[blindlaw] What job can a blind lawyer do?

[Rovig, Lorraine]

Dear Ger,
I see in your responses your frustration with not getting what you would
consider a straight answer to a simple question.  You asked blind
lawyers on the NFB mailing list something like: "What specific jobs can
a blind lawyer handle in this competitive world?" The reason you are
getting answers that on the surface appear to be unhelpful (and even
testy) is related to our history of experience in jobs blind persons can
do. We have found that giving a straightforward answer to the question
as you asked it only produces the wrong answer, a useless heart-breaking
answer. The recommended time-tested method for deciding on your life's
work, which Federationists learned from Dr. Kenneth Jernigan from the
days of his developing the NFB model training program for blind adults
in Iowa, goes like this:

Blind adult: What job can a blind person do?
Dr. Jernigan: If you were not blind, and had your current level of
education and your current interests, what job would you like to do?
Blind adult: If I were not blind, I'd like to work as a [fill in blank
with one job title of specific kind of attorney or judge or multiple job
titles].
Dr. Jernigan: Alright. Now let's research ways that you can do the job
you really want to do by using blind techniques, not the job that
someone said blind persons can do.  Let's talk with [name of blind NFB
member already doing the preferred job] and with [blind NFB members
doing some aspect of the preferred job, such as recordkeeping or testing
or detective work, advertising a service, or traveling as part of the
job].  Why waste your time researching a job that is right for someone
else? The best plan is to research the job that you would want to do if
you were sighted.  If we in the NFB do not know someone who is already
doing the job you prefer, then break the job down into its component
parts and research answers from blind persons doing those pieces of your
preferred job by using blind techniques.

Ger, back in the early 1960s, Dr. Jernigan was the director of the Iowa
Commission for the Blind, the state agency and training center. He was
told blind persons had never been electrical engineers and, therefore,
it was common sense that it was not possible for a blind person to do
this job.  However, 3 of his students in Iowa came along that said that
was the job they would like to do if they were sighted. He assisted
these 3 blind persons to go to college to train for that job. Two are
still working as senior electrical engineers today, and the third one
retired last year from his job as a full-time electrical engineer. Other
blind persons have since gone on to become electrical engineers.

Anyway, Ger, the answers you are getting result from the fact that you
are asking the wrong question of Federationists. Let me ask you, "Ger,
if you were sighted, and had your current education and interests, what
job in the law would you like to do?"

Cordially,
Lorraine Rovig
Program Operations Specialist
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
1800 Johnson Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21230 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of ger sadlier
Sent: Tuesday, October 03, 2006 2:51 PM
To: blindlaw at nfbnet.org
Subject: Re: [blindlaw] blindlaw Digest, Vol 29, Issue 3

With respect, there's a fundamental difference between good forward
planning and common sense and what you describe as "negative
stereotyp[ing]".
   
  While I remain grateful for the answers received, i am forced to note
that the devil remains in the detail or (lack there of).
   
  As to your final point, re follow whatever career seems most
appealing, that's the plan, hense the questions.
  kind regards
  Ger

 		
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