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Accessibility
Q8 - What examples of good news stories exist - have businesses and employers ever made a success of this?
The following case studies outline the situations all kinds of different people who have found employment or made great progress in that direction recently:
Interview with Jo Miller - Trainee Catering and Conferencing Officer
Jo Miller is a blind chef who has always been passionate about food. She experienced difficulties whilst at school. Nobody could diagnose her condition; one optician suggested that Jo was an attention seeker. Her eyesight has deteriorated over time and now she is registered blind.
In following her dream of becoming a Head Chef, Jo has gained the relevant qualifications, held several catering management positions, owned and operated her own business. She now works as a Trainee Catering and Conferencing Officer for CONCEPT (a social enterprise which is part of the Visage project).
What does your job involve?
Primarily my current job involves ordering stock, ensuring stock rotation, making sure all environmental health and safety procedures are followed, planning and costing menus, managing staff on site and assisting with marketing and finding new customers.
What careers advice did you receive at school / college?
Whilst I was at school, I really wanted to be a domestic sciences teacher. At the time there was no help for people with visual impairment, I knew I wouldn't be able to get through university and train as a teacher. It was the Careers Advisor who suggested that I train as a chef.
What barriers / obstacles did you face when applying for jobs?
When I was younger, we didn't have CVs. Sometimes you didn't fill in application form until you got to the interview. My father helped me devise a CV (obviously it wasn't called a CV then) which I would take to the interview. If I had to fill in an application form, I would give the interviewer my CV which got me over that. I would always offer to go in and do a test day and then perhaps tell them that I can't see very well the potential employer about my eyesight at the end of the day. They would be wooed by then anyway so I had got the job. I have never been refused a job. I am very lucky.
What were the most common perceptions of employers about your sight impairment?
Since I started disclosing my disability and explaining about my eye condition, those who interviewed me have said that 'you obviously don't have a problem with it, so we don't'. I think they could see what I have achieved throughout my career. A lot of it is having self-belief.
How did you get into your current employment?
I helped the RNIB with the Work Matters campaign, they decided that they would like to do something with me in the catering field. Deborah Fox (Senior Employment Officer) and I met. We talked about the RNIB and what could materialise here. We discussed the CONCEPT social enterprise which was yet to take off.
I felt that the RNIB were going to offer me a very fulfilling role so I accepted the opportunity to work here.
What is your eye condition and how does it affect your work?
I suffer from Macular Dystrophy.it means that I have to look at things very closely. In the kitchen, I do most of my work by feel rather than by sight. I can't see the detail.
What support have you received in your present job to overcome difficulties within your work due to your visual impairment?
I received a larger monitor screen, Jaws and Zoomtext (speech and magnification software), talking microwave, talking scales and a talking thermometer. All of those really help. When, I first started in August 2005, I didn't know how to turn the computer on! Deborah used to leave me a little sticky note on the computer which read: 'Jo press here'! Deborah would read my emails to me because at that time I didn't have Zoomtext so I was very reliant on her to start with. She was very supportive. And I have to say, I absolutely love it! I can now do all my emails, I can do a document in Word and format it, I've got my stock sheets, my cleaning schedules, temperature charts all in Excel. Also I've started to go on the Internet now.
What training have you received whilst being in this post?
I have done HACCAP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) course in October. I also did an Intermediate Food Hygiene course in January and passed both of them. I am now going to do the Advanced Food Hygiene which will enable me to lecture in Basic Food Hygiene. I have also been going to QAC for some extra computer work on Monday evenings. I am hoping that in September or maybe before then, I can do a CLAIT qualification. In the last six months of being here, I think I have achieved quite a lot.
How do the delegates react when they learn that you are a blind chef?
I don't really have any reaction. I think that most of the delegates that we have down here are from the RNIB or the voluntary sector and I think they don't know unless they see me working In the kitchen. I think when people in general find out, they are gob smacked.
What advice would you have for other visually impaired people who wish to follow career in catering?
It depends on the individual case and how much vision the person has. I have always maintained the kitchen is a dangerous place, Anyone with low vision should take their level of vision into account when considering a career in catering.
My advice to anyone, in any walk of life, with either visual impairment or any other general disability would be.if there is something you really want to do, and you believe in your heart that you could do it, then nothing should stand in your way. If you've got that fire inside you and you want to do it, then you will do it
Case R
R came to Action for Blind people after completing his masters in law requesting to learn and use assistive technology so that he could apply for jobs.
He had lost his sight in both eyes suddenly when he was about fifteen years old. When studying for his masters, R was totally unaware of the fact that any assistive technology existed.
This meant he was unable to access the computer and use all of the tools that a sighted student would have available to them.
R began training with us and learnt both assistive technology (JAWS) and mainstream packages such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and also how to navigate the Internet and use email. These were essential tools in his job searching.
R has since found two part-time jobs. He is successfully working as a lawyer and also for the BBC.
R is still using JAWS and putting into good practice the skills he has gained. This is helping both in his work and his social life. He can use the Internet as a research tool and also communicate with friends and colleagues via email.
Case S
S worked as a librarian, but as she gradually lost her sight, she was marginalised and given less and less to do. Cataloguing books and working with small print became difficult. She particularly found those aspects of her job that required IT difficult with her failing sight. This included using the libraries computer based database.
S was very close to losing her job due to her sight loss and felt demoralised and without confidence.
We trained her in how to use a CCTV to read small print documents which she is now putting into good practice at the library.
We also provided training in using a combined speech and magnification program called Supernova so that she could access data, records and information on the computer.
S can now use the libraries database to quickly and efficiently access information on the library computers. S was also trained to learn and use Supernova and Microsoft Outlook to communicate with her colleagues, customers and friends via E-mail.
This training and support has made a huge difference to S's life. Not only has she regained her confidence and taken control of her life, she has also been promoted to a more senior position within the main regional library.
Case T
T joined the Visage scheme after working on a voluntary basis with his local Youth Offending team. Prior to that he had worked on a part time basis as an Administrative Assistant and a Bar Steward at the College where he completed his NVQ level 3 in Business Administration. Other work experience had been short and on a voluntary basis.
As a Trainee Resource Centre Assistant he was required to assist with the day-to-day operation of the Resource Centre, including demonstrating and selling products to blind and partially sighted people, their friends, families and carers. He also participated in the marketing of the centre and other RNIB services. During his time on the programme T was able to increase his confidence and develop his organisational skills. He was able to develop additional skills in customer service.
T also received additional training in the use of assistive technology for his own benefit as well as the ability to demonstrate to others. On completion he had acquired an up to date work reference as well as an up to date CV. He successfully applied for and was offered a position as a Customer Service Assistant with O2. He had this to say of his experience " It was a really nice experience and I'm going to miss a lot of people there, it has greatly increased my confidence and I have learnt new and improved on my skills"
Case N
N undertook an NVQ Business administration course with additional IT at RNIB Redhill College. When she first arrived, she was distraught at having left her job of 15 years in publishing because her employer refused to let Access to Work advisers to come in to assess her for access technology. The case was going forward to an industrial tribunal, which was an additional worry for N.
N was fortunate to attend the college at the same time as several others of a similar age who had had similar experiences of discrimination at work. As a group they were very supportive of each other and along with gaining back her self-esteem, N was soon excelling in her training.
Although eventually the employer offered N her old job back, she had the confidence to turn it down and went on to get an administrative job in the Prison Service near to her London home where she still works today.
K lost his job in light engineering after working for over 20 years in this sector. The employer needed to lay people off and cited health and safety concerns in selecting K for redundancy. He came to RNIB Redhill College with no prior computer knowledge and a lack of self- esteem.
K very quickly achieved a basic knowledge of software applications and this inspired him to learn as much as he could about how a computer actually worked.
On leaving college, he went to work as a volunteer with his local council on a Rights of Way project, contributing expertise on sight related issues as well as utilising his by now excellent computer skills. After 9 months, his employed applied for a grant to widen the project, which would involve taking on a part time member of staff. Neil had applied for the job when suddenly he was rushed to hospital with a serious viral infection that left him with temporary paralysis in his legs.
18 months on, he is still housebound. However his interest in computing has kept him motivated. His former employer now works for herself and Neil has been able to keep in touch and support her new projects through email and internet research
Case J
J, a trainee in her mid 30s has been blind since birth. She had never worked in her life, and came to Redhill at a very low time in her personal life.
J often recounts how she did not even know how to switch on a computer, but she applied herself to learning the basics of IT, seeing it as a way she could improve her life on a number of fronts. 2 years on, she has passed 4 CLAIT exams, relocated locally to Redhill and sorted out many of her personal issues. On leaving college, she acquired a computer through a national charity to continue improving her IT skills.
Her goals for 2007 are to become a mentor on a Fitness for Life scheme run by the YMCA, and take up a voluntary position in her local community which will add to her curriculum vitae. She also hopes to do a further part time IT course in September at the local college. Her long-term aim is to get a full time job
Case A
A, a graduate accountant in his early 30s left his previous job when he felt his eyesight had deteriorated to the point where his work had slowed down through not being able to read written audit material. He was too proud to acknowledge this to his employer.
Initially he found if difficult to accept he was training in a 'college for the blind'. It was hard for him to realise he had transferable skills from his previous employer, so even when his IT skills with Jaws had reached a good standard, he personally still felt disadvantaged at interview.
Gradually with the help of the IT tutors he overcame these reservations and is now working as a finance officer for his local council. He is applying his IT skills in addition to his previous financial expertise. More importantly, it has helped him to gain a better understanding of his own and others 'disabilities'.
Case U
Age: 38
Job: Customer Assistant, DIY Superstore
Visual impairment; Bi-lateral Optic Atrophy, causing general hazy vision and short-sightedness.
3 years in post; U was a Builder prior to this, but gave up due to his vision deteriorating.
U works on the shop floor and warehouse of a large DIY store. He assists customers with their enquiries, and finds / replaces stock on the shelves.
Main Problem: U needs to use a computerised RF gun, to scan barcodes, and relay information to the stores PC network. U cannot see the display or controls on the guns.
The employer was considering redeploying U to an office-based job, which he did not want. U used a very old portable video magnifier to read bar-code numbers and other items of small print; but this does not communicate with the PC network.
There was no accessible RF scanner on the market, therefore Access Made Easy Disability Consultants had to commission a new device to be made; which consisted of a USB pen scanner, connected to a PDA with magnification and screen-reading software. This enabled U to remain in a post he enjoys.
Case W
Age: 54
Job: Night Manager (Private Hospital)
Visual impairment: Macular Degeneration
6 years in post, with a history in Management.
W was unable to accurately read the display on the wall-mounted fire and safety alarm display boards. His hand magnifier did not help with this, due to the height of the boards (which could not be lowered or moved).
The employer was considering making W redundant, and very concerned about H&S issues relating to safety.
The solution was to have a video magnifier modified so that the camera unit was attached to the ceiling in a similar way to a projector, connected to a 19-inch monitor, that allowed W to accurately read the safety display boards. The HSE and Fire Brigade approved this method; W remains in post.
Access Made Easy Disability Consultants assessed and solved the issues raised.
Case X
X is totally blind. He has a black belt in Judo. He represented Great Britain at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
He teaches martial arts at a variety of class locations across the North West of England.
Apart from using a PC for correspondence no solutions were needed within the teaching environment as once X had learned the orientation of his surroundings he was as independent as his non-disabled peers and as a black belt Judo Player was equally qualified as equivalent non-disabled peers to teach Judo.
X was assisted by Action for Blind People.
John Charles (Manager of Catering2order.com)
My name is John Charles and I manage catering2order.com. We are the in-house catering providers for Action for Blind People, supplying staff meals, as well as hospitality and buffet catering for the organisation. Our buffet and hospitality catering services are being extended to an external market, too.
We are now a few months into the project, and I have undertaken several training courses, to give me a better understanding of commercial food hygiene practices, food hazard analysis and management skills.
Catering2order.com now has seven employees, offers a wider range of customer focused services, all the team are undergoing skills training, and we are working towards offering a better range of food, made with quality ingredients, for action staff. There is a lot of positive feeling about these changes within the organisation. We also have our first external, three month contract, with a large charity, so things are really moving forward.
Visage has been a huge but valuable learning curve for us all; Action for Blind People, the Visage managers and the Visage team members. What we have all focused on throughout is the fact that Action for Blind People and the Visage project are opening up a lot of doors that would otherwise be closed to visually impaired people.
Liz Cooke (Manager of IRIS Digital Archiving)
My name is Liz Cooke and I am the manager of Iris Digital Archiving, Which provides a service to transfer all types of paper documents onto CD ROM.
I was working at RNIB and heard about Visage through my contacts there. The main opportunity, as I saw it, was the chance to start up a business from scratch and to be given a substantial amount of support from the Visage project to do this. The advanced IT training was also of interest to me. These advantages outweighed the offer of another job which would have given me a permanent contract, which I was offered at the same time.
The selection process, to see if we could go through to interview, tested us for initiative, leadership skills, creativity and resourcefulness. I did my background research and I secured a position as team member and was later upgraded to team leader.
Iris digital archiving now has a manager and three team members, who are all fully trained in the highly complex, technical side of the business. We are marketing our services to solicitors, accountants, charities and small to medium sized businesses, through mail shots and by telephone. In addition to these activities, we will also be trying to get articles into local papers, to promote our work.
Through being involved in Visage, I have had the opportunity to take on a management role and the responsibilities that go with it, and have learned marketing and sales techniques. I have also received much valuable support and guidance in putting together our business plan and in developing our marketing strategy.
The team are very happy that the issues surrounding our access technology have now been resolved, as this will enable all of the team, who have varying levels of sight, to access all of the equipment, allowing productivity to go ahead at top speed.
It has been a great test of patients, ingenuity, resourcefulness and creativity to arrive at the point where we are at now; where we have a fully functioning business, with state of the art equipment, which we are ready to market. In the future, I hope to go on to run Iris Digital Archiving as an independent, profitable business, which can be a training and development ground for visually impaired people, which is what Visage is all about.
Rob Mackenzie (Manager of RL Mackenzie)
My name is Rob Mackenzie and I'm the manager of RL Mackenzie, a procurement agency, specialising in providing office supplies and printing services.
I originally got in touch with Action for Blind People to find out more about what is available for blind and partially sighted people, then undertook IT and job preparation training and then found out about Visage.
I have always been interested in running a business and in managing a team, and Visage seemed like a great opportunity to pursue these goals and develop new skills at the same time.
The project so far has been very rewarding, in terms of the business related skills I have learned, the sales and marketing training I have received, and the independence and enhanced self esteem it has given me.
RL Mackenzie is currently developing its marketing strategy. We have already begun to sell internally to Action - a huge organisation in itself - and will have external clients as well in the near future.
I am concerned about my working future when the project ends, in terms of whether I will be able to continue with the company, or whether I will have to start something new. So for this reason, and for the sake of the rest of my team, I am determined to use the help and support provided by the Visage project to the full, to establish RL Mackenzie as a successful business.
Ashley Pearce(Manager of Pearce Distribution Services)
I worked in the factory at Action for Blind People for ten years, where my post was local authority funded. That funding came to an end in December 05, at which time the visage project was just being launched. It was perfect timing for me!
I needed another job and there are limited job opportunities for visually impaired people, so it seemed like the next step for me - I had already progressed to a supervisory position within the factory. The recruitment process involved a standard interview, plus the opportunity to put forward a business case and consider the pros and cons of it.
When I got the job as the business manager, there were still two business ideas on the table, so to speak. Following extensive market research, the pick, pack and dispatch company was decided upon, because the overheads and set-up costs were lower and because it would be easier to market than the other option.
Even at this early stage of the project, I was already beginning to learn a huge range of business skills; ICT, marketing, public relations, budget control, market research, finance - and the learning hasn't stopped!
Seven months into the 19th month project, we now have three team members, we have had twelve leads to date from a National mail shot, the business has been featured in Logistics Management magazine, we have attended fashion exhibitions for face-to-face marketing, visited a social enterprise company, (a route we would like to take, as it would give us a unique selling point), and have started our first contract.
The only down side has been that things never happen quite as quickly as you want them to, but the project to date has been very successful and rewarding, and now that we have our first contract, things can only get better!