[mac4theblind] Re: Blindness and off topic job related question
- From: Scott Granados <scott@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "mac4theblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <mac4theblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 6 Dec 2012 15:09:23 -0500
John and Lew, very good points. I think you both mirror how I feel. I
definitely am not ashamed of my disability. Not to get all NFB but I feel it's
just a characteristic and just something that's different in the way we all
have differences of all kinds. I feel confident I can do the gig and have the
20 years to back it up.
I'm a little worried about the geographic differences. I'm in Florida now, not
the everything goes take all comers San Francisco Bay area but being a
government contract I'm not as concerned as I might be with a small business.
I think I'll bring it up on delivery of the offer letter and just ask the
hiring manager what if any heads up he thinks the client would need. I've held
some pretty highly visible rolls as well including chief network architect for
one of the largest news publishers so I think I bring a good batch of
references and history with me. Seems to me that it's the type of thing you
bring up in the signing on the dotted line process / final negotiation stage.
I really appreciate your input and John, I appreciate you letting the thread
continue on the list.
Thanks
Scott
On Dec 6, 2012, at 2:55 PM, John Panarese
<john@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:john@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
As the moderator, though the question may not be subject related as it
stands, I think it's a very good question for this environment. I have been in
this position myself, and I have to agree with Lew. There is nothing to be
"ashamed" about. You clearly have a lengthy time of experience in your field
and you, as you said, passed all of the tests and so forth.
I would not make it a point to present your disability or highlight it, yet
I would also not hide it. It is a reality, and if they can't deal with that,
it's better you know ahead of time, especially if relocation is part of the
deal. Let your confidence and experience and qualifications speak for
themselves. The fact you can't see is neither here nor there, and that's the
way I'd treat it if it comes up as an "issue" from anyone.
Take Care
John D. Panarese
Director
Mac for the Blind
Tel, (631) 724-4479
Email, john@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:john@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Website, http://www.macfortheblind.com<http://www.macfortheblind.com/>
APPLE CERTIFIED SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL FOR MAC OSX LION
AUTHORIZED APPLE STORE BUSINESS AFFILIATE
MAC and iOS VOICEOVER TRAINING AND SUPPORT
On Dec 6, 2012, at 2:22 PM, Edward Redfern
<edwardredfern@xxxxxxx<mailto:edwardredfern@xxxxxxx>> wrote:
in a case like this, honesty's the best position. be proud of your skills and
your disability, nothing to be ashamed of. if the company sees you as an asset,
they'll take you on regardless, if not, their loss and they'll kick themselves
for it because taking on a blind professional to them would be a huge "feather
in their cap" so to speak.
I've been in that position here in the UK and the times I've applied for
various jobs and had to disclose my disability, because of that, I was turned
down. here in the UK it's a disability discrimination case but these days, the
big companies laugh at you and couldn't give a rats. that's why I got out of IT
because of all that, so worked for myself.
Your skills and knowledge would far outweigh any issues concerning your
disability. the company or contractor just needs to get to know you, what your
requirements are, etc. give you a walk through of all hardware, software, etc
and then let you adapt to it over a suitable time frame for you. any software
there you'd need to test for adaptive scripting then that's between you and the
contractor etc. if you need adaptive hardware, they should be able to assist
you.
all I can say is, go for it tiger, go get 'em.
good luck.
lew
Edward Redfern
Vintage Mower Restorer.
E-Mail: Edwardredfern@xxxxxxx<mailto:Edwardredfern@xxxxxxx>
Twitter: redfernmowers
Website:
http://redfernvintagemowers.wordpress.com<http://redfernmowers.wordpress.com/>
Breathing life back in to old equipment, one day at a time.
Want to recycle your old lawnmower and make a difference? Get in touch for more
information.
On 6 Dec 2012, at 19:12, Scott Granados
<scott@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:scott@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
I apologize in advance, this is tech / job related but not specifically Apple
so if this doesn't interest you delete and move on.
My usual list for tech professional and blindness questions is gone but it
seems like there are a lot of folks in the work place here so I would like some
input and maybe off list is best so we don't offend the moderators or other
readers by straying from the topic. I posted this question on the blind
sysadmins list but I could use input from a wider audience. If someone knows
of a better list feel free to forward this question and or give me the pointer
to the list to join myself.
In a nutshell the background is this. I have a 20 year + work history as a
network engineer. I am presently employed but shopping around for a new gig
and I've gotten some fantastic feedback so far. One of these possible
positions is working as a Juniper Resident Engineer. This job entails working
on site for over a year with a municipal government customer. I would be the
lead architect and provide the Juniper background in a long term migration from
another vendor's platform to a Juniper switching environment. I have gone
through extensive technical screening and interviewing and am the primary
candidate. The issue is, my interviews have been done exclusively over the
phone and online. There may be a face to face meeting with the end client
which would solve the problem but there might not be. I very well could get an
offer letter and start date with out meeting anyone in person.
Question, should I inform them of my disability ahead of time? On one hand I
think I should because people are shocked and really unstable when a blind
person walks in for an interview let alone shows up day 1 for a highly skilled
job. On the other hand, I figure why should they know / care. I have the
history, I passed the tests and I know I can deliver the goods with out
question. Part of me says why do I need to tell anyone. You wouldn't tell an
employer if you had a disability that wasn't visible / job impacting why should
this be different. I'm very torn and relocation is a part of this so I need to
get it right the first time. Anyone in this position before, especially if
you've been a consultant who could offer me advice would be much appreciated.
What would you all do? If this is to off topic then the moderator can speak up
and I'm more than happy to kill the thread. Any pointers would be most
appreciated.
Thanks
Scott
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