Cox rep pleased he's noticed for expertise, not blindness

From: "BlindNews Mailing List" <BlindNews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <BlindNews@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 9 Oct 2007 23:16:33 -0400
The Arizona Republic, AZ, USA
Sunday, October 07, 2007

Cox rep pleased he's noticed for expertise, not blindness

By Alison Stanton

As a technical-support representative for Cox Communications, Justin Mann 
spends his days on the phone instructing customers how to trouble-shoot 
everything from a fussy cable box to an Internet connection that won't start up.

"I do it all," he said. "I do everything from digital cable to high-definition 
to high-speed Internet and the phone."

While learning the ins and outs of technical equipment is a feat by itself, if 
customers were to notice the black Labrador retriever guide dog lying at 
Justin's feet, they probably would be even more impressed by his abilities to 
solve their technical problems. 

"I am totally blind. I am a dog-using, Braille-reading, cane-carrying person," 
the 29-year-old said. "I've been blind since the day I came out."

Mann has worked for the company for five years. He has used two dogs during 
that time, and now brings 3-year-old Carmine to the office on Deer Valley Road. 

Mann, a Phoenix resident, was the company's first employee with a visual 
impairment, but another has joined the ranks as well, using similar equipment, 
spokeswoman Linda Nofer said. 

"Justin went through the same training (at Cox) that everyone else did," Nofer 
said. "We learned from him. He still tells us when something could be easier 
for someone like him."

Mann admits that at first his co-workers were dubious about his abilities to 
help fix equipment he could not see.

"The general consensus was, 'How is anybody who is totally blind going to do 
this?' I had to prove myself. I had to come in and say, 'We can make this 
work.' "

Mann worked with the Arizona Vocational Rehabilitation program to get the 
necessary equipment to perform his job. He has a software program called Job 
Access With Speech, or JAWS for short, and a Braille display terminal that 
allows him to read what is on his computer.

During training, Mann said he studied with other representatives and learned to 
write applications that would make the database work with his software. The 
equipment allows him to do his job so effectively that most of the time, no one 
realizes he is blind.

And for Mann, that is one of the greatest compliments of all.

"It's great that Cox is a diverse company and that they are in the top 50 of 
the most diverse companies to work for in the United States," he said.

"But what I'm doing here is not miraculous. Any blind person can do this, and 
any company can hire any blind person who is qualified to do the job. The issue 
of accommodation is a non-issue. The key is, you both have to say, 'We're going 
to do it and both make it work.' "

Another great moment for Mann was when he realized that his co-workers no 
longer noticed his visual impairment.

"I'm no longer that blind guy who works here. I'm Justin Mann, a friend, a 
co-worker and someone people can talk to."

Sandra Chaney, manager of technical support, said Mann is an invaluable part of 
the customer-service department.

"He's a part of our environment everywhere he goes.

"He has made himself known and his being blind is not the reason for that," 
Chaney said.

"He is an icon in his department. You can always get a good laugh or 
encouragement from him." 


http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/1007biz-phx-justin1008.html
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Cox rep pleased he's noticed for expertise, not blindness

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