I think that I may share a common problem with other people who use wheelchairs and that is commuting. I drive a used car, but I'm not sure how long it will last, and a lot of time running around can really tire me. I'm also very concerned about barriers and inaccessible buildings and workspaces. I'd love to be able to telecommute. I have a computer, an Internet connection, and a phone. It would be great if I could work from home. How realistic is it to look for employment telecommuting? Jagella
In the U.S., public transportation is required to provide accessible entrances to people who utilize wheelchairs. It is against the law for them not to. I would recommend that you reseach the American's with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act to learn more about your rights as a person with a disability. Knowledge is power.
If you want to work from home, that is great, but don't let environmental barriers be your only deciding factor.
On another note, I don't believe telecommuting is an unrealistic job goal. Do you have a Career Link in your area? They are a excellent resourse for job seekers. Google Career Link and see what you find.
I wish I could agree with you about the ADA, but I've found the ADA to be less than fulfilling. I've tried using the ADA to get better access here in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, but to no avail. The “Justice” Department answers my ADA complaint letters by telling me they won't do anything! And they won't even bother to explain why not. I've come to realize that I really don't have rights. Yes, there is a Career Link here in Williamsport. I just hope I can get into their building! (Many public businesses here in Williamsport are inaccessible to a person who cannot walk up steps, the ADA notwithstanding.) I might try them.Jagella
I'm sorry to hear about your experiences as someone who utilizes a wheel chair. I know in regard to the ADA, we still have a long way to go, but I am confident that with time things will continue to improve. I would suggest that you keep complaining about inaccessible buildings in your area, as that is the only way change can occur.
The Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) may also be a good resource for you, if you have not already contacted them. They assist persons with disabilities with finding employment. Each state in the US has several offices.
Take Care
Thanks for the reply.I wish I could share your optimism about the ADA freeing people from barriers, but I will believe it when I see it. I think that's reasonable; if a promise is true, then it makes a real difference. I'd encourage you to read Make Them Go Away: Clint Eastwood, Christopher Reeve, & The Case Against Disability Rights. Mary Johnson explains what happened to the ADA and why it's not being enforced. One ray of hope is Barack Obama's pledge to enforce the ADA. I see this promise as a tacit admission that the ADA hasn't been enforced or at least not the way it's supposed to be enforced. Let's keep our fingers crossed that Obama, unlike many politicians before him, makes good on his promise.Whether the ADA is enforced or not, I'm moving ahead with my effort to succeed in a career as a graphic designer. I'm going to try to find ways around barriers to access. Computers and the Internet are but one way to do this. The new technologies seem to be much less restrictive than the older ways of doing things.Finally, while I agree that OVR can be helpful, a caveat is in order: They used to threaten people after they graduate to either do what OVR says or be reported to the Social Security Administration as a person who can work but isn't! I and some other people I know were threatened this way. In my fours years of college I was never told about this stipulation. It was only after I graduated that I discovered this practice of OVR's. I'd recommend that anybody who seeks OVR sponsorship get their obligations to OVR in writing. That way they can't spring anything on an unsuspecting patron. If only OVR would spend that kind of time and energy threatening the employers who disobey the ADA, then maybe we could actually find jobs! Jagella
Wow, I'm sorry about your experience with OVR. That is awful! However, in OVR's defense, they probably reason that since they contributed a certain amount of money toward one's education, that the person should be able to find work. However, threatening OVR customer's is not an effective strategy, nor should it be tolerated.
Have you sent out resumes?
I haven't sent out resumes yet. When would you suggest I start?Jagella
As soon as possible. The more resumes you send out the better!
Dear Jagella,
Employers are offering more and more telecommuting jobs. Sometimes in their job description it may not specifically say that the job can be performed from home, but that shouldn't steer you away from applying because the employer may be able to make a proper accomodation. In fact one of the Obama Administration initiatives is to help people with disabilities, in particular, to find federal jobs is to include telecommuting as a reasonable accommodation for people with targeted disabilities. Your disability is included among the list of targeted disabilities, i.e., The targeted disabilities are: * Deafness * Blindness * Missing extremities * Partial paralysis * Complete paralysis * Convulsive disorders * Mental retardation * Mental illness * Distortion of limb or spine. For more information on a specific web site which the Federal Aviation Administration is creating with the specific goal of helping people with targeted disabilities to secure federal employment, contact Sarabjit Jagirdar, Email: htsyndication@hindustantimes.com. This information comes from a news release that just came across our desk.
We have also heard that when looking for a non-federal job, it may be best to broach the subject of telecommuting during a job interview, rather than mentioning your desire for that situation on the application or resume, but we have no means of verifying whether or not this advice is good advice or not. So, use your best judgement about a potential employerand the kind of job you want to do. Perhaps in your research about a particular company, you can learn whether or not telecommuting is a routine way that their employees do their jobs, and if that appears to be the case, then, of course, you would want to mention your desire to telecommute up front.
Sometimes, supervisors want to get to know an employee and find out how efficiently he or she accomplishes the job tasks before approving the telecommuting option.
Good luck, and let us know how you do and what you find as you look for work with an ultimate goal of telecommuting from home.
Sincerely, BusyBee
Actually, increasingly so, particularly the customer-service sector. The trick is not to get scammed, but there are increasingly more "legits." As a start, look up NTI, jlodge.com, as well as the telecoa.com list of virtual office companies (particularly tjobs.com, which you pay a $15 annual fee to access); the first two are strictly for the disabled, and NTI deals mostly if not strictly with state rehabs and Ticket-to-Work.
The others, being that they don't "cater" to the disabled," deserve a word of caution, especially in work-at-home customer service: no rookies. Some will do a quick virtual screening test, and a couple of "uhs" into it, you can forget about the resume you just submitted. Some demonstrate up front that they expect you to follow a script to "sell up," even if the customer repeats he/she's not interested. Annoying to most of us? Yes - but with their horde of applicants, these companies aren't looking for most of us, only the very best at the game of "B.S." Not to knock them necessarily, but they're looking for champion salespeople to start with.
On second thought, STAY AWAY FROM NTI.
A couple of things I just learned:(1) AAA just let go of all their NTI employees.(2) A woman working for the IRS under NTI was tasked with call-taking for tax publications; in fact, her "script" called for her to hand her calls to someone else. A repeat caller seemed to have trouble finding forms; eventually she worked with the customer to find what he needed, on the web or elsewhere. That, actually, led to her firing after two weeks.
You may also want to look into the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation in your area as they specifically work with disabled individuals to overcome the barriers we face in employment.
I wish you the best of luck, and I hope this little bit if information is helpful to you.
Sam
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