I am having trouble getting hired due to an inablility to drive. I have a BS or Ed in Special Education and 10 years experience as a teacher. I do not want to work as a speical ed teacher. I am qualified to do Intensive Behavior Intervention and to work as a Developmental Specialist but the agencies all require that you have car/ license and can drive. Sales jobs don't want me with no experience. Even some other jobs ask that you have reliable transportation -- and they don't include city bus. Are there resources available to help people with low vision find work? Even just some advice on what jobs to look for would help. Thanks, Penny Boise ID
Hello Penny, how did you get to and from your last job? is there someone you know of that works in the same field that can help you out? Do you know any family or friends that work in that area and can give you a ride to your job? i dont know personaly of resources for people with low vision, but you might try and contact the Foundation for the blind , see if there is a chapter in your state. i sympathize with what your going thru, as my vision is just barely good enough for me to drive
Hello ptaylor59,
We are glad to see you here. It sounds like you have some excellent skills, lots of experience, and references you can cite. It does not seem to us that your ability or inability to drive should affect, one way or another, your ability to get a job as a teacher because we do not see how an ability to drive or access to reliable transportation can be characterized as an essential job skill for a teacher who will likely be spending most days at the same school or job venue.
If you believe you have an ability to work out in advance how you will get to work and that you can arrive at the job on time, then we don't even see a need to mention your inability to drive.
If the buses in your town tend to run on schedule, and if you can catch a bus to and from your job location, then, in fact, you do have reliable transportation, since having access to an automobile is not necessarily having access to reliable transportation, any more than accessing a reliable bus, or walking to work does or does not constitute "reliable transportation."
In addition to looking at the public schools in your area, have you tried the charter schools and/or the private schools? Have you considered registering as a substitute teacher, or attempting to find a part-time job as a teachers' aid or educational assistant? Even a volunteer job can serve as a gateway to a paying job, so you may want to contact the schools in your local area to see if they have a need for volunteer help in the classroom, guidance office, or library.
Also, if there is paratransit in your area, and there should be since you seem to have city buses, you can probably qualify for that service, and we encourage you to apply.
Have you contacted anyone else who has low vision and who lives nearby? Perhaps there are other teachers who have low vision who also live in your community. It is always helpful to talk to other people who may have similar experiences to yours. Try our Mentor Search.
Also, the American Foundation for the Blind's Career Connect links job seekers with mentors. It's a great service that compliments many of our services at Gettinghired.com. As a matter of fact, the AFB is one of our advocacy organization partners. If you register with Career Connect, you may find conversations with other teachers who are visually impaired to be helpful. A link to AFB's Career Connect services is:
http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=7
If you contact the National Association of Blind Teachers,
http://www.blindteachers.net/
and the Council of Citizens with Low Vision, International,
http://www.cclvi.org/
You will meet other people with low vision who have coped with your issues, as well. There's also our Service Provider Search that you can use to find help near you.
Good luck to you, and please keep in touch and let us know how your job search is going.
Sincerely, BusyBee
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