JOBS: Our story! The good news is that every day in Washington State, people with vision loss are going to work in competitive jobs, starting up their own businesses and employing others, or keeping their current jobs by acquiring new skills and assistive technology. Services for the Blind is celebrating because this year 192 of our customers completed their rehabilitation programs and went to work in competitive jobs with an average hourly wage of $18.34. This year the youngest individual getting his first job through Services for the Blind was a 19-year-old going to work as a baker. A 78-year-old office worker was able to keep her 30-hour a week position in the aging and long term care services industry. Ten transition age youth went to work. We assisted nine individuals to start up their own small businesses. Nine blind military veterans became employed or kept their jobs. During 2014, 21 of the employment outcomes were educators, administrators, teachers and instructors in university, technical college, community college, K-12 or private education environments. Eleven customers worked in the healthcare industry as registered nurses, mental health counselors, dieticians, physician’s assistants, physical therapists or physicians. Thirteen individuals found work in the information technology sector as network administrators, computer technicians or software engineers. Other successes include two photographers, an artist, an audio visual technician and a textile knitting operator. Also a baker, a butcher, a cashier, a machinist, a soil and water conservation worker, and a tax examiner. Three of our customers were inspired to become vocational rehabilitation counselors. Again this year, our customers demonstrated that a blind person with the right skills can perform almost any job. Each year we post the list of successes, jobs and the employers involved, on our web site at DSB.WA.GOV.
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 13:00:00 +0000
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