Visionaries: Episode 16, Resolutions by Susan Gray

Entering into a new year brings with it the resolve to improve parts of our lives that need our attention.  These commonly are improvements to our physical or mental health, starting or finishing projects, or filling a gap in our lives.

Making a resolution requires the belief that the change you wish to make in your life is possible.  For peers with vision loss, resolving to make a change comes with layers of difficulty that someone sighted does not have to contend with. Whether it is losing weight, joining a social club or finding a job, the barriers for someone with vision loss can make completing these tasks difficult. 

Having the confidence to make a change in your life is a key part of accomplishing a goal.  Belief in yourself and your abilities comes when you put into practice the training of mobility, self-advocacy and independent living skills.  Confidence comes from hearing what other peers can do, and the assistance the mentors in your life give, supporting your efforts. 

The stigma of sensory loss causes people to make assumptions about our abilities, and this can be a trap that we fall into, preventing us from participating in things we are capable of doing.  The high unemployment rate for peers with vision loss tells a real tale of how we are viewed as perspective employees. One viewpoint is that it’s just easier to not work and receive social security, than it is to find a job.  While this is true in some respects, given transportation issues and employers reluctance to hire someone blind, many peers want to work and have a skill set worthy of earning a   wage. 

At Aurora of CNY, we are wrapping up pre-vocational trainings for youth and adults, and moving many of them into a new job placement program.  These are peers with educations, work experience, and heart and motivation to find a job.  Working with these individuals has been inspirational, and highlights the drive and determination it takes to prepare for a career.  Our goal is to stand with them, assisting and encouraging them as they seek jobs they are suited for. We intend to place these peers in jobs in their communities and substantiate this under-utilized workforce.  As we lay the groundwork for the future, it will   make it easier for unemployed peers to find work. 

While many resolutions take willpower and self-discipline, some take a community to accomplish.  A peer can have the education, experience and work ethic, but if a business won’t consider hiring a person with vision loss, the peer has no opportunity.  

  It takes an open mind to believe as an employer hiring someone blind will benefit your business.  Statistically, over fifty percent of accommodations needed to assist an employee cost the employer nothing.  Coupled with the preparation a peer has already done, someone blind makes a good potential employee. 

Peers that have vision loss tend to work harder than non-disabled people, because they have had to adapt and adjust to accommodations when completing most tasks set before them.  There is also an inherent need to prove one’s ability, despite, or because of, our vision loss.

In this New Year, we resolve to believe in the abilities of our peers, and in welcoming communities that meet peers with open minds and open doors as they seek employment.