NOAH AOC

I just graduated college with a bachelors degree in psychology. I am considering going back for a different degree though. I just wondered what job fields different people with albinism are in? Is there anybody who is a nurse? Please tell me your job and how it works for you as a visualy impaired person. Thanks!

I'm a counselor and case manager for a residential rehabilitation center for the blind and visually impaired.  I work with adults.  I'm working on a masters degree in psychology, and my goal is to become a therapist and specialize in working with blind, visually impaired and disabled people.

Before that I was a tech support person and customer service person and technical support manager and computer programmer.

I don't know how low your vision is, but with my vision I would never attempt anything in the medical field.  Too much visual cues I would have to see with patients.

As for computer programming and tech support, I used Zoomtext to see the screen and did fine.  My vision never got in the way.  I used magnification to see tech manuals.  As for the job I have, you don't have to see well to be a counselor, and the paper work I do on the computer.

I think we can do anything we want as long as we can demonstrate the ability.  The hard part is convincing the employers that we can do it.  One of the things I do is take my laptop with Zoomtext and JAWS and any low vision aids I use with me on the job interview.  I'm prepared for a show and tell if it is warranting.

Hope this helps.

Julie

I am in my second (and last!) year of grad school at a large medical school getting my masters in occupational therapy.  And a friend of mine from NOAH just graduated in the spring with a nursing degree and is working and doing great.  I've also talked to another occupational therapist (OT) who has albinism and is very successful. 

If you want to be a nurse, you should be able to do it.  You will probably just pick up on some little tricks or techniques to perform patient care.  I have some tricks that I've learned the past year in school and on clinicals, but they all seem to just come naturally.  I think it would be a shame to limit yourself because of your vision-good, caring nurses are so important! 

Best of luck!

Julie,

I think you just gave everyone a fabulous bit of advice regarding taking your adaptive technology or low vision aids with you to an interview, in case a 'show and tell' is needed.  While I wouldn't just whip the stuff out if it isn't necessary, being willing and able to demonstrate your ability on the spot and without embarassment or insecurity goes a long way in what others will think of your ability.  My piece of advice to add is to know when and how to ask for assistance once you land the job.  The key word when it comes to accomodations is 'reasonable'.  Demanding everything under the sun in the name of the ADA isn't going to cut it, you need to asess what it is that you truly need to perform your job equally and then go after that assistance.

I have never needed to use that approach in my job hunting, but I have no problem using whatever aids I need at any time on the job, in fact I am notorious for always having a magnifier in my pocket-there are times when normally sighted associates have borrowed it!  It actually has become a little bit of a joke how I alwasy have anytihng anyone needs in my pockets! 

I have held a variety of jobs in my lifetime, factory, retirement home--both cleaning and administrative, clerical, retail, library aid, etc.  One needs to determine where one's talents and interests lie, and then find the best way to accomplish your goals and dreams.  OK, so I am still working on that at the age of 48, but many people, regardless of their vision, spend their lives trying to achieve a certain goal.  That is part of the magic of life for me.

Joni

Hi,

I don't think we should exclude medical occupations because of our vision. I met a girl in New York City last year who was graduating from a nursing program and she has albinism. I have also met three medical doctors who have albinism.

I was in Australia this past April and had an opportunity to spend time with Shari Parker. She is an amazing young woman and a medical doctor.She chose the field of rehabilitation medicine. Shari used magnifiers when she was reading menus, as many of us do. I don't remember her talking about CCTVs or bioptics just her "strong pocket magnifiers". Her visual acuity is 6/60 in one eye and 6/36 in her other eye with best correction (6/60 is equivalant to 20/200 in "US eye lingo"). She had an article published in the Australian counterpart to Albinism Insights. The name of their magazine is "Beyond Blonde" and her article is in Issue 1 date 07/08. The Title of her article is Living with Albinism by Shari Parker. I think it would serve anyone well to read her article.if you are interested in going into the medical field, be it nursing or an MD. You might try contacting Kim Gilespe to obtain a copy of the article.

I think medicine is like all other occupations; we are qualified for different aspects of our interested field. I wanted to be a teacher and I became a teacher. I chose to teach in the primary grades because of the print size and the volume of written student materials I would have to correct on a daily basis. Chosing to teach Senior High School English classes would probably have not been a wise choice for me; the volume of papers to correct- student penmanship- and the text print size would have overwhelmed me visually. Likewise, I woud be really surprised to see a person with albinism decide to go into the field of surgery. I am certain there are many fields in medicine that would be a good choice for a person with albinism and impaired vision.

The only occupation I couldn't see a person with albinism entering is commercial aviation.

When all is said and done I really think it boils down to

HOW MUCH DO YOU REALLY WANT IT?

HOW MUCH ARE YOU WILLING TO DO TO GET IT?

HOW MUCH DO YOU BELIEVE IN YOUR OWN ABILITIES?

and

HOW GOOD ARE YOU AT GETTING OTHERS TO BLIEVE IN AND TRUST YOUR ABILITIES?

"Beyond Blonde"???  I LOVE IT!!!!   A sense of humor does everyone a world of good!!

Joni

 I am a theatrical electrician, light board programmer, and moving light repair tech at a local Rental house. Ok English...I play with moving lights all day, solder, look close at things, and light actors with them in the field. My job makes me work in very high places and "requires good vision"

But I'm legally blind....hmmmm

In other words. Do whatever you want to do! Even if people think that you may not be good at it because of your vision, if you want to do it, you WILL! Prove them all wrong, and along the way you will even suprise youself with what you can do.

~Megs 

well...unless youw ant to be in the airforce, then ugh.... you may be out of luck there. ;) 

Point well taken.  I had a very small amount of "nursing experience" in a convalescent hospital as a nurse's aide.  I, myself, was unable to handle the parts that required reading.  Grantid this was many years ago.  So you're right, if you want it, go for it.  If there's a will there's a way.

Joni,

I believe in life long learning.  I'm 56 and am about 1 year away from a MA in psych. 

I'm always willing to learn new things, and always willing to admit when I am wrong.

I think that when I stop learning, I'll just die.

Julie

Julie,

I can't wait to retire--0so I can go to college and audit all kinds of classes--without the expense you have when you are a full fledged student!!  I have a BS in Biology.

My senior class motto was  provided to me by a favorite teacher (OK, so I graduated from a 'blind school' but so what?) who is now one of the big sigs at Perkins School for the Blind.  "When one is through learning, life's sun has set"  I gave a valedictory address on this topic more years ago than I wish to admit, but remember the motto and think of it often.  There isn't a day that goes by in a person's life when they don't have the opportunity to learn something, even if it is just something trivial.  Like a work a couple of weeks ago I learned how to tell the difference between a man's suit coat and a blazer/sports coat.  The buttons!  Suit coats have regular, plastic buttons, blazers have shiny metal buttons!  Insignificant, really, but I didn't know that before!

Joni

I'm a nurse aide and in LPN school...Its fun. Theres adaptive ways. U just have to be creative and figure them out.

I am a retailer who owns and operates a couple of clothing stores in coastal North Carolina.  Previously I was a realtor for firm in Avalon NJ for 15 years.  and during college I was a private boat captain/mate and a professional ski patroler for Squaw Valley.  I guess you could say I never liked someone telling I couldn't do something because of a visual imairment.  I believe i have mellowed a bit with age and the boulder on my shoulder is now a small chip

 I work in web design for an eCommerce company.  We run several stores that sell IT equipment in the UK. The sites I've worked on are www.pcwb.com, www.macwarehouse.co.uk, www.microwarehouse.co.uk and www.equanet.com (and also www.pcwb.ie but that's just a clone o the pcwb.com site with modifications to make it suitable for Ireland).  I mostly do javascript driven interactivity stuff for the sites in question, but I do also give some advice on accessibility and the like. I'm working on replacing older javascript code with code that's more accessible and works in an unobtrusive way.  

 I also built a Content Management System for building pages on the above sites.  

In the whole I'd say I cope about as well as the other employees except for needing a bigger monitor.  Also, the trip to work can be a bit galling as the bus tends to be packed with students for the trip there and there's no bus shelter for the bus stop from where I make my return trip so I get soaked when it rains (which is far too often).  

I have been working as a registered nurse for six years in the acute care setting of a local hospital.  I perform all the same duties that my co-workers perform.  My co-workers are very supportive and don't really even recognize me as being any different in the work environment than anyone else.  I have experienced only a few patients who were slightly alarmed by my need to look more closely at things than their previous nurse. For many years I yearned to do something in the medical field, but presumed there were few options for someone with my vision.  I am glad I pursued and succeeded.  I would encourage anyone to follow their dreams and make them happen.  As I tease  my children sometimes, "Vision isn't all it's cracked up to be!"  We have all spent our lives with low vision and our brains have found their own way to compensate and 'see'.  I believe I am very fortunate to have spent my life with poor vision verses knowing good vision and losing it later in life.