General Information:
What kind jobs can blind people hold?
Given the current state of adaptive technology, blind people can do just about anything. Blind people are artists, lawyers, secretaries, nurses, social workers, computer programmers, insurance salespeople, chemists, doctors, teachers, professors, engineers, librarians, cosmetologists, car mechanics, stockbrokers, accountants, journalists, childcare workers, teachers, and much, much more. Simply said, the rule of thumb is that if a blind person wants to do it, and gets the proper support, he or she can.
What devices/equipment do blind people use?
- The most basic adaptation used by blind people is the transcription of print materials into braille, and, similarly, of graphs, charts, and diagrams into tactile format.
- Computer screen-reading programs, in conjunction with speech synthesizers, read aloud by computer-synthesized speech material on the screen.
- Screen reading, combined with scanning technology, can serve as a quick and cheap alternative to braille transcription.
- Braille translators will translate material from the computer to a braille embosser.
- Magnification programs allow visually impaired people to enlarge the print on the screen and zoom in on particular areas.
(The Royal Blind Society website has a good link page for how to acquire various programs: http://www.rbs.org.au/adaptech/ )
Museums
Blind people are capable of working at museums and other cultural institutions in numerous capacities. A number of museums around the world employ people who are blind or visually impaired. In fact, having blind people on staff is highly desirable for museums, as it forges stronger ties between the museum and the blind community as a whole. People with visual impairments are far more likely to feel welcome at an institution which employs people with vision loss, or when they are greeted by a blind person at the information desk, in visitor services, or on the phone.
It is essential, however, that blind people be given equal opportunity to perform all of the functions at the museum of which they are capable. Your institution can hire blind persons, as administrators, educators, communications and public relations professionals, writers, lawyers, IT specialists, musicians, receptionists, or telephone operators, at the coat-check, or in visitor services. Many blind people are interested in volunteering, doing an internship, or becoming docents.
How?Before you can invite blind people into your institution, all museum staff - and particularly those involved in the hiring process - should be educated and fully informed so they are not prejudiced against hiring people with disabilities and so that they will not find the interviewing process uncomfortable. Most museums still have very limited experience with employees and volunteers with visual disabilities. Some museums have employees who began losing their sight while on staff at the museum. Often it is the lack of experience and misconceptions about what people who are blind and visually impaired can and cannot do that is addressed by the sensitivity training. Understanding and accommodating people with different disabilities can help create an environment that values each individual's worth and abilities.
