottom line, get the job done. Susan Robinson, an entrepreneur out in New York and a TEDx speaker, and visually impaired by the way, she told me that she has never terminated a person because they were sighted. Serina: Hmm, that's an interesting way to put that. Jeff: Mm-hmm, she has a job that she needs to get done, she wants to hire the person that could come in and do that job, that's it. Serina: Wow, look at you getting all philosophical over there! [Laughter] [Sound Effect] Female voice: To me it was no different than anyone else doing the same thing with the exception of letting people know during an interview process what I might need from them. So again it was the same sort of self-advocacy to use your wonderful term as I did in college, so in an interview process, the first interviews is sort of getting to know each other, do I think I like working for this person? Because an interview is not just the employer figuring out if they want to hire you, it's you figuring out if you want to work for the employer as well. Once we got to maybe a level 2 or level 3 conversation in the interview process, at that point when it seemed to be a little bit more concrete that the position possibly could be mine, I would disclose and I would say, I just want to let you know I have a visual impairment, it may not be obvious to you, but what that means is I'm gonna bring everything that we've already talked about, my, all of the skills and characteristics that we've discussed, but I am going to need a large monitor for my computer so that I can see things you know enlarged a little bit, and generally people were very receptive to that because again I'm letting them know which is what every potential employer wants to know, can you do the job, are you willing to do the job, and are you going to be a good fit? [Sound Effect] Jeff: Serina, when we had our conversation with Cindy Bennett, a researcher out in Washington and a former intern at Microsoft, she mentioned something that we hadn't even considered, and that was, an interview via videoconference. [Sound Effect] Cindy: I think if I had a video interview I would probably disclose, but I would frame it something like, I'm actually blind so, I might be like, hey does the camera look okay, okay cool, like just like that, just really quick. I do practice if I do a video interview, I always like first of all clean my apartment and look nice. [Laughter] Second of all, I set up my computer on a table in front of my couch and call someone I know, like I video call someone I know and they tell me okay this is good. I found that just like a quick little thing at the beginning of the video interview, I'm like, oh by the way I'm blind, I just wanna make sure that you can see me okay in the camera. If it's an old-fashioned audio phone interview, then usually the person emails me and says we'd like to invite you for an in-person interview and I say thank you and confirm the dates and say, oh just for your information, I'm blind, here's what I need. Jeff: Were you excited when we asked for a podcast that you didn't have to clean your house? [Laughter] Cindy: Yeah [Laughter mixed with inaudible talking] I don't want to do a video call ........ I think they are important things to think about, like I honestly with a lot of my colleagues now that I'm comfortable with them, I'm just like, can we just do audio because then I can just set my phone down beside me and we can go on with our business, but I think sighted people just like, since video calls exist, they, that's what they use. So it's definitely becoming, it's going to be a type of interview that most people will have I think. Serina: I honestly didn't even think about how the video interview, how that would be impacted by the visual impairment, so I'm glad you brought that up because I haven't had an interview for a job since 2010 and it was definitely not when people were doing video interviews or anything like that, so that's definitely something to think about. [Sound Effect] Jeff: It's really great that so many people came on board and shared their experiences, the way they handle disclosing a disability during an interview and the people leaving comments on Job Insights support group page on Facebook. And to sum it up, here's Rachel Hastings, she just got done running the marathon, the Boston Marathon and she's a music therapist. [Sound Effect] Rachel: I've done it both ways, so I've done it one time I didn't tell them that I was blind until I got there and I think it kind of caught him off guard. I mean part of me is like deal with it, but the other part of me is like, well you know, there's no harm in telling them over the phone. After they invite you to an interview, and so because I kind of felt like I made it awkward, so the next time I was first offered a phone interview and I told them over the phone, I'm like, by the way I want to let you guys know that I'm legally blind, but I'm very independent and that, that was after they invited me for an in-person interview. So it's like there was no way they could turn me down but yet I didn't catch them off-guard by showing up with a cane in person, and I found that that approach worked really well for me. [Sound Effect] Jeff: So Serina, next week we're gonna be talking about some apps. Apps for the workplace, apps for productivity, apps for a school. Serina: Yep, I know that I have my favorites. Jeff: Hmm, you gonna save them, you're gonna make us wonder till next week aren't you? Serina: You guys will have to wonder till next week. Jeff: The cliffhanger strikes again. [Laughter] Serina: So I'd like to thank everyone for listening to our show today. As always if you have any questions or topics that you'd like us to follow, you can give us a message on Twitter, that's at Job Insights VIP, or on our Facebook page which is Job Insights, and we also have a brand new job insight support group on Facebook, just search Job Insights support group, see you next time. [Music] Jeff: Thank You Chee Chau for your beautiful music, that's lcheechau on Twitter. We really hope you enjoyed this podcast, thanks for listening, and until next time bye-bye! [Music] [Multiple Voices] When we share what we see through each other's eyes, we can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations and reality of blind abilities. Jeff: For more podcasts with the blindness perspective check us out on the web at www.blindabilities.com, on Twitter at Blind Abilities, download our app from the app store, Blind Abilities, that is two words, or send us an email at info@blindabilities.com. Thanks for listening.
Job Insights Extra #2: Advice from Team Sea to See on Transitioning and Rebranding Disability Through Achievement Welcome to Job Insights Extra, part of the Job Insights Podcast with Serina Gilbert and Jeff Thompson, a podcast focused on the world of employment, career pathways and gainful and meaningful employment. The Job Insights Extra podcasts are success stories, interviews and demos that enhance the experience of reaching that career you want. In Job Insights Extra episode #2 we share the insights from Team Sea To See, a team entered in to the Race Across America (RAM). The team of 4 will tandem bike race across America dipping there wheels in the Pacific Ocean and racing non-stop to the Atlantic Ocean. While they were in the Blind Abilities studio promoting the race, they hung out to talk about a topic they feel is very important. We asked them what advice they would give to a student transitioning from high school to college and the workplace? Jack Chen, dan Berlin and Tina Ament each took turns talking about their personal experiences and gave us some very good insights and we are glad to share the conversation with you all on episode #2 of Job Insights Extra. Full Transcript Below You can check out the Race Across America podcast with Team Sea to See on Blind Abilities.plain-sight-meet-team-sea-to-see/ And check out Team Sea to See on their Facebook page. You can learn more about Rebranding Disability Through Achievement on the web at Lime Connect Thank you for listening! Follow Job Insights on Twitter @JobInsightsVIP Do you have any suggestions or feedback? Send the Job Insights Team an email Job Insights is part of the Blind Abilities Network. You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store. Transcription: Job Insights Extra #2: Advice from Team Sea to See on Transitioning and Rebranding Disability Through Achievement [Music] Jeff: Welcome to a Job Insights Extra and today I want to share with you some job insights that came from Jack Chen, Dan Berlin, and Tina Ament. They're three quarters of the team of Team Sea to Sea, and they're entering the race across America this summer and some of the feats these three have been in is quite astonishing. From climbing Kilimanjaro, to racing in ultra marathons, world champion Hill climber, Google lawyer, a US attorney, co-founder of a major food company, the list goes on and on. And be sure to check out the podcast with the Sea to Sea race across America. I'll put the link in the show notes and you'll learn so much more about each of these individuals and the feats that they've accomplished. While I had them in the studio I asked them some questions about transition age students and employment and I really appreciated them taking the time to answer these questions and being willing to share their experiences and advice with us, so please welcome Jack Chen, Dan Berlin, and Tina Ament on transitioning students and employment. We hope you enjoy and thanks for listening to this episode of Job Insights Extra. Job Insights is a podcast that is helping you find careers and gainful employment through innovations and opportunities and you can find the job insights podcast on blindabilities.com, part of the Blind Abilities network, and as part of the Job Insights podcast we will be bringing you the Job Insights Extras consisting of interviews, demonstrations, and news surrounding employment, careers, and jobs. With host's Serina Gilbert, and myself, Jeff Thompson. And you can contact us by email at jobinsights@blindabilities.com, leave us some feedback, or suggest some topics that we cover, you can also follow us on twitter at Job Insights VIP. So while we're here I want to take this opportunity to ask you a couple questions about transition and employment and some words of advice. Dan there's a topic that you brought up and it's about people not knowing what they can't do, something of that nature, can you explain what you meant when you said that? Dan: Yeah it's so, it's so true in human, you know our existence, and so often I mean, none of us know what we can't do, we all know what we think we can't do, but until you put it out there and actually try it, actually go for it, we really don't know what their limits are. And so often what we're pushing up against as blind individuals just happen to have it highlighted more than others, but this is universal, we're pushing up against our perceived limitations. That's something that all of us can challenge, that's why this message can be universal, you know beyond blindness, beyond disability. We catch a lot of attention because we're a cyclist who was blind, or a runner who is blind has done X Y Z, and I hear the comments all the time from folks that say yeah, I can't believe you run a marathon, I can't believe you did an Ironman, I could never do that, and that label right there, it's like, you know no, you probably could do it, you just, it would need a lot of work and and you know we tend to limit ourselves quite a bit right there. And it's so freeing to have those limitations removed, just that idea that you know we really can do whatever we want to do, it's just where we're going to focus and whatever we're going to put into it, so attitude, effort, and discipline is really what it all comes down to. Jeff: Dan, you mentioned at around age 30 you went through some vision loss and that you said you weren't even much of an athlete, now I don't know what not much of an athlete at the level that you're at right now means, but could you explain that? Dan: Yeah definitely, you know I started losing my sight when I was 7, and it was a slow progression all the way up through my 20's and by 30 I was pretty much legally blind you know early thirties. I was an amateur athlete, I was the type who would run two to three times a week 2 to 3 miles a time, I jogged for 20 minutes on the treadmill, I go to the gym once or twice a week and lift weights up until I was about 39 years old and then I had moved from New York City to Colorado, given up a lot the public transportation, was feeling pretty down, I mean I was, I was really low for a while, my whole family had moved out here with me, for me to start my own company out here. I realized at some point that I needed to take on something to kind of turn my mental state around and that's when I just started, I started running, I started just running around my neighborhood you know three miles at a time. Soon realized I needed to find a goal and so signed up for a half marathon and took it from there, so I've been running now, I did my first half marathon, well it'll be seven years ago, let's see I'll be eight years ago in September, so I've really started what I would consider converting myself into an average middle-aged dad about eight years ago into what I would define myself more as an athlete now, and it was completely done just by saying, I was going to do it. I joke with everybody, I definitely don't have the genetic gifts for running or pretty much any endurance sport, but I have the willpower to do it, and you know will trumps skills almost any day. Jeff: Mm-hmm, now you also climbed Kilimanjaro, I mean is it just because it was there, or did you go down to your local gym and just start wall climbing and want another challenge, how did that come about? Dan: Well you know it's because it's there. [Laughter] Jeff: Well there you go. Dan: Just kidding it's, yeah that's it, no it was just a challenge, you know was something that you know I love mountains I moved to Colorado like I said about ten years ago now and after being out here, I love being in the altitude, I love being in the mountains. You know for me what a lot of this comes down to is this idea of setting a goal and going out there and focusing on it and seeing if we can achieve it. Part of the excitement is you know is one of my good friends has a quote that he often says "if something excites and intimidates you it's worth doing" Jeff: Mm-hmm, that's a good one. Dan: And that's what RAM is to me, that's what I think RAM is to all of us on the team. None of us are sure we can do it, but we're all excited by it. Jack: And I think it's a really important point Jeff to drive home is, a lot of people count themselves out before they even get started right, I mean they ask the question can I, but they don't say I can, and so I think that for all of us, I think I would say, where our blindness started, our lives really began, and what I mean by that is, it's easy for folks and this is not just cyclists of course, but for anybody to have something significant happen to them, and in their lives, or to be treated in a particular way, our fifth grade teacher told me very specifically that, you know you don't have to work so hard, government's gonna take care of you, don't stress out, don't, don't work so hard in school, because that was a kid who I really wanted to do well when I was younger, and I struggled, and so the mentality sometimes sets in that, well I do have certain limitations and I should really count the costs, and, and for me I've come to the point now where I say, well rather than thinking first about whether I can do something I say, how can I do it, you know, so it's not can I, but how can I? And that extra word adds an incredible amount of power and success in one's life, and that's kind of one of the things that we want to communicate. Jeff: Well put, very well put Jack. Tina, being that you lost your eyesight early on, how did you overcome the obstacles that you faced? Tina: Well to some extent, with a lot of help, a lot of support from family. I grew up in the days when my parents fought to get my sister and me into public school and we sort of fought for every you know, between them and, and, and us individually, we fought for every little thing, and on the be careful what you wish for side, you know there were, there was a lot of bullying, you know back then teachers didn't care if kids picked on us, there was no stigma attached to bullying or any of that, so a lot of it was between that and being military kids who had to move all the time, you just had to learn how to jump in and swim, like essentially. I think having sports and activities was a way to belong and I can remember when I was a, in fourth grade and I had a little bit more vision than I do now being forced into gym class, and the day that we were doing soccer drills and I actually saved a goal and the class cheered for me was you know one of the greatest days of my life. I mean who remembers a silly a PE class in fourth grade, but I do because it was sports was a way do you belong with my sighted peers and I think it's so important for anybody with a disability or, to have the chance to fit in because it's, it's such a big part of growing up in the states and you know, sports, music all these kind of activities that kids do, my parents and my sister and I both, we had to push ourselves to get off the sidelines and be able to do something to belong. So I think you know, doing sports through, for me I'm a very competitive person, so like Jack, I always wanted to do well in school and was sort of you know very self motivated to do well, but it was hard and you did have to deal with low expectations, because a lot of teachers and and people didn't expect much of you, and you know you had to find it within yourself to decide, hey I'm gonna go for what I think is important because, you know nobody's going to tell me. Jeff: Tina what advice would you have for someone who is transitioning from high school to college to the workplace, and has their job sights on employment? Tina: Be your own best advocate. I think that the hard thing about leaving high school is, and then about leaving the education environment going into the work environment, is that the older you get the less built-in support systems you're gonna have, so my advice would be to learn early on how to advocate for yourself and how to dispel people's assumptions about you. When I started at my law firm out of law school there had been another blind attorney who worked there before me and he had left to go and teach and I started maybe six months after he did, and I got put in the same office as he had been, and I remember one of the partners coming in and saying, don't let this firm decide that you are Max, you're not Max, you're you, and not that Max wasn't a great guy and had a lot of you know great talents, and, and nothing against him, but you have to overcome people's assumptions that either, they know what's best for you, or whatever some other blind person did is what you do. So I would say learn how to self-advocate and learn how to recognize people's assumptions for what they are because sometimes you won't necessarily see them unless you're on the lookout for it. Jeff: That's a great point, how about you Jack? Jack: One of the things that's absolutely key is to find people who have done this thing, whatever it is that you're doing before you, if that's possible. And one of the great things that I've also been involved with is creating a network of people who have incredible talents who have disabilities. It's called Lime Connect and its motto is to "rebrand disability through achievement" and one of the the great things about this organization is there are ten thousand, ten thousand plus other people out there who have disabilities who are doing what you're doing, and who can act as a resource, and you know when you go to your first job interview and they ask you a question that you don't know how to answer, like for example they come to you and say, hey, well how are you going to draw this drawing? Well you go back to your network and you say, hey guys, anyone else face this issue, how did you deal with it? And just being empowered by having this as a resource is incredible, incredibly valuable I think. I know I didn't have that when I was growing up but, sounds like Tina didn't have that when she was growing up, but now there are resources available just, you know, quote unquote click of a mouse. You can find people who are similarly situated with you or people who've gone before you so, finding those individuals who know what you're going through and can help give you some advice and some support along the way, that our resources are out there, so go find it. Jeff: Dan, I know these are two tough people to follow, but you want to give it a shot? Dan: Tell me about it. [Laughter] Yeah sure I mean, I have a little bit different perspective too because I lost my vision a little later in life so I was into my career and working hard at it. I hid it for years you know kind of that fake it to you make it mentality, and then I had an epiphany at one point, I had this whole change in attitude that was so great for me, and the advice I would give to someone is to be yourself you know just be comfortable in your own skin, you know at the end of the day, you are who you are and nobody can change that. The second thing is, with that in mind, don't be afraid to ask for help. You know if you need some help, if you need to tap into your resources, if you need to ask somebody, hey can you tell me where this is, don't be afraid to ask. The third thing is, use the limitation as your advantage, you know, one of the things that whether we like it or not, and it's just what Tina was alluding to here is, the standards are set lower for people with disabilities. So not that, we have we do not have to live up to these standards, but that's our benchmark now. So it gives us the opportunity to achieve above and beyond these standards, so look at this as an opportunity. Opportunity that the shackles are off, my expectations are low on what I'm going to do, so I'm just going to blow it out of the water. Because my my downsides of being wrong is quite minimal, so take advantage of that, you know just go for it! Tina: I would sort of add to that I, I think the one thing that sometimes you know I let for me or discourage me as, you know as I said before people are always making assumptions about you and the first thing they're going to make an assumption based on, is that you're blind or differently-abled, and so much of the time I mean, you don't know how many times I get on to public transit and somebody says, do you know what stop you're going to? As though I would get my fare card, dress up and work clothes, and get on the train having no idea what stop I wanted to go to, [Laughter] So it's it's sort of like half the world assumes that you're feeble-minded, and then a quarter of the world assumes that you're some sort of superhuman like you must have Steve Austin bionic man hearing and of you know computer chip implant for a memory because you actually get up and function in the world, so a lot of the time I just have to remind myself not to let either of those assumptions you know, or people say like, oh well you're just so much more doggin and determined because you do your sports, it's like well no, I'm not a Superman, I'm not a bionic woman, I don't have a Harry Potter time turner so I can do twice as much training as anybody, I'm just a person who doesn't see, and so when you strip away a lot of the assumptions, you have to remind yourself, like I'm not as great as some of them think and I am not as feeble-minded as some of them think I am. But you have to I think really look to your own self to try to decide where your self-worth comes from because assumptions that a lot of people make about you are so bogus and so out of hand that if you listen to them you'll drive yourself crazy. Dan: To put that into you know perspective too, in our modern capitalistic business world here too, I would love nothing better than all my competition to underestimate what we as a company are capable of doing, and then you get out there and you just outperform it. It's one of the classic mistakes that people make you know in life and in business, and it's one of those things where we again can turn the disability, we could turn the perceptions others have of us into a positive. Jeff: That's great, turn it into a positive! [Music] Such a great opportunity to talk to Jack, Dan, and Tina, team Sea to Sea in the Race Across America this summer. That's Ram, Race Across America, we'll be covering it, stay tuned, and such a great thing that they shared such great advice, such transferable advice, it's not just for school, not for employment, but life itself that they shared with us today. Thanks for listening to this episode of Job Insights Extra and be sure to check Job Insights on the Blind Abilities Network. We hope you enjoyed, and until next time, bye bye. [Music] [Multiple voices] When we share what we see through each other's eyes, we can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations and the realities of blind abilities. Jeff: For more podcasts with the blindness perspective check us out on the web at www.blindabilities.com, on Twitter at Blind Abilities, download our app from the app store, Blind Abilities, that is two words, or send us an email at info@blindabilities.com. Thanks for listening!
Job Insights Episode 2 - Vocational Rehab 101: Demystifying the Myths and Planning For Employment Welcome to the second episode of Job Insights with Serina Gilbert and Jef Thompson. We focus on Employment, Careers, enhancing opportunities and bringing you the latest innovations from across the Vocational Rehabilitation field to ensure your choices lead you down the career pathway that you want and succeed in gainful employment. From getting started with services, to assessments, Individual Plan for Employment (IPE) to gaining the skills to succeed and tools for success, Job Insights will be giving you tips and tricks to help your journey to employment and break down the barriers along the way. In Episode 2 of Job Insights Serina and Jeff break down Vocational Rehab services from eligibility, intake, personal adjustment training, training centers, and your responsibilities as well. Navigating the services may seem daunting at first but with a little bit of information and explanation you will soon fine your pathway to gainful and meaningful employment does not have to be a solo journey. Your Voc-Rehab team wants you to succeed and is their for you all the way. Full Transcript Below We hope you enjoy this Job Insights episode and you can send your feedback and suggestions to the Job Insights team by email at JobInsights@BlindAbilities.com Follow the Job Insights team on twitter @JobInsightsVIP Job Insights is part of the Blind Abilities network. A big Thank You goes out to CheeChau for his beautiful music! Thank you for listening. You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Transcription: Job Insights Episode 2 - Vocational Rehab 101: Demystifying the Myths and Planning For Employment Serina: I know sometimes that a lot of individuals can be a little bit overwhelmed by applying for services with vocational rehabilitation and we'd like to hopefully demystify some of the myths and help you learn a little bit more about the process. Jeff: Job Insights, a podcast to help you carve out your career pathway and enhance the opportunities for gainful employment. Serina: Helping you with independent living skills, helping you get around town, helping you with cooking, money management, all those things that you need in order to be successful on a job. Jeff: Learn about resources for training, education, and employment opportunities, to see what best suits you to see if you're prepared to move on to the next step. Serina: Correct. Jeff: Thus it's an assessment. Serina: Correct, it helps the counselor out and it helps you out too. Jeff: We will hear from people seeking careers, employment from professionals in the educational field, teachers and innovators in this ever-changing world of technology to help you navigate the employment world and give you Job Insights, and enhance the opportunities to choose the career you want. Serina: We would hate to see you move forward with an employment goal that you thought you would absolutely love, only to find out maybe three months into the job that you obtain, that you really don't like it so much, so it helps us save a little bit of time and prepare you for realistic expectations on the job. Jeff: You can find the Job Insights podcast on BlindAbilities.com, part of the Blind Abilities Network, with host, Serina Gilbert and myself, Jeff Thompson. And you can contact us by email at jobinsights@blindabilities.com, leave us some feedback, or suggest some topics that we cover, you can also follow us on Twitter at Job Insights VIP, and check out the job inside support group on Facebook where you can learn, share, advise, and interact with the Job Insights community. [Music] Serina: Sometimes it might be getting more evaluations done with an orientation and mobility specialist, or a vision rehabilitation therapist to see what kind of personal adjustment training you might need. Jeff: And now please welcome Serina Gilbert and Jeff Thompson with Job Insights. Serina: Hi Jeff how are you? Jeff: I'm doing good how are you Serina? Serina: I'm doing great, how was your week? Jeff: It was good, it was good, the sun has come, spring is finally here. Serina: I don't know, I think you might get some more snow. It's not May yet. Jeff: We're just so glad to have it, I already got the patio furniture out, so I'm excited, I'm excited. Serina: You gonna be barbecuing for me? Jeff: We did that yesterday. Serina: Nice! Jeff: And I didn't even let you know did I? Serina: No you didn't even invite me, even though I'm, I don't even know how many miles away from you. [Laughter] Jeff: I'll waft the barbecue smell west. Serina: Send it over with an Amazon drone you know. Jeff: There we go. I wonder what that sound will be? Serina: They'll probably have like a special Amazon Prime sound for us all. Jeff: Oh yeah so it's recognizable. Serina: Everyone's jealous because we got something from Amazon. Jeff: The dogs will whine just a little bit, it is exciting though when a package comes. Serina: So I heard that we got a ton of positive feedback on our very first introductory episode to Job Insights? Jeff: Yes we did, it did not come by drone, but we got so much positive feedback, it's really exciting. Serina: I think that's great. I know today we were talking about vocational rehabilitation 101, and we'll chat a little bit about the process, what to expect. I know sometimes that a lot of individuals can be a little bit overwhelmed by applying for services with vocational rehabilitation and we'd like to hopefully demystify some of the myths and help you learn a little bit more about the process. And I know, as I talked about on the previous podcast, I was also a client of vocational rehabilitation and I believe you were as well right Jeff? Jeff: Yes I did, but unlike yourself Serina, my ophthalmologist did not send me there, so getting started with State Services was interesting. Serina: At least you got connected, that's that's the biggest part. Jeff: Mm-hmm. Serina why don't we start out by telling the listeners a little bit about what it takes to qualify for services, and if it's a federal or state standard that they go by. Serina: So it's a federal mandate, the eligibility requirements for vocational rehabilitation systems, in general, you have to have a documentable disability that poses some sort of barrier towards you entering into employment, keeping employment, or advancing in the current position that you have. You also have to be able to basically benefit from the services and that's a presumption that most agencies make. Jeff: A presumption? Serina: A presumption of eligibility. Jeff: Hmm? Serina: Another eligibility criteria that helps is, I believe if you receive SSI or SSDI then you are automatically eligible for vocational rehabilitation services. Jeff: So that's usually a process when you go there for services then you probably have to get it to go to a doctor so it's documented. Serina: Well, you can go to a doctor, but if you do not have documentation of your disability, vocational rehabilitation can actually either send out for the records, or send you for evaluations in order to obtain that documentation. Jeff: And that's just one of the steps of the intake process. Serina: So that first step is your intake appointment, which your counselor will go over a ton of different paperwork with you, you'll sign some releases of information for them to be able to talk to necessary individuals that might be working with you on the case, or to obtain medical records, or again refer you for those necessary evaluations, and from that time frame of the first date that you officially apply for services your counselor has up to 60 days to determine you are eligible for services. It can take that long depending on the counselors caseload, but sometimes it's faster, it just depends on the documentation that you already have, and what that counselors caseload looks like. Jeff: Is that the same for when agency is on order of a selection? Serina: Correct, they still have the same 60 days eligibility determination requirements, even if they do have a waitlist or order of selection. Jeff: So if they determine on the intake that you're in, then what's the next step? Serina: The next step is what's called the comprehensive assessment. What happens in this stage is you and your counselor are working together to identify a reasonable and suitable employment goal and also identify the necessary services that might be provided to you in order to help you achieve that employment goal. Sometimes this process could include you trying out work, doing what's called a situational assessment, and that would involve you going to a worksite and trying out the job to see if you like it, see that the duties are something that work well with your personality, in your disability, and also to help you with networking. Sometimes it might be getting more evaluations done with an orientation and mobility specialist, or a vision rehabilitation therapist to see what kind of personal adjustment training you might need. Jeff: Serina, personal adjustment training, can you break that down for our listeners? Serina: Definitely, personal adjustment training might include helping you with independent living skills, helping you get around town, helping you with cooking, money management, all those things that you need in order to be successful on a job. Jeff: And typically you could be sent to a blindness training center or a vendor of the agency? Serina: It depends on this state, some agencies do use the blindness centers, some do have in-house service providers that work specifically for DVR, or third-party vendors like you mentioned, and then I'm not sure about other states, but here in Colorado we do actually have a center based program that the vocational rehabilitation program staffs as well. Jeff: And in Minnesota were fortunate to have three adjustment to blindness training centers, Vision Loss Resource in Minneapolis, Blind Incorporated in Minneapolis, and in Duluth we have the Lighthouse for the Blind, plus State Services for the Blind, and various vendors that will provide specialized services as well. You mentioned doing a situational type of thing where you go to an employer and they do an evaluation, would that be set up with your employment specialist to see if this is an interest of theirs or to see if they like it? Serina: It can be set up through an employment specialist if the state that you work in is structured in that manner, sometimes it's your vocational rehabilitation counselor that's setting it up, and sometimes it can even be a third party vendor that you're working with that is providing that assessment service for us. Jeff: And this is all in an attempt to see what best suits you to see if you're prepared to move on to the next step. Serina: Correct. Jeff: Thus it's an assessment. Serina: Correct, it helps the counselor out and it helps you out too because we would hate to see you move forward with an employment goal that you thought you would absolutely love, only to find out maybe three months into the job that you obtained that you really don't like it so much, so it helps us save a little bit of time and prepare you for realistic expectations on the job. Jeff: So if you do need some soft skills, if you do need some technology skills, and it's determined that you should go to a blindness training center of some sorts, that might set you back six to nine months or whatever it takes right? Serina: That's correct, the blindness training centers are not super short programs, I think the shortest program that they have is the summer youth program for those that are still in either high school or college perhaps, and I believe that's even eight weeks. Jeff: And that's basically like a step program to bridge you into college preparedness? Serina: Correct. Jeff: And if you're planning on going just straight into the workforce then a training center might give you the skills that are needed to help gain employment. Serina: Correct, they work on every skill that you can possibly think of from independent transportation, orientation and mobility, independent living, I do believe they do some self-advocacy training, as well as working on basic social skills because you are living on campus with lots of other people and there's gonna be times when you disagree and you're gonna have to use those conflict resolution skills which will help you for sure once you start working. Jeff: I know we talked about transition aged students quite a bit, but there's also other people adults that have vision loss and they want to get their employment back and so these training centers do adult programs as well. Serina: And it can be quite helpful because I know last time we talked a little bit about an individual maybe who's coming in that has lost sight a little bit later in life but still really wants to work, that's a hard transition coming from having a driver's license and being able to independently transport yourself and work on a computer, to all of a sudden not having those skills anymore and abilities, and those centers and also other field based programs through vocational rehabilitation can certainly help with that transition, and also help you connect with different support groups and things like that so that you can start networking with individuals who've maybe been there as well. Jeff: However, before you move on to this step you must set up an individual plan or employment. Serina: That is correct, and all of the individualized plans for employment can only have services on it that the counselor and you agree are necessary and appropriate, and then they are always purchased at the least possible cost. So there might be times when there's certain products that you really really would like, but the counselor has to follow certain policies and purchase things at the lowest possible cost that is still appropriate for what you need the items for. Jeff: But typically the items will get you to your destination? Serina: Exactly, like as an example, there's lots of different types of computers now, we have our personal computers that maybe would run a screen reader or screen magnification software, and we have our Mac books that also have that same type of software built into it. Typically vocational rehabilitation is going to look at purchasing personal computers more so because we're looking down the road at employment and most employers still use personal computers, so it makes the most sense to get you used to using that type of a technology if you're going to be working in an office environment down the road. Jeff: And when you're saying personal computers, you're talking about Microsoft based platform. Serina: Correct, like a Windows computer. Jeff: Mm-hmm, Serina, can you tell us how flexible and IPE, individual plan for employment is? Serina: Yes, it's a plan, yes it's written on paper, but that doesn't mean that it can't be changed. So it's really important to communicate with your counselor if you feel that something's not going the way that you want it to go, or that you want to try something different, because that plan can definitely be amended, it's actually quite rare that we have the exact same plan from start to finish. Jeff: Okay someone goes through the process and they get their training, making progress, and you're checking the list and moving forward and now they're going to college and they are succeeding, according to the plan, and it comes time to where they start thinking about the job and job resumes, and job interviews, and all that, is there any services for that type of area? Serina: Definitely, it can be considered part of vocational counseling and guidance, which is on every single plan for employment across the country, I don't think there's any plans that don't have that, but it's also part of what we call job seeking skills training, which would be, you either working with your counselor, or perhaps a third party vendor to develop that resume, develop a general cover letter, and also start doing mock interviews, and begin talking about how do you want to handle the interview, how do you want to disclose your disability, if you want to do that at all, and how do you advocate for yourself during that interview. For example if you need an accommodation for testing and things like that as part of the interviewing process. Jeff: Now when it comes to disclosure, there's so many debates about it, and there I don't think there is any one answer, one fits all for this topic. Serina: Correct and I know we're probably gonna talk about that, maybe that'll be our next episode, because that's a hot topic of how do I disclose my disability, and what when and where, am I going to get discriminated against, things like that, I know people are very fearful of that, that definitely will warrant a full episode. Jeff: And that's a big one, so is writing your resume, because a resume is a work in progress, because if you're looking at one job, looking at a next job, it has to form to the job, the keywords and everything, so it's a good skill to have and a good thing to have a template to be able to adjust it for the job you're seeking. Serina: Exactly, we call it tailoring your resume because if you're not putting in specific keywords, a human's not even going to see your resume because there's so many electronic ways that they use, optical character recognition, and scanning the resume that you've submitted either online or even email, where they just scan to see specific keywords and skills and if it doesn't meet that, then it automatically gets denied. Jeff: Optical character recognition, it was such a gift and now it's working against us. Serina: Yep, sound familiar though right? Jeff: Mm-hmm, Serina with all your experiences, what tips would you have for someone who's receiving services and working with the counselor? Serina: So during the vocational rehabilitation process it's really important that you stay in close contact with your vocational rehabilitation counselor. There will be a lot of times when they're going to be asking for tons of paperwork that you might find cumbersome or even redundant. I promise you they wouldn't be asking you for it if they didn't need it because we get a lot of paperwork, if we didn't need it, we wouldn't be asking for it for you. So especially if you're on/in a plan for employment that includes training, every semester we're going to be looking at what grades did you get, what classes are you registering for next semester, do you need any books, did you apply for your federal financial aid? All of those things are things that are required before we can say yes we will pay for your tuition this semester at the school. If your counselor sends you an email asking for something, the quicker you reply the quicker things can move, and just know that sometimes things can't move overnight, if you call us and for specific piece of technology, we might not be able to get that for you immediately, especially if it's not included on your plan for employment, there might be some paperwork things that have to be done and ordering processes and things like that. So we ask that you're a little bit patient with us, but also the more you communicate with us, the better service provisions you will have. Jeff:And staying ahead of the game is the whole thing. Serina: Exactly. Jeff: Yeah, being on the State Rehab Council I get a lot of documents about this it's agencies and I see that one of the highest percentage of closures is because of lack of communications by the client back to the agency. Serina: That's probably actually pretty accurate because especially with my caseload I work with a lot of young adults, so they're still learning how to keep in touch so I do give them quite a few chances but it never fails that as soon as I close a case because I haven't heard from them despite multiple attempts on my end, about two weeks later is when they call me back and say, well I didn't know that you were gonna close my case. And obviously yes you can go back through the process and we can open it again but it's much more efficient even if you just send me a text message saying, everything's all right, I'm still out here, and that'll keep things going for you, but we have to remain efficient and show that the people that were working with are making progress in order to meet our goals and outcomes. Jeff: Serina, this is a lot of great information for someone who is going through vision loss, what advice would you have for someone who is seeking services from their division of vocational rehab or their State Services for the Blind? Serina: If you are a transitioning student and you're at least 15 years old and you are definitely starting to think about employment and what's next and actually some states that's as little as 14, but most states is about 15 or 16, but if you're starting to think about employment, I would say do not hesitate to contact your local vocational rehabilitation, talk to them about services, even if you call and you meet with them and it's not quite the right time, you are at least ahead of the game and knowing what to expect when you do decide that it's the right time for you. If you're an individual that's lost sight a little bit later in life or maybe have never heard of vocational rehabilitation and you're struggling with some vision difficulties, pick up the phone and give them a call, especially if you're looking into employment. All of our services at vocational rehabilitation are for sure geared towards employment now, so any services that we provide do you have to be tied to an employment goal with an eventual goal of being employed in the long-term. Jeff: You know Serina when I first lost my eyesight, I was skeptical you know, I was like worried about what's gonna happen and I didn't know, I didn't know where the blind were, I didn't know anything and I kind of felt like State Services, the agency was kind of a safety net, so I was gonna go out there and forge my own path and if I failed I would head towards the agency and get services, but now today, the more I know about it, it seems like it's a vehicle towards a future, and I've said this many times, but it is, it's it's, it's a resource, it's a place to go to learn about the pathways that you can take towards employment. Serina: And I'm curious what was your experience on the client side? I know you're on the state rehab Council and things like that, but do you remember being your very first experience when you first applied for services? Jeff: You know this is a great question for me because my experience was quite unique I think because when I first lost my eyesight I sold my pickup truck and I bought a brand new computer, I bought jaws and I started doing things the way I thought was best, I did things my own way. I did not understand that State Services for the Blind with an IPE, an individual plan for employment would have set up something of the nature to provide me the tools for me to succeed according to the plan and my goals, and once I understood that there were services as such, I then meticulously figured out what I would have to do for myself, and what they could do for me, and together we could reach the goals that we both set up. So I think part of the demystification of this is, they won't buy you everything, it's not a toy store, but they will assist you in succeeding, and those services do range from, you know, picking the right college that best suits your field, the technology that you'll need to succeed in college or in the workplace, there's so many services that are available there, you just have to make that call, like you said Serina, make that call and find out what they can do for you, and what you have to do as well. Serina: Well and that, someway just popped a thought into my head, I know that some individuals, most you know, most likely receive SSI or SSDI, some sort of Social Security benefits and it can be a little nerve-racking wondering, what if I start work and then it doesn't work out, how are my benefits impacted, there's lots of different rules related to social security and work. So I'm thinking that might be a really good idea for another future topic as well. Jeff: Absolutely, and when a person is going through vision loss it doesn't mean that they're totally educated on all the intricacies that are involved from your State Services, from your DVR, from the government, from Social Security, all these things have to be learned and dealt with and that's why talking with your counselor to learn, to educate yourself, so you can better be prepared for the opportunities that are ahead of you, and I think calling your State Services is one of the best things that a person can do, and that's why they call it a informed choice. Serina: Exactly, so many topics Jeff, we're never gonna end. [Laughter] Jeff: Hmm, that's job security huh? Serina: For sure, how insightful. [Laughter] Jeff: Speaking of something that never ends, I thought winter was the same way around here, but we got grass out back now and the trees are starting to bud, I could feel that a little apple trees with the little buds on them. Serina: That's awesome, you'll start sneezing pretty soon here. Jeff: Mm-hmm, I'm just glad I planted apple trees because I don't think they make PC trees. Serina: Ba dump bum[Imitating comedic snare drum] [trumoet sound effect] Well that concludes today's podcast, but next week we will be tackling that tough topic of disability disclosure, and the job interview. If you have questions you can email us at: Jeff: JobInsights@BlindAbilities.com. Serina: Or follow us on twitter: Jeff: at Job Insights VIP. Thank you CheeChau for your beautiful music, that's @LCheeChau on Twitter. [Music] We really hope you enjoyed this podcast, thanks for listening, and until next time bye-bye. [Music] [Multiple voices] When we share what we see through each other's eyes, we can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations and realities of blind abilities. Jeff: For more podcasts with the blindness perspective check us out on the web at www.blindabilities.com, on Twitter at Blind Abilities, download our app from the app store, Blind Abilities, that is two words, or send us an email at info@blindabilities.com. Thanks for listening!
Job Insights Extra Meet Ivan Delgado: Being Your Own Boss Is Hard Work and Worth It All (Transcript Provided) Welcome to Job Insights Extra, part of the Job Insights Podcast with Serina Gilbert and Jeff Thompson, a podcast focused on the world of employment, career pathways and gainful and meaningful employment. The Job Insights Extra podcasts are success stories, interviews and demos that enhance the experience of reaching that career you want. On this Job Insights Extra we talk to Ivan Delgado, a Business Enterprise Program Operator from Las Vegas. How he got his start into the BEP and what being a business owner has done for him. We hope you enjoy and if you have any questions for Ivan, you can send him an email. If you are interested in becoming your own boss and want to run your own business, contact your state services, your Devision of Vocational Rehabilitation and see what opportunities they have for you. Full Transcript Below Thank you for listening. You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Transcript [Music] Jeff: Welcome to a job insights extra where we will be talking to business enterprise program operator Ivan Delgado. [Music] He's from Las Vegas and that's where the Blind Abilities team went to get this interview at the Randolph Sheppard Vendors of America Sagebrush convention. What is the business enterprise program? It is a operation part of the Randolph Sheppard act that allows you to own an operate your own business. Check out your State Services, your DVR, and find out more about the business enterprise program. [Music] Job Insights is a podcast that is helping you find careers and gainful employment through innovations and opportunities and you can find the Job Insights podcast on Blindabilities.com, part of the Blind Abilities network, and as part of the Job Insights podcast, we will be bringing you the job insights extra, consisting of interviews, demonstrations, and news surrounding employment, careers, and jobs, with hosts, Serina Gilbert, and myself Jeff Thompson, and you can contact us by email at jobinsights@blindabilities.com. Leave us some feedback, or suggest some topics that we cover. You can also follow us on Twitter at JobInsightsVIP. Right now, please welcome Ivan Delgado. Welcome to Blind Abilities, I'm Jeff Thompson, and I am at the Sagebrush convention in Las Vegas and I ran into a fairly new vendor here amongst the senior vendors. I'm talking to Ivan Delgado. How are you dong? Ivan: Alright man, how about yourself? Jeff: Good, good, just enjoying the convention and all of the busy lights and stuff, and noises I should say out there. Ivan: Nice city huh? Jeff: Yeah, and you're from Vegas? Ivan: Yeah man, welcome to Las Vegas, if anybody is listening, come and enjoy Vegas, we love your guy's money. [laughter] Jeff: I noticed that! [laughter] So what got you interested the business enterprise program? Ivan: So about 3 or 4 years ago man, finishing up, not finishing, taking a break from college for certain reasons, whether it was lack of assistive technology or books not being ready for me, I decided to take a break and my lady actually told me about this program. She had a few friends that have done it in California and other states, and she told me, you like to boss me around so you might as well boss people around and try to make money. Yep, a couple years later man, I have been fortunate enough to finally get my own site and I started, originally I started the program. I got my BEP license about 2 years ago. My first site opened February 1st of last year, we just had our one year anniversary, before that we had vending machines at the location I am in. We just, it took a while for the location, the actual location to open up. Jeff: Is there training involved when you first join? Ivan: Yeah, when I first joined, now it's a lot different man, but when I first joined it was pretty intense, what I think is intense man. It was, I want to say 9 months man, and don't quote me on that. Classes started in March and the first three months were strictly just books and learning bi-laws, and how to do PNL's, and marketing, it was pretty awesome man, for someone like me that, you know never had a business, don't have an idea, i was just used to working 9 to 5s. It was very helpful. We did a couple of course through Hadley, Hadley School for the Blind online. We did that and then we did a couple of ServSafe tests here, customer service exams that we had to get. I am fortunate and I could brag about it man, because again, I am blessed man, and I think I am one of the only vendors here in Nevada that does his own profit and loss statement. You have vendors that are paying 200 to 300 dollars to, for people to input simple numbers and again, thanks to those classes, thanks to those three months of actually putting in work man, and understanding PNL's, and little Bi-laws, and stuff like that is definitely helpful man. Jeff: You are your own accountant. Ivan: Yes sir, thank God man! Jeff: You gotta keep the profits up right? Ivan: Right right, that is one way of doing it man, saving money man, all you gotta know is how to work. We know how to work man, it doesn't matter if you are disabled or not man, it's ambition, as humans we hunger for that ambition man. We have it, it is just a matter of if we want it or not man, and a lot of the times we don't want it man, and that sucks, but we are our own worst enemies and our own best friends man, and only we can get what we want man. Jeff: So what suggestions would you have for someone who is interested in getting into the business enterprise program? Ivan: A lot of patience. A lot of patience, hard work. Here in Nevada the process is a little longer due to the lack of operators we have, you know we kind of have to prove ourselves and that is fair I think. But a lot of patience and , just because you're disabled doesn't mean that stuff is going to be handed to us, especially here in the business world man, we have just as much of a responsibility as anybody else. Just keep your head up and be strong. That's it, just stay positive and stuff could be worse and if we are here and you are listening to this podcast, obviously we have gotten this far and the sky is the limit after here. Jeff: So what does Sagebrush bring to you? Ivan: A lot of a lot of information. A lot of people like Mr. Jeff, sorry if, I am bad at names, I think that's your name [laughter] Jeff, but yeah, this man, that working, as a blind community we have to become close man and I'm, the best example man, I don't go out a lot and I don't network but it hasn't changed man, I don't believe in NFB's, and NCB's, and ACB's, I wish there was only one. I don't see for this separation between organizations when really we're all just one, and that's blind. We're all blind so I would love for us to stick together and become one. I think if we become one a lot of people would be aware of both our disabilities, of our business and the Randolph Sheppard Act, again if we advocate be strong, stay positive and network, go out to these kinds of meetings, kind of conferences, I think this could very well be accomplished. There is a lot of older gentleman and ladies that are in the program and it's time for younger generations to step up and I think this is the time. Jeff: There is a lot of wealth of information, they have been in it, they have seen it change, and that is the bigger thing that things have changed and now here you are paving your way, you know, you're two years in, pretty soon you'll probably be leading the show here. Ivan: Absolutely, and those are the plans man, and absolutely, we always have to be grateful to the people that have, that started this man you know, and we've gotten a long ways man, I mean from selling newspapers at Post Offices to you know, having places at Hoover Dam's or at airports, you know that's a huge accomplishment, and that couldn't have been done without the people that you know, are moving on or retiring now. And that is a huge gratitude to you guys, we thank you. Jeff: Well, Ivan Delgado thank you very much for taking your time away from the karaoke. You gonna sing out there? Ivan: No we already did man, I need two more shots, I think these last two shots were on you. [laughter] Jeff: Do you have an email? Ivan: Yeah man, that's ivan.delvilla@gmail.com. Jeff: Alright, well thank you very much for taking the time and just speaking on Blind Abilities. Ivan: Yes sir, have a good day! [Music] Jeff: So if you are interested in the business enterprise program, becoming your own business owner, entrepreneur, check it out with your division of vocational rehab, your State Services for the Blind and see what they can do for you. If you want to find out first hand from Ivan what it is like to be 2 years in, in the business enterprise program, shoot him an email, check it out. Links are in the show notes. So we hope you enjoyed this Job Insights extra, thanks for listening, and until next time, bye bye. [Music] [Multiple voices] When we share what we see through each other's eyes, we can then begin to bridge the Gap between the limited expectations and the realities of Blind Abilities. For more podcast with the blindness perspective, check us out on the web at www.blindabilities.com, on Twitter at BlindAbilities, download our app from the app store, Blind Abilities, that's two words, or send us an email at info@blindabilities.com, thanks for listening.
Job Insights: Helping Find Careers and Gainful Employment Through Innovations and Opportunities (Transcript Provided) Welcome to the Job Insights introductory podcast with Serina Gilbert and Jef Thompson. We focus on Employment, Careers, enhancing opportunities and bringing you the latest innovations from across the Vocational Rehabilitation field to ensure your choices lead you down the career pathway that you want and succeed in gainful employment. From getting started with services, to assessments, Individual Plan for Employment (IPE) to gaining the skills to succeed and tools for success, Job Insights will be giving you tips and tricks to help your journey to employment and break down the barriers along the way. In this introductory episode we will learn about Serina Gilbert and her job as a Transition Counselor and get her perspective as a person with vision loss and navigåating Voc. rehab. With her experience living with vision loss and working to get clients onto a career pathway, Serina knows what works and wants to share to help you find the career that you want and help you succeed in landing that job. Jeff Thompson teaches woodworking to Blind students, is a board member on Minnesota’s State Rehab Council and has been an advocate for the blind for over 20 years. Check out this introductory podcasts and send us your feedback and topic suggestions by email. Follow the Job Insights team on twitter @JobInsightsVIP Job Insights is part of the Blind Abilities network. Thank you for listening. You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Transcript
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