AT&T and an ADA Break?

The AT&T company has been subject to a lawsuit from the EEOC after unlawfully firing an VI employee.

Miguel Meléndez began working for a New Jersey based company in 2001. In 2008, he lost sight due to diabetes. He is now considered visually impaired.

AT&T took ownership of this company in 2009. In the same year, Meléndes was cleared by his doctor so that he could return to work.

Meléndes required accommodations to do his work efficiently. If these accommodations were to be filled, he would be qualified to do his work just as well as he had done from 2001-2008.

Instead of helping Meléndes, AT&T did not allow him to return to work.

Due to this misstep, they have been sued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Today, they settled the case.

AT&T will be paying Meléndes $250,000 and offering him a position in a location in Puerto Rico. There, he will receive the accommodations that comply with ADA standards.

The office will also receive annual training. I assume this relates to the treatment of disabled workers, though this wasn't specified in the article I read. There are other terms in the settlement that are unlisted in aforementioned article.

Though this is definitely better than nothing, I do wonder how convenient a move to Puerto Rico will be. I admit that I don't know a good lot about this case at this time, so I suppose this may not be a concern to the parties directly involved, but I wonder.

Also, though these "training" sessions will likely be good for the workers that receive them, will they only be given in the office where Miguel works? I feel that it is necessary they work with the people who previously made the original misstep and those that were working with him at the time and may have been influenced negatively by watching this.

For those who many be wondering why he didn't just go off and find a company that would accept him, I'd like you to consider the fact that 80% of visually impaired people in the united states are unemployed. It is very difficult to find a job as a disabled person.

This trial may have not been the best or the worst for either side, but it is bringing light to an issue which we face every day in the blind community. We see ourselves and our friends discriminated against every day, and it's okay to stand up for yourself!

Echolocation as a Mobility Skill?

Seven month old Harlen Petersen was born with ONH and SOP. Now, he will be learning echolocation as a way of getting around.

Seven month old Harlen Petersen was born with Optic Nerve Hypoplasia and Septo-Optic Dysplasia, both congenital disorders which together affect the optic nerves, the brain, and the endocrine system. 

ONH is when the optic nerves (one or both) are too small. I will do a full article on this soon which I will link at the end of this entry. 

Septo-Optic Dysplasia is when the pituitary gland either is not there or does not fully develope. In Harlen's case, it is missing completely. 

Both diseases are associated with brain malformation, learning difficulties, and developmental delay beyond that of the average blind or sighted child.

On March 12th (2016), Daniel Kish will be making a journey to Harlen's hometown and giving him a lesson in echolocation. Kish is a world renounced teacher in this field. He explains the technique in his TED talk "How I Use Sonar to Navigate the World".

Echolocation is an ever growing area of discovery to the blind community today, yet I've heard little about it.  I've seen a documentary ("The Boy who can See without Eyes") and hear it built up. I've never met a user of the technique. My connections are familiar with variations of the long white cane and/or guide dogs.

Some claim echolocation is a replacement for mobility tools like a cane, and others disagree. Some believe neither to be a good option and are looking for high-tech fixes for navigating the world as a blind individual.

Whatever ends up happening I wish luck to Harlen and his family and want to assure them that this is the best time in history so far to be a blind person. We are very lucky to have the technology and support we have, and it's getting better all the time!

Original article: Human echolocation expert to pass on skills to baby Harlen

TED talk: How I Use Sonar to Navigate the World

Introduction

Hello,

This blog is for people who are....

• Blind/visually impaired
• Is going blind/visually impaired
• Knows someone who is Blind/visually impaired
• Is related to someone who is blind/visually impaired
• Cares about those of us who are blind/visually impaired
• Values the blind/visually impaired as human beings

If you fall into any of the above categories, you may find just the article for you on this blog! Here, we will be covering....

• Blindness in the news
• Tips and tricks to living with a VI
• Helpful tips for people who know a VIP (visually impaired person)
• Information about different VIs
• Blindie love! <3

Note that I will likely be a bit overly focused on articles that involve Optic Nerve Hypoplasia since this is what I have.

Oh, by the way. I'm Amanda. I've got ONH, and I'm here to be you guide through blindness!