I am in the Coffee business right now.  I own a Roasterie and a Cafe.  I do 
all of the roasting for the company and the only reason I got this far is 
because every roaster except for 1 told me that you had to see to Roast 
Coffee.  They said that it could only be done by looking at the Color of the 
beans.  Well after playing for a while I developed the "Blind Roasting 
approach" and it works very well.  I don't know if I will be able  to keep 
it going but yes it took a lot of hard work and patients.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Pat Byrne" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2012 7:32 PM
Subject: Re: Man O Man


> When I was in the coffee shop business, the state of Illinois offers
> an equivalent program but they stay pretty well butted in.  I chose
> to do it my way and invented the job as I went along.  Had great
> managers in the shops and they helped me invent the best way to do
> things.  One of their fathers was a long, long time blind V A
> employee who had a whole lot to do with reading machine development
> in the sixties and seventies so she was right at home with me.  The
> rest hadn't known or certainly worked for a blind guy before but were
> helpful, cheerful and honest with the money.  I never made what I had
> hoped to make but it was a wonderful part of my life and the blind
> guy was really out there and that, too is important for the
> public.  In the life before coffee I was a mainframe COBOL programmer
> for twenty-five years and that provided a very good living.  My wife,
> too who is blind wrote software for as long as I did.  And now I work
> in the social services industry at a Center for Independent
> Living.  Some of my clients get P O ed at me because I expect them to
> really meet their goals, and not just talk about it!!  What an old 
> grouch!!
> It's all been great in different ways.
> Sorry for the rant but . . .
> Pat, K9JAU At 08:10 PM 3/22/2012, you wrote:
>>I have always provided my own adaptive things to work.  I have sometimes
>>asked for a little help when I got into a bind, but I always find it 
>>better
>>if I fit myself to a job rather then making the job fit itself to me. 
>>After
>>all no one provides sighted people with everything they need either.  I am
>>really glad when Employers say Hey good show, we really appreciate your 
>>good
>>work, and we would like to keep you here, so we will help a little.  That
>>always makes me feel good.
>>----- Original Message -----
>>From: "Pat Byrne" <[log in to unmask]>
>>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>>Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2012 5:13 PM
>>Subject: Re: Man O Man
>>
>>
>> > Since we're a half mile off topic, I'll say:
>> > I did most of my job seeking and changing prior to ADA.  I personally
>> > wonder if ADA puts employers off and that could make it overall
>> > harder to get work.  And in the old days I would bring some of my own
>> > stuff to work and perhaps the mind set is different now.  I think I
>> > am damned glad my job seeking days are over, but I am still casually
>> > looking for something else to do.
>> > Pat, K9JAUAt 07:46 AM 3/22/2012, you wrote:
>> >>The problem is, their are no teeth in the ADA.  No penalties, no 
>> >>respect.