I live in a place where industry and commerce are booming.  This means 
people from all over the country are coming here to work.  We have too many 
jobs and not enough people to fill them.  So, companies are actually going 
out to other provinces, Ireland, the Phillipines and around the world on 
recrootment drives.  Offering to cover transportation costs, moving costs 
and assistance with finding housing here, and selling homes if it applies in 
the places they recroot in.
In the oil and gas industry, money flows like oil so to spend 10 or 15 grand 
on getting a warm body to work is nothing.
My point isn't to gloat, but to suggest that when times are hard, moving to 
where the work is at, is what many many people do disabled or otherwise.
It comes back to creating your own opportunities and not waiting for them to 
drop into your lap.
If that means pulling up stakes and moving to where the work is, then that's 
what it takes.
My family did this 3 times between the time I was 4 and 13.  Each time 
moving nearly 1600 miles to go to where there was work for my dad.
My parents didn't have much money, but we always managed to do the moves on 
a hope and a prayer.
One time we moved 1600 miles with a minivan and a 68 Shev quarter tonne 
pickup and a small You Haul trailer.  We couldn't afford to use a freight 
company so we packed everything into a 14 foot you haul trailer, and the bed 
of the truck and in and on top of the van.
We tented it in free camp grounds along the way, because again, no money for 
hotels.
We stayed with friends and family for 5 weeks after we arrived so my dad 
could save enough for rent and damage deposit in a crappy apartment.
Anyway without borring everyone with the entire story, the point here is 
that you can go to where the work is and find it if that's what you need.
I strongly suspect allot of the issue is that there isn't allot of 
motivation other than jealousy or bitterness to get work for some.  Many 
receive just enough from the state to survive IE pay rent, eat and have a 
phone and internet.  As long as the basic necesities are being met, it's 
easy to bich and moan about how other people have more, but at the end of 
the day, you are surviving so there isn't allot of motivation to go out and 
find a job.  There isn't enough desperation.  There are wants and so on, but 
the needs are being met.
It's easy to become lazy and complaisant when your basic needs are being met 
by a monthly check from the state.
Most non-disabled people don't have that option and so they must find 
gainful employment or they end up on the street.  There aren't too many 
blind people out on the street if anyone has noticed.
I speak from personal experience in this matter.  It took me a long time 
after finishing school to become gainfully employed and there were periods 
in that time where I did get lazy and complaisant because at the end of the 
day, rent was getting payed, there was food in the house, the basic bills 
were being payed...i didn't have an extra dollar to play with but I was 
surviving on my own and had friends who would help out with a couple beers 
or a dinner out now and then because they new my situation.
So yes, I know it's easy to get lazy when your on the dole.
I tried for 5 years to get a job in the field I was certified in, and ended 
up getting a job that has only a little to do with what I spent 2 years 
getting trained in.
So the point there is that you have to keep the options open and not narrow 
the field so much that you won't find anything.  You also have to foster 
those networks and spend the time.
It's a well proven fact that in order to be successful in job hunting, you 
must spend at least 4 hours a day in direct pursuit of employment.  These 
days it is all online so we as blind people have no excuse to say we have 
any difficulty going out and dropping off resumes.  It's super uncommon to 
have people drop off resumes anymore, and most employers ask that you only 
submit resumes or applications online....but you have to apply on hundreds 
of jobs.  Even here where the labor market is so tight, you have to apply on 
hundreds of positions each week to get one or two responses, and you might 
get an interview once in a two week period out of 500 job applications.
Once an interview is scheduled, then you can worry about getting there and 
presenting yourself.
I understand the frustration with not being able to get work...but if one 
only looks once in a while, or when you have time or whatever then it'll be 
an awfully long time before one gets work.  4 hours a day is less than half 
the time you'd spend working anyway, so it's a pretty good trade off.

73
Colin, V A6BKX
--------------------------------------------------
From: "John Miller" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, September 26, 2014 11:51 AM
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: hard work

> There are sure no opportunities around where I am and less and less every
> day as more and more places close up shop. I'm looking elsewhere now.
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "richard fiorello" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Friday, September 26, 2014 11:32 AM
> Subject: hard work
>
>
>> Hi;
>> True lots of opportunities are drying up but I do think that
>> there are lots of new ones out there.  I retired in 2007 because
>> I could.  By 2009 I got boared and needded a parttime job.  Ended
>> up with a rather strange parttime job doing telephone work but
>> its relatively brainless and works with window-eyes.  I suggested
>> to the local rehab types that they might consider sending other
>> folks this way.  The answer I got was that we don't really have
>> anyone looking for employment.  Hum.
>> As for screen readers, I worked for a federal agency for 32 years
>> and they wouldn't deal with anything but good old jaws.  Often
>> wondered if its the name job access with speech that gets these
>> people so into jaws.  I'm not a jaws basher but gave up on mine
>> because just couldn't keep up with the updates and didn't really
>> see what some of the updates did.
>> Also speaking of jobs has anyone noticed what is being charged
>> for apple training over the phone? 30 to 45 per hour isn't
>> uncommon.  Now there's another opportunity.
>> richard
>> sent from my braille note