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December 17, 2008
When is comedy not funny?
Let me begin by saying I've been a fan of Saturday Night Live since it's debut in 1975. I enjoy the satire and the parodies and some years are more funny than others. So I'm in a quandary with the skit parodying the Governor of NY, David Paterson.
I'm all for people with disabilities being included in society and poking fun at themselves. There's nobody like me who can laugh at some of the more dumb things I've done over the years, some which pertain to my disability, most however did not. Just human foibles.
However, in satirizing Governor Paterson, rather than being inclusive SNL, seemed to be showing their ignorance and immaturity about people with low vision or who are totally blind. Kind of like the commercials the Canadian National Institute has run over the past few years, with the young person waving his hands in front of the blind man's face thinking he couldn't see. Then the blind man imitating him behind his back demonstrating that he knew exactly what was happening.
SNL, in their little sketch perpetuated the myth that people who are blind or who have low vision are incompetent to do work, any kind of work including be governor of a state like NY. If they had satirized Governor Paterson's race, he's black, all hell would be breaking loose in the media, but because he is a person with a disability, people like the View's Joy Behar are wondering what all the fuss is about.
It may have been an immature act of ignorance on Seth Myers and the SNL writing team's part. Perhaps they are not acquainted with any visually impaired people or people who are blind. Being legally blind like Governor Paterson and myself, we have some sight. Granted it's not much, but we do the best we can with what little sight we have.
Legally blind people have university degrees and are competent in many areas. Some of us have taught, been journalists, lawyers, scientists, politicians. Not all legally blind people are totally blind. In fact it's only a very small percentage of blind people who are totally blind, approximately 2-3 percent of the "blind" population. The vast majority have some sight and would be classed as low vision. But we all should be treated with the equal dignity Mr. Myers and his writing staff and comedians would be expected to be treated with.
We legally blind people have incredible adaptive technology available to us, there are screen readers like Jaws and Zoom Text. There's even braille keyboards. Oh and by the way not all blind people read braille. I actually wasn't allowed to learn braille because I had too much vision, even when I went to the faculty of education and asked the administration of William H. Macdonald school to learn braille I was refused entry. I had too much sight why did I want to learn braille.
So not only are people with low vision stigmatized by the general populace, who don't understand blindness and apparently dignity but even within the "blind" community there are schisms and factions. I've been told I try to "pass" as a normal person because I don't know braille, well I am a normal person. I just happen to have had low vision from birth and parents who encouraged and empowered me to be everything I could be to the best of my abilities and that included going to public school like everyone else and high school and university.
So that's why I'm upset about SNL's sketch this past weekend. I think I'm unhappy that SNL took the easy way out and treated Governor Paterson with less dignity, not so much, because he's done silly things or is a klutz but because he's visually impaired and they think it's ok to make fun of people with disabilities. That we are a perpetual joke. Or something to be pitted as was evident in the movie Blindness.
Here is some of what is in the papers and what the discussion on the Huffington Post has to say:
SNL blasted for mocking NY Gov's blindness
Advocates Call for 'SNL' Apology Over Paterson Skit
Governor Paterson SNL Skit Criticized By Governor, Advocates Of The Blind
Dr. Cortes, President and CEO Lighthouse International said,
"Governor Paterson, like all elected officials, should be judged by his actions. To use his disability as the focal point of comedy is in very poor taste. We applaud the courage it takes every day for people who are blind and visually impaired to live productively and effectively. Saturday Night Live has taken a cheap shot at that courage.
When Governor Paterson assumed office, Lighthouse International, along with many advocates for people who are visually impaired, shared a sense of pride that progress had been made in dispelling stereotypes. SNL has set that progress back. They should issue an on-air apology."
Let me end with some comments by Governor Paterson himself.
The Governor said, "There is only one way that people could have an unemployment rate that's six times the national average — it's attitude." "And I'm afraid that the kind of third-grade depiction of individuals and the way they look and the way they move add to that negative environment."
"I run the place that I work in so I don't have to worry about being discriminated against, I think," he said. "But the point is that a lot of people who don't get promotions and don't get opportunities and don't even get work are disabled in our society."
Posted by Liz Seger at 02:38 PM | Comments (5)
December 10, 2008
Going Beyond Career Boundaries
There is nothing wrong with occupations that have been stereotyped as "jobs that blind people can do." Many people in those careers are happy, satisfied and fulfilled. But the presumption that you are limited to being a medical transcriptionist, a piano tuner, a social worker, a packager, a computer programmer, or a lawyer due to your visual impairment is false. Please check what Mary Ellen Reining, assistant director of Job Opportunities for the Blind (JOB), said during a parents seminar some years ago, during the convention of the National Federation of the Blind at Phoenix, Arizona: "If you are a blind adult, you have already let attitudes about blindness limit your expectations. If you are the parent of a blind child, you will let those same attitudes put artificial barriers in your child's path.
"Instead of feeling guilty and defensive about what you should have known or should have done, take heart from the knowledge that there is a lot of occupational territory out there for blind people to explore. You and I, all of us in the National Federation of the Blind, are mapping that new ground together.
"Although the list of occupations represented at this convention is impressive, the list of occupations no blind person has yet done is much longer. If we do our work well, that balance will shift in a positive direction for the next generation."
I also recommend Craig Alston's personal story about how he eventually became a judge, even though he was diagnosed as having retinitis pigmentosa at the age of 13. You can read Craig's story at the American Foundation for the Blind's CareerConnect section.
During the last 20 years, I think we've seen a subtle shift in the perception about how people with visual impairments should choose an occupation for themselves. People are finding jobs that suit their interests and abilities, even though those jobs may not fit anybody's notion of what a blind person can, or ought, to do. In the following article, Mary Ann Van Alstyne, State Coordinator, Employment Partnerships NYS Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped, begins to list the different kinds of jobs people with visual impairments are doing today. Some fit nicely into the old stereotypes; others do not.
So, the question is not: What kind of jobs can a person who is legally blind do?
The question people with visual impairments are asking themselves today is: What career can I choose that will provide me with meaningful work and suit my interests and abilities?
With that thought in mind, please help Mary expand her list of occupations that people with visual impairments are actively pursuing in today's job market. Go to the eSight Networking Forum and reply to this discussion question:
What career are you or an acquaintance currently pursuing that reaches beyond the normal occupational list for people with visual impairments?
Jim Hasse,
Senior Content Developer
eSight Careers Network.
Posted by Jim Hasse at 09:23 AM | Comments (2)
December 03, 2008
Be Sure to Ask for the Job
This week, Jeremiah Taylor, eSight member, shares his advice about how to approach job interviews.
Jeremiah writes, "As a job applicant, you may be losing sight of your agenda when you go to your next job interview.
"In fact, I believe many job candidates have the "wrong agenda" when they interview."As a job candidate, your agenda must be to "get the job offer." Once you receive the offer, then (and only then) do you decide if you want accept the position that is offered.
"Many applicants ask questions to determine if they will "like" the job or if there any parts of the position they may not be capable of performing. These maybe very important questions, but, in asking such questions, you may seem "not sure" or not enthusiastic about the position.
"Here's an example: overtime. The employer may stress that there is a lot of overtime. But, you don't want a position with overtime. If you focus on that overtime statement, the interviewer may take your concern about overtime as a negative attribute and feel you may not be a team player!
"Just because the interviewer states there is overtime involved with the job doesn't mean the overtime situation is as much as presented. The interviewer may be making the statement to see how our react to that bit of information.
"Once you are offered the job, then you can tactfully inquire about the reality of the overtime. And, you can always decline the job offer!
"Each interview is an opportunity to "perform," to demonstrate how great you are and to show how much energy you will bring to the position. As a applicant, you need to answer each question with the intention of hopefully saying what the interviewer wants to hear.
"Remember: the "right person" may not get the job -- only the person who "seems like the right person." The employer won't know if he or she has hired the right person until after that person is hired. So, in every job interview, you need to be the "right" person for that job.
"Once you have made an impression on the interviewer to the point where he or she likes you, wants to hire you and offers you a position, then you can decide if you want the job.
"Receiving a job offer means the employer wants you! Now, your future employer will evaluate your questions in a different light. You have already made a good impression. Your questions now appear as "working out some issues" and not as "negative thinking."
"Looking for work is draining. So, next time you have an interview, be determine to at least "get the offer." Every time you go to an interview, pick out your "Sunday best," work out travel plans, spend money on traveling, take time out of your day for the interview, and spend the necessary time filling out paperwork.
"After going through the effort and stress of the entire interviewing process, don't leave without asking for the job! Many applicants never end the interview by "asking for the job."
"Here's how to do that. When the interview is coming to a close, be prepared to say "What is the next step?" or "I want this opportunity." or "What do I have to do to get this position?" This will impress the interviewer because most applicants never ask for the job.
"You may decide to refuse the job offer, but your agenda when leaving your home is to get a "job offer." It doesn't mean you actually want the job.
"So, don't waste valuable interviewing time with trying to determine if you want a position you haven't been offered. First, you have to get the offer."
Well said, Jeremiah!
It takes practice to do well during a job interview, and keeping your focus the job offer is a pivotal factor in how productive your interviews turn out to be.
For more information about job interviewing and understanding the employers' needs, read:
Top 10 Tips for Successful Interviews
How to Paint 'Word Pictures' for Your Job Interviewer
Top 10 Tips for Doing Well During a Panel Job Interview
Then, share your thoughts by replying to this question:
What tip do you have for eSight members about how to make the most of job interviews?
Posted by Jim Hasse at 12:59 PM | Comments (4)