by Mary Irving
For years I have been reading about the unacceptably high unemployment rate among blind and visually impaired Americans of working age. It is always around 66 percent regardless of the status of the economy. Blind workers aren’t even the last hired and first fired — we never seem to make it that far!
The availability of computer technology is certainly changing the type of work that people who are blind can be expected to be able to do. But the availability of assistive technology seems to have had little effect on the big picture.
We have grumbled and complained, but have we used our collective brain power and imagination to initiate change? I think not. Perhaps we should create our own opportunities instead of looking for positions within the big corporations or the federal government. After all, the corporations no longer offer jobs for life, and the government, which is accomplishing so much these days by “outsourcing,” cannot begin to absorb large numbers of blind job seekers.
What we need is a complete sea change, a new paradigm, a different way of looking for work opportunities.
Is there any reason why blind individuals cannot pool their resources and create their own business opportunities? In a society where telecommuting, e-mail, faxes, and conference calls are normal business practices, it ought to be possible for highly motivated, competent individuals to start and manage a variety of successful enterprises.
I am submitting this article not because I claim to have the answers, but because I hope that it will start a discussion in the pages of “The Braille Forum.”