My neighbour works at M & S she told me that they have
to take on so many disabled people per year. Great, well done M & S. Well,
I said to Di, I bet there has never been a blind person working there? She
thought for a while and answered no. I wonder why? The latest person they have taken
on is a transsexual. I’m sorry, is that a disability? It’s also meant to be a scheme
for those who can’t find work for whatever reason. So what next M & S, a
homosexual? It’s ridiculous. There are people out there who would love to work
and cant because they have some kind of disability. I don’t regard transsexuals
one of those people. They have a choice. I like to wear casual comfortable
clothes but if I go to the office, I wear dress clothes. If a man wants to be a
woman, either be one out of work or if wanting to be a full time woman, then
call yourself a woman, not a transsexual. You can’t be both that is just wrong.
Especially when you are taking up positions in the work place that someone
could have who has no choice.
I believe that there are around 2000 transsexuals in the UK.
Transsexualism is a form of gender dysphoria in which a person possesses a
strong and enduring desire to live and be accepted as a member of the opposite
sex. Transsexuals feel a persistent discomfort with their anatomical sex and a
sense of unease in the gender role of that sex. So is that a
disability? Do they have choice? I believe they do for a few working hours in
the day. As I said, we all do things we don’t feel comfortable about. I have to
go out today and tonight and I am anxious. I feel very uncomfortable and I
can’t see where I’m going. I’m afraid I will get lost. I can’t put in new eyes
as I’m putting on my lipstick.
OK it’s been a while since I have written something
controversial. I guess it stems from a conversation that was had with a
University student of late. She is blind. So, all students are preparing for fresher’s
week. Where they are all meant to socialise and mingle. Or get absolutely
mortal. If you are blind at University, how do you do this? A handful of kind
people may think about the blind person and asked them if they want to tag along
with them. As a blind person, you want to. To be accepted. But if you do, that
few people may walk with you to the pubs clubs ect but what happens when you get there? The kids you are with have probably never been
or even seen a blind person before. They won’t know to ask the blind person if
they need guiding to the bar, and I guess why should they? We are not their
responsibility. Then kids just leave. They make eye contact facial expressions
and move on. Leaving the person who can’t see standing there. In the noise. The
noise that prevents the blind person from hearing anything as sighted people
you see people’s reactions to you. You respond to expressions and lip read. We
can’t. All we hear is tiny sounds of struggling voices among the dreadfully annoying
music. Where are our class mates? How do we get back to our University?
Also jobs. Sighted students can get work easily in bars,
shops café’s and so on, we can’t. How can we serve behind a bar? How can we
serve in a café? Or a shop? We can’t stack shelves either. So financially, we
are worse off.
Then we leave University and that was a stress. Most of the
work comes in print. You can get it put into Braille for you but that takes
time time that we don’t have. So we pay someone to do a lot of reading for us.
Again more money. More stress trying to find that person.
We have qualified and now to find a job. Hmm. My Husband was
a lecturer at a university as you may know he is totally blind. He also was a
voice coach. He was a singer too so he was lucky he has talent and a brain.
Also push. He worked for the RNIB and he reached the top he did so well. Head
of International. But people naturally thought he got there because he was
blind and it’s an organisation for the blind.
No. He got there because he is intelligent and has three degrees
and a Master in business. He was one of four bosses that are blind out of
thousands of employees/colleagues. Now he works for Guide Dogs. Obviously
because he is blind, he was naturally given the role of manager.
Wrong again
Guess what? There are two managers working for Guide dogs
who are blind. And it’s an enormous organisation. But people presume. But what
if you are not so clever. Not so confident? How on earth do we find jobs? Who
would employ us? Our families don’t always except us. So why on earth out of
everyone that applies for a job, should we get the role? Well, we shouldn’t automatically
get the position. But if we are better than the next person, yes we should. And
we got there because we have a brain. We know what we want to order in
restaurants. We know how many sugars we take in our tea and we know how to talk
you know?
We are you. Just our eyes don’t work. So life is much more
challenging. But we appreciate much more in life too. We don’t take for
granted.
For all of my friends who have found work. Well done to you
all.
To M & S, please think about employing a blind person?
To all of you who don’t work. Who are too afraid to work, even step out of your
front door. This is for you all. Step out of your comfort zone just for one
hour per month. Do something that you really don’t want to do. Just the once.
Next month the same and build on that. I have friends who have degrees one friend
has a bachelors but they can’t find work. Why? Sometimes because we do live in
a much sighted world, and other times it’s because those who are reading
through the vast amounts of applications just won’t step out of their comfort
zone just to give us a chance.
Why not make that step that will turn into a leap? We won’t
let you down. We are loyal and when we find a job, we stay at it for a very
long time. My Husbands last job he was working at that organisation for 23
years. We put too much into finding that job to give it up also we know we have
to work harder than sighted people. Because always there will be someone
waiting to trip us up. To say we shouldn’t have got that job. And why not? We
have studied hard, played very little. So you have a goal? Kick that ball right
into the goal and bring back that cup.
Copyright Fiona Cummings 2015
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