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I saw your email as having possible offense for people with disabilities,
but I also read it a couple of times and thought that you were probably
coming from a position of genuine naïvete about Jodie's case.
Hopefully without sounding offensive, I can provide my views. I have worked
with legally blind co-workers. One co-worker had very heavy glasses so that
he could see his monitor and read documents. Another few had these
magnifying attachments for their monitors and I've seen drafts printed with
very large text. Monitor contrast and color settings also help some people.
I know of people that could only see peripherally so everything they needed
to see had to be set to the side.
I found it very fascinating the different sorts of accommodations made for
legally blind and fully blind people. Ramps and elevators for disabled
people with motor disabilities are so common that we do not question them,
but the accommodations for blind people and people with non-common
disabilities are interesting.
Technical Writers by their very nature are inquisitive and I will ask people
about their accommodations and even ask to see the screen on their monitors
to see what they are seeing. One of my blind co-workers also used a text
reader with headphones to "read" her email. Technology and technological
accommodations are fascinating.
One of the first questions that I ask is, "Do you mind if I ask..."
Broaching the subject is still difficult when the disability seems
sensitive. Other disabilities, like temporary disabilities, like the times
that I have worn a splint or used crutches for assorted injuries, are easier
to question and people will frequently ask me when I have something like
this, "why do you have that?" It is easier in these cases to jump in and
ask.
Lauren
> -----Original Message-----
> From: techwr-l-bounces+lt34=csus -dot- edu -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+lt34=csus -dot- edu -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
> Behalf Of Al Geist
> Sent: Friday, June 08, 2007 1:54 PM
> To: Techwr-l
> Subject: RE: Medical Disabilty/Contracting/Jobs
>
> I was just informed off-list that my response to Jodie Gilmore was
> "incredibly insensitive."
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