BETH JONES: Hello, my name is Beth Ashby Jones. I will be sharing my experiences with you in hopes that it will aid you in your journey to navigate a career as an individual with a visual impairment. I will be sharing 13 ideas with you. I have optic nerve atrophy, a condition I inherited from my father, whose acuity is roughly 20/1000, and I frequently present with to parents and families of students with visual impairments. I had a visual acuity of around 20/70 in high school and was served as a student with low vision. My vision has since deteriorated to an acuity of roughly 20/200 to 20/250, and both my son and daughter share the same condition. The technology I use routinely includes computer magnification software, the built-in accessibility features of my computer and iPhone to zoom or take pictures and zoom, a touch screen to eliminate some use of the mouse, and a monocular for the selected driving that I do. My first summer jobs after high school and during college were at an architecture firm and at a dentist office. I also worked as a fundraiser during a few semesters in college. As I was preparing for my graduate work, my parents encouraged me to ask if there were any assistantships available. As a result, I gained a position that paid my living expenses while giving me something to add to my resume. The main lesson I would share from these first job experiences is that you don't need to be afraid to ask for employment. I got these jobs by walking in and asking if they had anything available. In addition, these first jobs afforded me the experience with interviewing and wage negotiation. In all positions, I had to learn to problem-solve because there were items I could not see or could not see without considerable strain. Namely, I found that interpersonal skills will go a very long way in any job setting. The main thing is to obtain work experiences, either paid or volunteer, that establish a work history, potential references, and provides experiences to build upon and shape your future goals. My career journey has led me to be a faculty member at a university. I currently am an associate professor of special education and a graduate program coordinator. I have also taught public school and was the lead special education teacher. The experience of teaching both resource reading language arts and mathematics grades K through 6 provided career growth. My research interests and service focuses on visual impairments, assistive technology with a focus on teacher preparation to incorporate assistive technology, and collaboration with families. Next, I want to talk to you a little bit about motivation for working and setting goals throughout your life. Take time to find more about your personality styles and learn about how this will relate to different job types. From information on interest inventories, which are job interest assessments, become aware of your occupational interests, attitudes, and preferences. Using that information, develop a plan for yourself and set goals and or objectives, which break it up into manageable parts. Begin with the end in mind, but don't be overwhelmed by the long-term goal. You will need to become knowledgeable about community resources. I took the time to work with a workforce development center and voc rehab to develop a college plan. They paid for my master's degree. Likewise, for my own children who have a visual impairment, I worked with a national nonprofit to purchase reduced-cost computers and to obtain low vision assistive technology for home. Seek out the services of agencies that are there to support you. So never allow your disability to be an excuse to not do something. Instead, view it as motivation to work harder. As soon as you come to the realization that you may have to work harder for the same or lesser result, it changes your approach to everything you do. I owe my level of expectations of myself to my parents, who've never place limitations upon me and always instilled their expectation that I would and could do anything that I wanted to do. They did this by fostering my independence, teaching me advocacy skills, and never accepting others' assessments of my abilities that they knew were not valid. Also, I have personally had a strong intrinsic motivation to show people how intelligent I am, despite the inherent mask. The following quote by Edward Everett Hale, who was an American author and clergyman, was used by his friend, Helen Keller, in her writings. This quote encompasses my reasoning for choosing to work instead of relying on SSI or other disability options: "I am only one, but still I am one. "I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. "And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do." Motivation and learning how to use new skills are important throughout your life. You will find your interests and talents through vocational training opportunities, on-the-job training, or college. My learning path led me to earn my doctorate in curriculum and instruction with a concentration in special education from Louisiana State University. Prior to that, I completed a master's of education in educational psychology with specializations in special education and school counseling and a bachelor of science in interdisciplinary studies with a concentration in special education, both from Texas A&M University. Next, I would like to talk to you about ways I developed my job skills. Often, people with visual impairment struggle with spelling and grammar because they don't see the words in print. Make an explicit effort to learn to spell correctly and use correct grammar. Consider obtaining a tutor for learning the art of phrasing, transitions, and ordering. Your written communication is often the first thing people see-- for example, a cover letter. I would like to talk to you a little bit about the way my disability has affected my work experiences. My disability led me to do long-term career planning. I was aware that I might not be able to remain as a classroom teacher for the duration of my career, so I obtained a master's with two concentrations-- special education and school counseling. I then completed a doctorate so that I could enter higher education in order to teach pre-service teachers. Obtaining my PhD, based on the amount of reading which it would require, was a deliberate decision, as I had contemplated going to law school to be a special education lawyer. Disability awareness and rights in the workplace is another important issue. First, you must learn the law and your rights to be reasonable about the accommodations you request because that is the language of the Americans with Disabilities Act. I would advise you to pick your battles carefully. Those problems that you can handle for yourself, I would encourage you to do so. If you need to ask for accommodations, I would maintain a position of absolute confidence in your ability to perform the job. However, in the same vein, an employer can not assist you if you do not make them aware of the need. Developing good relationships with co-workers and planning for transportation needs are also important. Be open and honest about your disability. This will serve to help avoid any misconceptions about your intelligence and or your social skills. For example, if you are unable to see co-workers who may be waving at you from a distance, make them aware. It's OK to tell people that you cannot see them and ask them to introduce themselves. You will train them. Often you will find yourself depending on someone else to get you to work on time. When that person is late or has a change of plans, it impacts you. Make employers aware of the situation, and try to have backup plans for your backup plan. Technology, such as the ability to have virtual meetings, is something that I utilize to help mitigate this difficulty, and I feel it meets the requirement of a reasonable accommodation. A strong self-concept and a good appearance is crucial. Approach everything with the confidence that you are going to succeed and do a good job. Part of doing a good job and displaying confidence is impressing others with your well-manicured appearance. People notice if you dress professionally and how you present yourself. It conveys a message about how you feel about yourself and your attention to detail. Putting your best foot forward, so to speak, may require help from a caregiver or loved one, from technology, or learning what you need to pay to have done, for example, your nails. Come in like you own the place. A mentor who you can identify with is crucial. For me, personally, a mentor was built-in because my father is also legally blind. A mentor helps ameliorate the loneliness and isolation that can accompany having a visual impairment. More importantly, a mentor can facilitate career exploration, helps to illustrate that there is a way to do what you want to do, and gives you insight into the problem-solving skills that they may have learned along the way. It is likely that they have experienced much of what you have or will encounter. Listen to and learn from the wisdom that has come from their experiences. Money budgeting and time management are also key issues. Time management is crucial, as it is an indisputable issue for individuals with visual impairments because it simply takes longer to complete tasks, and frequent breaks may be required. To overcome these potential negative attributes, you must first learn to prioritize. For example, determine which subjects to study first, or develop strategies to get the most important information without reading everything. Then you will have to learn ways to adapt your processes for accomplishing these tasks at hand. For example, perhaps you should plan to work in smaller chunks more frequently. Lastly, successful time management may require starting earlier and using technology. The last thing I want to talk to you about is a positive work ethic and problem-solving. You will face obstacles that most people can't even imagine hypothetically. Although it seems like it, this is not a negative thing because you will learn how to problem-solve daily. I cannot stress enough the importance of persistence, creativity, and plain and simple hard work. Hard does not mean impossible, and settling should not be an option. I want to leave you with six guiding principles from "Impaired but Empowered-- A Memoir of Faith, Fortitude, and Fortune" by Walter Ashby. It's my dad's autobiography. While all six principles are important to you as you formulate your approach to your career and to your life in general, I feel the sixth principle is the most imperative to achieving long-term career goals. You must operate from a mindset that you can change your future and not get bogged down in the minute pieces of the puzzle. Realizing that technology and societal attitudes and accommodations will only improve, gives me the hope for a better tomorrow for myself and for my kids. Memorize these principles or post them where you can be reminded of them frequently. Number one, believe in the intelligence of your child or yourself. Number two, believe in others. Number three, believe in asking for help. Number four, believe in technology. Number five, believe in planning. And number six, believe the future can be better than the present.