[Jobs] disclosing your blindness to a perspective employer

[Jessica]

Let's say you're applying for a job and you don't have any college education 
but you do have some kind of certifications.  The problem is you got them 
from a school that works specifically with blind people.  In that case 
wouldn't that be considered disclosing your blindness as well, but kind of 
like you had to disclose your blindness by showing your qualifications?
Jess
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <craig.borne at dot.gov>
To: <jobs at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, May 09, 2008 2:51 PM
Subject: Re: [Jobs] disclosing your blindness to a perspective employer


> Leslie,
> In my opinion, it really depends on where you are applying.  For
> example, if you are applying for a job with the NFB or the Lighthouse
> for the Blind, then disclosing your blindness up front is no big deal.
> However, if you are applying to "mainstream" employment opportunities,
> then I would not disclose my blindness in my cover letter or resume.  I
> would typically wait until the interview, or if an exam is necessary,
> when I call the HR department to set up the testing date.
> Importantly, if you are applying to a federal agency, disclosing your
> blindness up front may be beneficial. The feds have something called a
> Schedule A Hiring Authority, which means that a person with a targeted
> disability (such as blindness) can be hired without going through the
> competitive hiring process.  There are some more caveats, which you can
> explore at www.opm.gov.
> I hope this helps.
> Craig
>
> Craig Borne
> NHTSA/DOT
> (202) 493-0627 Voice
> (202) 493-2990 Fax
> craig.borne at dot.gov Email
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: jobs-bounces+craig.borne=dot.gov at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:jobs-bounces+craig.borne=dot.gov at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Leslie
> Hamric
> Sent: Friday, May 09, 2008 4:43 PM
> To: Jobs for the Blind
> Subject: [Jobs] disclosing your blindness to a perspective employer
>
> Hi all.  I'm curious to know about experiences you've had regarding if
> and when to disclose your bliindness to a perspective employer.  I've
> heard all kinds of things like just showing up at the interview, putting
> that your blind on your resume, etc.  I know it's a matter of personal
> preference so I'm looking forward to getting some responses. Thanks.
> Leslie and GEB dog Lava
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