Part-Time and Summer Jobs

Editor's Note: When my blind son began talking with his father and me about getting a summer job, it occurred to me that this would be a great topic for the Future Reflections Spring/Summer issue. As I began reviewing past issues of the magazine to see what we had last printed on the subject, I came upon the following article. When I reread the article I was impressed -as I was when I first read it twelve years ago -by the author's good sense and good advice. Yes, twelve years ago. This article was published in the April, 1982, Volume I, Number 3, issue of our magazine -except at that time the publication was called the National Federation of the Blind Newsletter for Parents of Blind Children. In any event, because the information is as relevant today as it was then, and because most of our readers would never have had the opportunity to read the article, it seemed sensible to recycle it. I did, however, add one item to it. Following the article are some descriptions (compliments of Job Opportunities for the Blind) of current jobs held by blind persons today.

Did you, as a child or teenager, gain valuable experience through a summer or part-time job? Your blind son or daughter can do the same.

I see four stages or levels through which a youngster passes in moving toward adult responsibility on the job. Although all youngsters move through this progression in one way or another, it may be helpful to analyze this more carefully with a blind youngster. The second step, especially, is often given very little thought; but careful attention to experiences at this level can aid greatly in proceeding to the third and fourth levels of responsibility.

1. The child helps with chores in his own home, gradually taking on more responsibility. He picks up his toys, cleans his room, washes dishes, takes out the trash, helps care for younger siblings, etc.
2. The youngster works at a job outside his home while an adult is present at all times for guidance as needed. Examples include: working as a mother's helper to entertain children while the parent is present but busy; assisting with simple jobs at a business; doing house-cleaning or other chores for a neighbor, under close direction; learning work skills under close supervision by a teacher.
3. The youngster works independently at a job with some responsibility. He may shovel snow; deliver newspapers; wash dishes in a restaurant; baby-sit with one or two children, with an adult on call in case of serious problems; assist in an office, etc.
4. The teenager or young adult holds a job with mature responsibilities in the field of his or her choice -factory work, teaching, engineering, secretarial work, or any other occupation.

As the boy or girl takes on more and more responsibility, in general he/she also earns more and more money. By the third and fourth stages, it is important to insist that the blind youngster receive the same pay that anyone else would receive. Even at the first level, it is very helpful if the child receives some payment for certain jobs; he can begin to learn that successful work brings the agreed-upon wages, while failure or omission results in no wages. I am not suggesting that youngsters be paid for all home chores; they also need to learn to carry their own weight of work as family members. But it is very instructive to pay the child a small wage for certain selected tasks -perhaps those that are optional and/or the most difficult.

How can a job outside the home be found is these days when many adults remain unemployed? Here are some suggestions.

School counselors, teachers of the blind, and the state agency for the blind should help. There may even be school-sponsored situations such as a school radio station, an office job, or a work experience program (these are not only for the college-bound). A word of caution, however: a sheltered workshop, even if it is labeled as a workshop for the blind, should not be necessary unless the person has some additional problem (such as mental retardation) which would make this placement advisable even without the matter of blindness.