Question
Hello,
    I was looking on allexperts for people who are dealing with retinal detachments, but stumbled upon your profile and am very glad I did.
    I am legally blind, 20/200 in both eyes, which cannot be corrected. I am recently out of work because I had a cataract surgery that lead to four retina detachment surgeries. I have scar tissue on my retina, from birth, and have always had very delicate improperly formed retinas. I am also about to have surgery on my other eye for a cataract, with hopes that this retina will stay put.
    I am writing because I have the worst trouble with employment. I have been fired, twice, for having bad vision. I did not fight this, but should have. I want, more than anything, to work--to have an income and feel as though I am contributing to society. I cannot see well enough to read print smaller than a bold 16 font. I have trouble with the computer...I need to have my nose almost to the screen with enlarged font. I also have a great deal of trouble reading people's handwriting. As you can imagine, this makes it very difficult to do many of the jobs available to me.
    I have an associates degree in communication arts, but my passion is in music (I try and sing professionally when I can but this is not a reliable source of income). I am more than capable of doing the work of a sighted person, but this is hard to convey to employers when they see my nose stuck to the computer screen...or when they witness my reading a receipt with a magnifier. I usually do not warn my employers ahead of time, because they simply do not hire me. But then, after I am hired, they become angry that I was not honest. I do not like playing these sorts of games.
    I am very good on the phone, and have excellent people skills, though telemarketing is not my forte and therefore out of the question. What advice do you have for me? What might be some good ways to inform an employer of my disability without scaring them? What are my legal rights? What are some good jobs for people with vision impairments, that will challenge me intellectually? Any and all advice you have for me would be much appreciated. I simply want to be treated as any other human being, who has a desire to earn an honest living.

Thank you,
Jeannine

PS: My mother is a low vision therapist, and both of my parents are nearly blind (though they have RP and their blindness is unrelated to mine). So, I am aware of many of the low vision devices out there. When using them, in an office setting (I usually do office type work) I find it freaks out the employers, and they fear it will slow down my progress. I do not mind the devices, but when they can get you fired you tend to leave them at home.


Answer
Boy do I ever understand what you are going through!  It all sounds so familiar.

I have a treat for you.. www.eSight Careers.net - everything you bring uip is dealt with there in articles I and others wrote.. it is free.  There are articles about how to talk to an employter about your bision, what your rights are, and other quite sensible bits of advice and examples of how others have done it.

Also you need to talk to your state's (if in the US) services for the blind or vocational rehabilitation.  I have mixed feelings about them, as I think people tend to expect them to get them jobs etc. bvut I don't think you are one of those.  The thing they can do is introduce you to screen reading and magnification software.  I have considerably worse vision than you.. I can't read 48 pt print.. not doing the old blinder than thou here, just saying that with my software, Zoomtext, I am completely able to read anything on the monitor.. and often have the software read things, like your message, to me.  Employers are required by law in the US to supply you with tools that make it possible for you to do equal work with some exceptions.  No unless they had a really good reason they could not fire you.. they had to try to accommmodate you first.

There is a site, I think it is www.magnifiers.org, that has links to downlooads for trials of all the available screen reader and magnifier software.. if you can buy it in the full version with a credit card, go for it.  If not and you can get Voc Rehab to spring for it, go for that.

If you need a buddy during all this, feel free to write ot me directly at [email protected] .  My site is www.nanhawthorne.com .  I am a prolific writer with 20/1200 in my better eye after correction, so it can be done.

Nan Hawthorne