My only objection to the woman in the article was her decision that Braille is dead. Given her income she could hire Eleven pipers piping, and Ten lords-a-leaping, to sit and read to her every day. But she has a very self centered attitude if she believes that her success entitles her to decide for you and me regarding our use of Braille.
As for my somewhat less than several million dollars a year job, I am self employed as a rehabilitation teacher. For the past 15 years my wife and I have served older blind and vision impaired folks on the Great Olympic Peninsula. In April I will become 75 years old. Prior to self employment I worked for the Washington Department of Services for the Blind. I taught food service management, Braille, physical education and taught classes in adjustment to blindness. Later on I was the program administrator of the Orientation and Training Center. I also was assistant director for field services.
All of these positions called for some type of personal communication. And I don't mean just talking to myself. If I had followed the advice of my VR counselor back in 1965, I would not have learned Braille and would most likely ended my working life in the machine shop at the Lighthouse for the Blind.
This successful woman has no idea just how much damage her flip comments can do. Parents don't want to admit that their little darlings need Braille in order to compete. Why, lookie there! Miss Millionaire is blind and she's doing right well for herself.
Let's see, help me count. How many blind millionaires do we know? I mean once we count Stevie Wonder.
And what do we tell the kids who are headed for the 70% unemployment roles?
Hmm, looks like my time on the soap box is up.
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