Blind Worker Motivation

[Jason White]

Steve Holmes  <speakup at linux-speakup.org> wrote:
>On 4/10/13, John G. Heim <jheim at math.wisc.edu> wrote:
>> Here's the deal... Blind people never get to skate by. Blind people
>> never have things just handed to them. Blind people can't just show up
>> for work every day, put in their 8 hours, go home, and expect to keep
>> doing that for 20 or 30 years. You have to fight for every new
>> assignment, every promotion, every raise you get.
>>
>> You might be thinking, "Well, everyone has to do that." Yeah, sort of.
>> But the difference in degree is so great that it's astonishing. Keep
>> your eyes open and you will see. The vast majority of people skate by.
>> They just pretty much show up for work every day. The economy takes a
>> downturn and they get layed off. But eventually, they find another job.
>> A blind person has to fight for everything he gets. I am well aware that
>> a lot of blind people just need a good kick in the butt. But if that was
>> all it took to be unemployed, the whole world's unemployment rate would
>> be around 80%.

I'm sure this is true, which is an extra reason why (given the lamentable
reality of discriminatory attitudes), people who are disadvantaged further by
their lack of proper education are really faced with obstacles.

I don't expect my next job to come quickly, but I wouldn't attribute that to
blindness at all; it's more a matter of the time that it takes to work through
the academic job market, which is challenging for everyone at the moment,
including friends who have recently graduated or recently undertaken
postdoctoral work prior to seeking ongoing positions.

Unfortunately there are also people with disabilities employed in positions
that are far less engaging, interesting, challenging or financially rewarding
than what their educational backgrounds and experience qualify them to do.
This is another career trap that one can get into, particularly if there isn't
a promotional path from the role in question to something better.