Swimming in the Mainstream

The time to ingnore advice? is when the voices you hear in your head and in your heart become louder then what those on the outside are telling you!

The answer lies within, not without!

I worked in the same job for 15 years. More and more work and responsibility was placed on me. No additional compensation came my way as my job grew.I tried to find a new job,but had no luck finding one that I would enjoy and paid a living wage.Quit,they said. How can you quit and loose what you have? Good jobs are not easy to find for the visually impaired.I say have your ducks in a row before you even think of quitting.

Funny, every time I “play it safe�, I find the safe way was much more trouble than I expected. Avoiding risk has kept me in relationships and on jobs far longer than was personally healthy. On the other hand, taking a risk often has unforeseen consequences. My husband left a really good job in California to buy into a company in northern Washington. This was going to be the move that allowed us to get out of the “rat race� and into a move towards retirement. Well, you guessed it – the business didn’t work out, and he is now back into the rat race.

I quit a dream job to move. I find my sight restrictions, combined with my business specialty, makes me pretty much unemployable here. After months of looking, I decided it is time to own my own business. More risk! Thus far, I have a business idea, but it will take months or maybe years to develop the business I have in mind.

My point? I arrived on this planet with no material things, and will leave the same way. So… I have decided that the collection of stuff isn’t anywhere near as important as my growth as a human being. I have discovered that risk aversion is another term for fear of the unknown, and frankly, no one really knows what is around the corner, anyway.

Had we stayed in California, I would have been comfortable and unchallenged. I would never have learned how to move through certain adversities, nor how to reinvent myself. I don’t know what the end of the story is, but do know this – I am looking forward to finding out and growing along the way.

I'm going to look at this from a somewhat similar perspective. My first life skills tutor came to Center for Independent Futures with no experience whatsoever working with disabled people. I think she had known at least one autistic person, but she had never worked in a disability setting before. She had previously worked in administration at a local seminary which is, oddly enough, practically just up the street from my apartment building. Yet she proved to be an excellent tutor for me. She has since left Center for Independent Futures due to family reasons, but I have been working with other very good tutors. My former tutor was honestly not the most reliable person around, and it was clear that she felt I needed somebody more reliable. That's one thing about this agency which I find to be very refreshing. Each time a potential new staff member is interviewed, be it for a tutoring position or otherwise, we the residents are included in the interviewing process. Not only do we get to be a part of that, but we are asked our opinions about each potential staff member. They're not just hired without any input from the residents with whom they might be working. It would be great if more entities used this approach during the hiring and firing process.
Jake

If you have tried all the appropriate channels to make a change in your situation and they have not been resolved successfully. If you are unable to enjoy the other parts of your life because of excessive negative emotions over the work situation; then it is time to leave that job. However don’t let leaving jobs become a habit. I think we need to remember that non-handicapped people have many many jobs during their teenage and adult years. Since it is harder to obtain a job if a person is handicapped, the attitude sometimes is very subtly conveyed that we must stay at one job and grabble with gratitude because someone gave us a chance. That is wrong. We should be hired because we can do the work. If it is not workable, then changes must be made. I know of cases where handicapped employees have been taken advantage of because the employers thought they would-could not quit. Always seek to better yourself, your whole self.
Only you can answer whether the job is really impossible to complete r if it is a case of being pushed to go beyond ay comfort zone. Yes there are times when staying on a job is worse than leaving and only time will tell about that.

I think Debee said when in your heart and soul and mind taking the risk is far more important than staying safe.

You also have to have the self worth and self confidence to know that you are worth more and capable of doing more and not be afraid of where the money will come from in your mortgage for example . My Bless the Mess article articulates that with my boss from hell, I played it safe and almost killed myself in the process with high blood pressure. I don't recommend staying in a job that is making you ill, in other ways from your disability. That's your body telling you Enough!

All life is a risk to those of us with disabilities, be they physical, emotional, cognitive. We take risks from the time we acquire our disabilities or are born with them and we get so used to it , we don't even realize it.

Someone in a leadership seminar said to me Liz you need to take more risks in your life and I looked at him, a white male thirty something and said to him SWEETHEART my WHOLE LIFE has been a RISK, I got here early and nobody was opening any doors for me . I wasn't expected to live let alone survive and go to school. I didn't have the "old disabled people's network" to help me up the ladder I crawled every inch on my with own usually with only the help and advocacy of my parents, so don't talk to me about risk. There'd be a brown spot in your underwear, if you had to live my life.

The place exploded with applause.

Never assume. Never let anyone else make assumptions about you. You've been risking things all your life, you just may not have recognized it . Like the Olympic creed , you go for the gold(whatever that is to you) and beyond.

I think it's time when you are prepared and have landed another opportunity. It's always easier to find another job when you are already employed. I was in my job 10 months before I was accommidated in any fashion, and even that is lacking. You have to push for what you want and don't take any junk from the folks placed in positions to help you.

For instance, an office assistant is supposed to read to me for one hour on Tuesday. She is often busy. This week she said she didnt' know if she could. I asked why. She said she didnt' come to work on Friday. This was Tuesday. I asked her what that had to do with anything.

We agreed that she could read to me on Wednesday. When she asked if that was okay. I told her that it was but that it had to be done--no avoiding me.

She read and we got my summary out.

The boss is happy to see my summary done and I am glad because I didnt' have to cause trouble with the boss to get what I needed.

Sometimes you have to learn how to be non-confrontational, and, at the same time, you can't take no for an answer.

I use two different women in my office and try to schedule things that one or the other will be able to accomplish. Each has strengths.

So, balance and persist at whatever you are doing. If the job is too much trouble, find another one before you leap into the unemployment percentages.

If an office assistant isn't working--you need to get another. Or, file a complaint with your state human rights commission.

People may expect you to jump through flaming hoops, but you can put the heat on if you need to when it comes right down to it.

I wouldn't give up the security of my job unless it was intolerable and before I gave up, I'd fight.

I have been totally blind since age, 20. I have held several jobs through the years, and have been refused far, to many, to count.

Obviously, since I have held several jobs, it stands, to reason that, I left several jobs.

Most jobs that I left, I was adept enough, to have secured another job, of equal, or better prior, to resigning. Proper notice and resignation is very important.

My, being so outspoken, has caused me difficulty's, but one must, be smart enough, to survive.

No matter how well you have prepared, for an occupation, overcoming the disability barrier is a major event. Once the job has been secured, be observant, plan, strategize, know if you are fitting in, and either plan, to advance in that environment, or, begin laying the groundwork, for the next job.

Every job should, be the platform, for a higher level.

I have made a career of changing jobs when the costs of a given job significantly exceeded the benefits. By and large, I am happy with all of these decisions, but it is worth remembering that it is harder for us blind people to find work than those who are blind-impaired. I also agree that one should make every reasonable effort to advocate for your needs, but being set up to fail is a lose-lose situation.

Any change can often create anxiety in response to the fear of loss and the more there appears to loose the greater that fear component appears to be.
A poor organisational culture can impact on your health and self image including weight gain, weight loss, insomnia, headaches, ongoing self-doubt, inability to go to work. It goes beyond personal health to damage relationships with family, friends and the capacity to function on a daily basis outside the workplace. People who have worked in toxic work cultures know this.Toxic work environments include unaceptable attitude and ethics, unreasonable work practices including inadeqaute policy and training, draconian management style, poor resourcing and heavy work loads maintained over long periods.
The responsibility for achieving an organisational culture that supports and values the employee is the responsibility of the employer and employee. In a toxic workplace it is often difficult for an employee to approach their employee or supervisor even though they believe their request/s are reasonable.
Finding a mentor or coach in the immediate workplace or with related workplace experience can help address untenable work situations. A mentor will listen to the employee's situation and can help the employee set appropriate and realistic goals. They are likely to be able to provide advice to nagivate the different political agendas operating in the organisation including the "unspoken ground rules". They may also help achieve strategic alliances to address poor management styles, strategies to achieve effective communication with the employer or gain appropriate resources for a position.
Alternatively record all communications with management such as emails to clarify work tasks and resourcing issues. Incorporate relevant extracts of this comunication into statement that clearly and succinctly describes what has occurred, including actions and attitudes, how this has impacted negatively on the employee's ability to complete the inherent requirements of the job. You may want to approach a community/free legal adviser first to ensure your documentation represents what has occurred, how it has impacted on your ability to do the job and what you want. Then forward it to the Director of the Human Resources/Personnel section and requesting an appointment to meet with them to resolve.
Countering inappropriate work place practices is not easy. If you are prepared to risk putting out a call for help then you may find you don't have to do it alone - this has been my personal experience.