Hi to all.

This story plus the series of E-mails called "What Goes Around" plus the
recent NPR coverage of the southern California strike settlement and several
other stories I've read recently seem to add up to some truths that I am
afraid no one (including our able-bodied counterparts) are willing to admit.

(1)  IN MANY CASES, THE JOB MARKET IS NOW WORLDWIDE.  This is especially
true for call center and technology-based positions.  For this reason, it is
best for potential managers to learn more than one language and the
ettiquette of more than one culture.

2.  WORLDWIDE, THERE ARE FEWER AVAILABLE JOBS THAN WILLING WORKERS.  While
the disabled population in general and the blind population in partickular
have not had full U.S. job market participation, most of our able-bodied
brethen have been very lucky.  In the future, this will no longer be the
case.  As technology develops that allows companies to have greater
production with fewer people and as more qualified people become available
in the developing world, the number of available jobs for qualified U.S.
jobseekers will fall as well as pay and benefits.  This will happen DESPITE
WHO BECOMES PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. IN NOVEMBER.  This truth has major
implications for the working-age population in the U.S. that no one has yet
to admit.  For now, the blind and disabled populations are somewhat shielded
from this because of SSI and SSDI benefits.  However, as the tax base falls
and deficit spending increases, look for cuts in these areas.

3.  FOR BETTER OR WORSE, GATT (The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade)
IS HERE TO STAY.  The labor and consumer movements (as well as some
anarchists) have been seeking to stop GATT and roll back free trade in
general.  This is understandable, because jobs are being lost and wages are
falling.  This approach will not work because (1) the stockholder-based
system requires that businesses continually grow and/or cut costs, and the
U.S. market is nearly saturated; and (2) there is more money supporting GATT
than opposing it, and no matter how loud the protests, money talks louder.

4.  CAPITALISM TRIUMPHED OVER COMMUNISM NOT BECAUSE CAPITALISM IS INATELY
BETTER BUT BECAUSE CAPITALISM IS MORE SUITABLE WITH HUMAN NATURE.  Human
beings are basically selfish creatures; that is, we, by and large, are
unwilling to perform tasks for others without expecting payment in return.
Religions of all stripes teach is the result of our "sinful" nature, but I
tend to agree with anthropologists that this is more likely a built-in
defense mechanism.  Either way, capitalism works better with that behavior
than communism does.

Okay, so what can and should be done given this outlook.  The biggest (and
most controversial) recommendation I can make is to pass and enforce through
the United Nations business regulations that apply worldwide.  Regulations
should a worldwide minimum wage (in U.S. dollars, because that is the
world's primary currency); minimum acceptable job benefits (including health
insurance); minimum acceptable environmental requirements; and minimum
acceptable Affirmative Action requirements (including hiring the blind and
other disabled people).  These requirements should be applied and enforced
worldwide, because our businesses operate worldwide, and if we do not take
radical steps, the race to the bottom will continue.

Finally, I am aware of the length of this E-mail, but these issues which
have been at least hinted at on recent postings to this list should be
addressed.

To all, take care.

Ted Chittenden




>From: David Poehlman <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: David Poehlman <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Fw: For disabled, job market proves tougher
>Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2004 10:54:48 -0500
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Steve Pattison" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: "Access-L" <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Wednesday, March 03, 2004 6:30 AM
>Subject: Fwd: For disabled, job market proves tougher
>
>
>*********** BEGIN FORWARDED MESSAGE  ***********
>On 2/03/2004 at 1:21 PM John Rae <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>For disabled, job market proves tougher
>
>By Kelly Pate Dwyer
>The Denver Post, March 01, 2004
>
>Bob Weinberg, whose retinal dystrophy interferes with his straight-ahead
>vision, spent two years looking for a job before taking a position at a
>supply store at Buckley Air Force Base. He was a photographer until his
>condition made it increasingly difficult to identify details through the
>viewfinder.
>
>Inside the supply store at Buckley Air Force Base, cashier Bob Weinberg
>rings up and bags desert fatigues for a sergeant shipping out.
>
>Only the sunglasses on Weinberg's face give any indication that the
>56-year-old Denverite is slowly going blind.
>
>Weinberg is one of 544,000 Coloradans with a disability, according to
>census
>figures. Those with disabilities have a much higher unemployment rate than
>the general population.
>
>In 2000, just 32 percent of adults 18 to 64 with disabilities were working,
>compared with 81 percent of non-disabled adults, according to a Harris Poll
>conducted with the National Organization on Disability.
>
>In the economic downturn since 2000, the tight job market has
>disproportionately affected those with disabilities, said John Cizman, an
>employment consultant with the Colorado Division of Vocational
>Rehabilitation.
>
>Some employers turn away disabled applicants because of safety concerns,
>added costs and transportation hassles. Some discriminate, Cizman said.
>
>And in the current economy, the job market climate has turned into survival
>of the fittest.
>
>That's been the experience for Weinberg, who was previously self-employed
>as
>a photographer but found himself losing his livelihood as his world grew
>darker.
>
>In the 1990s, Weinberg was shooting pictures for weddings, corporate
>brochures and newspapers. He photographed President Clinton and Pope John
>Paul II, violinist Itzhak Perlman and local celebrities Cleo Parker
>Robinson
>and John Fielder.
>
>About 10 years ago, Weinberg drove over a median he didn't see.
>
>Doctors told him he had developed retinal dystrophy, a progressive
>condition
>that muddled what appears straight in front of him but allowed him to see
>peripherally.
>
>Weinberg stopped driving in 1998 and brought his wife or an assistant on
>photo shoots. He could still frame a shot, but details had vanished. His
>career was falling apart. A rise in digital technology and the recession
>only added to his problems.
>
>With the help of state counselors and Cizman, Weinberg started hunting for
>a
>new job.
>
>It took him nearly two years.
>
>Home Depot had safety concerns.
>
>A manager at Fairmount Cemetery felt Weinberg needed more visual skills to
>sell cemetery plots.
>
>Janus Funds offered him a job as a phone sales representative, but Weinberg
>turned it down because they didn't have text-to-speech software.
>
>Then four months ago, he landed a job through Wichita-based Envision, whose
>mission is to employ the blind.
>
>Envision is a nonprofit group that manufactures and sells office supplies
>and apparel to military personnel through its 15 Envision Express stores on
>military bases.
>
>At least one blind or severely visually impaired person works at each
>store.
>Weinberg began working at the Buckley store, which opened in December.
>
>Employers like his are unusual, Weinberg said.
>
>"It takes a lot of technology, which costs a lot of money to keep (blind)
>people employed," said Weinberg, who added that the best part of his job is
>interacting with people again.
>
>The equipment he uses - text-to-speech software, a machine to enlarge text
>and a scanner that identifies products - costs about $4,000.
>
>The costs were split between Envision and the state.
>
>The state often pays for equipment and accommodations an employer makes for
>a disabled worker.
>
>In addition, small businesses can get tax credits of up to $5,000 for
>hiring
>disabled workers. Any size company can qualify for tax deductions.
>
>The added costs or accommodations an employer may make in hiring a disabled
>person may result in a committed and loyal worker, advocates say.
>
>To get hired, "blind people have to be better than other people" at what
>they do, said Buna Dahal, employment specialist with the Colorado Center
>for
>the Blind. "We have to equip (them) above and beyond to compete on terms of
>equality."
>
>Kevin Dillman, call center director for Aurora-based Xanterra Parks and
>Resorts, didn't know much about hiring people with disabilities until a
>blind man showed up for an interview.
>
>Dillman did some research and has since hired four people with
>disabilities.
>
>"We needed good employees, and I thought this may be another segment of the
>working population we hadn't looked into before," he said.
>
>Kathy Santaus, who is blind, came to Xanterra four years ago after getting
>laid off. Working the phones at Xanterra, she books lodging in national
>parks.
>
>"What's keeping me at this job, I like what we're selling," she said. And
>"I'm treated equally."
>
>Santaus has practical reasons for staying at the company. She spends three
>hours each day getting to and from work on buses. A new job would mean a
>new
>routine.
>
>"My (Seeing Eye) dog would have to learn the new route, as well," she said.
>
>DISABILITY DATA
>
>The National Organization on Disability reports the following:
>
>32 percent of Americans with disabilities ages 18-64 are working.
>
>66 percent of those who are unemployed would rather be working.
>*********** END FORWARDED MESSAGE  ***********
>
>Regards Steve,
>mailto:[log in to unmask]
>MSN Messenger:  [log in to unmask]
>
>
>VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
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