[blindlaw] Intro - might be long

[Alma]

Hi everyone,

I'll try to keep this as brief as possible, for the sake of everyone's time.

First of all, I am not a member of the NFB and don't plan to be a member of either the NFB or the ACB in the near future.  If it is required that a person be a member of the NFB to join and participate in the discussions, please let me know.  And I will promptly unsubscribe from this mailing list.

I am visually impaired, more specifically, totally blind, and I am a court reporter.  I just sat for the Missouri CCR Exam in April and did not pass because of a tecnnicality.  I am in the process of appealing my results of that exam.  Basically, to make a long story short, one of the pages of my 225 transcript could not be found when it was being graded.  It's a long story, which I would be glad to share if anyone is interested.

I report using the voice writing method, and, to my knowledge, I am the first blind voice writer.  I have just begun using a realtime system, and, while it's a tremendous asset, it took several people's time and understanding of computer software to get the system working perfectly.  Even still, there are some minor issues, but compared to how it worked when I first received it, it's fixed.  There is a sense of pride that comes as a result of being the first blind person to test the waters, but it's also a very frustrating position to be in at times.

I am looking for officialships and am willing to relocate in order to obtain one.  I have also considered freelancing, although it would be tricky because I do receive SSI.  If anyone is familiar with benefits and what happens after you start working, I would appreciate any input from you.  How did those of you who were on SSI at one time venture out and start working?  Especially with freelancing, it's very unstable unless you're lucky enough to get in with a good firm.  I've been told that, while it's feast or famine, it's a liveable famine.  I know I'll be an excellent reporter.  I just don't want to cut off my nose to spite my face.

I also run an email list on google groups for blind court reporters or blind court reporting students.  If anyone is interested in more information concerning that email list, feel free to ask.  And I will give more details about that list as people initiate discussions about it.

That's an introduction, in a nutshell.  Thank you for reading if you've made it this far.

Alma
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Hi everyone,
 
I'll try to keep this as brief as possible, for the sake of everyone's time.
 
First of all, I am not a member of the NFB and don't plan to be a member of either the NFB or the ACB in the near future.  If it is required that a person be a member of the NFB to join and participate in the discussions, please let me know.  And I will promptly unsubscribe from this mailing list.
 
I am visually impaired, more specifically, totally blind, and I am a court reporter.  I just sat for the Missouri CCR Exam in April and did not pass because of a tecnnicality.  I am in the process of appealing my results of that exam.  Basically, to make a long story short, one of the pages of my 225 transcript could not be found when it was being graded.  It's a long story, which I would be glad to share if anyone is interested.
 
I report using the voice writing method, and, to my knowledge, I am the first blind voice writer.  I have just begun using a realtime system, and, while it's a tremendous asset, it took several people's time and understanding of computer software to get the system working perfectly.  Even still, there are some minor issues, but compared to how it worked when I first received it, it's fixed.  There is a sense of pride that comes as a result of being the first blind person to test the waters, but it's also a very frustrating position to be in at times.
 
I am looking for officialships and am willing to relocate in order to obtain one.  I have also considered freelancing, although it would be tricky because I do receive SSI.  If anyone is familiar with benefits and what happens after you start working, I would appreciate any input from you.  How did those of you who were on SSI at one time venture out and start working?  Especially with freelancing, it's very unstable unless you're lucky enough to get in with a good firm.  I've been told that, while it's feast or famine, it's a liveable famine.  I know I'll be an excellent reporter.  I just don't want to cut off my nose to spite my face.
 
I also run an email list on google groups for blind court reporters or blind court reporting students.  If anyone is interested in more information concerning that email list, feel free to ask.  And I will give more details about that list as people initiate discussions about it.
 
That's an introduction, in a nutshell.  Thank you for reading if you've made it this far.
Alma