Jeff Thompson:
Welcome to Blind Abilities. I’m Jeff Thompson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaker 2:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Okay. So, State Services actually played a huge part in everything that I’m doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaker 3:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don’t be afraid. Get out there, meet people, be friendly. Nobody is judging you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaker 4:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Think big. Look at what do you love to do. What do you enjoy doing? And then how can you turn that into getting paid?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaker 3:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I use my braille display. I use JAWS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaker 2:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Put on your cape. Grab your gladiator shield and go get them, tiger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaker 5:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don’t limit yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff Thompson:
Career Expo 2019, such a great opportunity for transition age students to meet up with professionals from a wide variety of professions. It was an opportunity for students transitioning from high school, to college, to the workplace to ask questions from nearly 25 professionals, what is their job like? What tools they use? And to receive encouragement about the possibilities that they too can achieve their dreams and get the career that they want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff Thompson:
Welcome to Blind Abilities. I’m Jeff Thompson and I’m at the Career Expo. I’m at the table of Lifetrack. And I’m talking to Walter Waranka. How are you doing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Walter Waranka:
Just fine, sir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff Thompson:
Lifetrack. Can you tell our listeners a little bit about Lifetrack?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Walter Waranka:
Lifetrack is a nonprofit agency that has been in existence for well over 70 years now. And the department I work in is we work with individuals with disabilities to help them get prepared and ready for employment, then help them to find their job. And then afterwards, to stay in their job, maintain their job, advance within the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff Thompson:
Retention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Walter Waranka:
Retention. Absolutely. I’m an… So, my title is employment specialist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff Thompson:
So, an employment specialist. So, you work directly with the individuals?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Walter Waranka:
Directly with the individuals and also with employers if need be. Part of my job duty is to go out and talk to employers about the idea of hiring individuals with disabilities and try to answer their questions. And also, if need be, when the person does get the job I can step in and be somewhat of a negotiator over any issues that may come up on the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff Thompson:
So through State Services for the Blind, they would recommend Lifetrack-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Walter Waranka:
Yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff Thompson:
For someone?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Walter Waranka:
They could send somebody who they’re working with over to us and then we would provide those services to that individual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff Thompson:
So, these are services that would be supported by State Services for the Blind?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Walter Waranka:
Correct. Yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff Thompson:
Oh, that’s awesome information to know. I mean, so many people come into this, whether they’ve been working, lost their eyesight, have very low confidence, or skills at some point. The other thing is, they don’t know about companies such as yours, Lifetrack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Walter Waranka:
Mm-hmm (affirmative). Right. And that’s where we get most of our referrals out of who are for individuals who are looking for work. And a lot of the beginning, there is doing just what you said, working with them to help them discover what work they want to do, what can they do, getting them ready for the interview, resume building, a variety of different things. But a lot of what I’ve been finding is it goes to the confidence. It goes to working with them to get they’re feeling good about themselves knowing they can do this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff Thompson:
Well obviously, you’ve done that in your lifetime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Walter Waranka:
I’ve been with Lifetrack for 22 years and then before that, before I moved up here to Minnesota, I ran my own nonprofit for three years, back in Milwaukee, doing the same work I’m doing here right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff Thompson:
Well, good for you. So, you are visually impaired?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Walter Waranka:
Yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff Thompson:
And what kind of tools do you use today?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Walter Waranka:
Today, my tools mainly are my computer system with the JAWS. And for mobility, it’s using a cane to get around. One of my tools I use on my job. One of the things they ask people have is a vehicle to get around. Well obviously, I don’t drive. So, light rail and bus system is how I get around to see clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff Thompson:
And the Minneapolis, Saint Paul area has a pretty good system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Walter Waranka:
Yes, it does. If I end up having to see someone who might be further out in Woodbury, or such, I have great ways of finagling rides out of coworkers. When they’re going out that way, I just go along with them, or… I’m an expert at getting myself around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff Thompson:
Finagling is a skill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Walter Waranka:
Yep. It is. Absolutely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff Thompson:
What advice would you have or what advice would you give to a transition age student that may be wondering about their future, what they can do? They just haven’t really wrapped their brain around it yet, but they are considering it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Walter Waranka:
I would day to that individual first of all, find every opportunity you can to learn about all kinds of jobs, by whether that would be going to do a work trial to go figure that out. And also I would tell them, think big. Look at what do you love to do, what do you enjoy doing and then how can you turn that into getting paid? Most individuals today do a job they hate. The don’t like doing it because they never thought about what do I love doing, now how can I turn that into a job? How can I make money off of that? How can I make a career out of that? And just be open, be free and don’t let anybody tell you, you can’t. Say I’m going to try, and figure it out for yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff Thompson:
Well Walter, thank you very much for being at the Career Expo and helping all those that will be coming in a little bit here. Thanks for what you do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Walter Waranka:
Thank you for getting this out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff Thompson:
Be sure to contact your State Services for the Blind, your voc rehab and find out what they can do for you. Live, work, read, succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff Thompson:
A big shout out goes out to Chee Chau for his beautiful music. And you can follow Chee Chau on Twitter @LCheeChau Chee Chau, Chee Chau. Enable the Blind Abilities skill on your Amazon device just by saying, “Enable Blind Abilities.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[Music] [Transition noise] -When we share<\/p>\n\n\n\n
-What we see<\/p>\n\n\n\n
-Through each other’s eyes…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[Multiple voices overlapping, in unison, to form a single sentence]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
…We can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations, and the realities of Blind Abilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff Thompson:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For more podcasts with the blindness perspective:
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Check us out on the web at www.BlindAbilities.com On Twitter @BlindAbilities<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Download our app from the App store:
‘Blind Abilities’; that’s two words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Or send us an e-mail at:
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
info@blindabilities.com Thanks for listening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Contact:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Thank you for listening! Check out the Blind Abilities Community<\/a>on Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page<\/a>, the Job Insights Support Group<\/a>and the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Full Transcript Jeff Thompson:Welcome to Blind Abilities. I’m Jeff Thompson. Speaker 2: Okay. So, State Services actually played a huge part in everything that I’m doing. Speaker 3: Don’t be afraid. Get out there, meet people, be friendly. Nobody is judging you. Speaker 4: Think big. Look at what do you love to do. What […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4489,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4965","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P6rcRg-1i5","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4893,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=4893","url_meta":{"origin":4965,"position":0},"title":"Sprint is committed to working with phone manufacturers and the blind and low vision community to deliver user-friendly accessible phones – Meet Outreach Specialists Diane and Rob!","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"April 22, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Full Transcript Speaker 2:\u00a0 If you're blind or have low vision, Speaker 3:\u00a0 Be My Eyes is a must have tool. Speaker 2:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 No matter where you are Speaker 4: Or what language you speak Speaker 5:\u00a0 You can call up on-demand visual support in seconds. 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Meet Douglas Gerry and Hear What\u2019s Coming Up for the ElBraille and New Low Vision Solutions","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"April 22, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Full Transcript Speaker 2:\u00a0 If you're blind or have low vision, Speaker 3:\u00a0 Be My Eyes is a must have tool. Speaker 2:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 No matter where you are Speaker 4: Or what language you speak Speaker 5:\u00a0 You can call up on-demand visual support in seconds. Speaker 3: In seconds.\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"The TechAbilities Logo-Dark Sunglasses with TA and BA bold letters in each lens.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TechAbilitiesLogo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TechAbilitiesLogo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TechAbilitiesLogo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TechAbilitiesLogo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TechAbilitiesLogo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TechAbilitiesLogo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4990,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=4990","url_meta":{"origin":4965,"position":2},"title":"iPhone101: SeeingAI Update: Channel Switching and Exploring a Photo","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"May 13, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Full Transcript Jeff Thompson:Welcome to Blind Abilities. I'm Jeff Thompson. 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Speaker 2:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 No matter where you are Speaker 4: Or what language you speak Speaker 5:\u00a0 You can call up on-demand visual support in seconds. Speaker 3: In seconds.\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"The TechAbilities Logo-Dark Sunglasses with TA and BA bold letters in each lens.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TechAbilitiesLogo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TechAbilitiesLogo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TechAbilitiesLogo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TechAbilitiesLogo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TechAbilitiesLogo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/TechAbilitiesLogo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4768,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=4768","url_meta":{"origin":4965,"position":4},"title":"CSUNATC19: Wearable AI Devices for the Blind \u2013 Meet the MyEye 2.0 and the MyReader from Orcam","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"March 20, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Full Transcript Jeff Thompson:Welcome to Blind Abilities. 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You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities<\/a>
On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com<\/a>
Send us an email<\/a>
Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store<\/a>and Google Play Store<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n