“How to Make Your Blindness or Low Vision a Strength When Job Seeking” on September 7, 2023:
Join in an upcoming webinar to learn about “Leveraging Your Disability to Find a Job: How to Make Your Blindness or Low Vision a Strength When Job Seeking.” This session, being held September 7, 2023 at 2 pm Central Time (3 pm Eastern Time), is hosted by the NRTC (National Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision). The NRTC seeks to enhance “employment outcomes for people with vision loss.” Their webinars and podcasts feature knowledgeable guests addressing a wide range of career and employment-related topics. Recognizing that individuals who are blind or have low vison deal with many barriers related to employment, NRTC notes that organizations that provide services to job seekers now work not only to address barriers, but also to “provide an employment advantage for blind and low-vision individuals.” Jonathan Lucus from NSITE and Ross Barchacky from Inclusively will speak about the services their organizations provide in this area. Kristin Smedley, who wrote Thriving Blind: Stories of Real People Succeeding Without Sight, will discuss how to emphasize strengths gained from living with a vison impairment, such as problem-solving skills and adaptability. Attendees will find out how to “leverage (their) disability” and market themselves to prospective employers to secure employment. For more information, visit the NRTC page, located on the website for Mississippi State University, announcing the program on Leveraging Your Disability to Find a Job. Register here for this NRTC webinar.
“Making a Difference: Social Isolation, Vision, Hearing and Falls Prevention” on September 15, 2023:
The loss of vision and hearing can have an impact on the risk of falls and can also increase social isolation. “Making a Difference: Social Isolation, Vision, Hearing and Falls Prevention,” a webinar sponsored by the OIB-TAC (Older Individuals who are Blind Technical Assistance Center, will be held on September 15, 2023 at 2 pm Central Time (3 pm Eastern Time). Presenters Valerie Biediger, MS, M.Ed., and Kirsten Dorsey, OTR/L, will discuss the ways falling can lead to reduced activity and mental health challenges. They will also share their experiences in addressing these issues in implementing a fall risk reduction program called “A Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns about Falls,” highlighting the solutions that can increase participation in activities for people with vision and/or hearing loss. Attendees will experience a simulation of vision and hearing loss, identify ways to increase participation in “evidence-based programming,” and hear from a program leader who has vision loss about his experience. The webinar is intended for anyone who would like to find out about how participating in evidence-based fall prevention programming can benefit physical health, mental well being, and decrease social isolation in older adults. For additional details, visit the OIB-TAC webpage describing the presentation on Making a Difference: Social Isolation, Vision, Hearing and Falls Prevention. Register here for this OIB-TAC Monthly Webinar. OIB-TAC is housed at the NRTC, located on the campus of Mississippi State University.
