How often have you walked out of an interview feeling hopeful and equally frustrated? Do you wish you had just one more tangible way of showing that skeptical employer that being blind isn’t a liability?
It’s like this: you’ve aced the interview, yet when you leave, hanging over you as you exit is that interviewer’s unspoken question: Could this person really work out?
ACB’s BlindAbility video could be the answer to all those doubts. The video’s debut this past summer at the national convention was a resounding success.
If you haven’t heard about it or watched it yet, here are the links:
To view the video without audio description, visithttps://www.youtube.com/embed/l14gkZtA7xY.
To watch the audio-described version, visit,https://www.youtube.com/embed/5e5payf2QMc.
This video has the potential to tip the job interview scales in your favor, if given a chance. It makes sense if you think about it — you’ve sold yourself in the interview, now you have the chance to show how other successful employees who happen to be blind engage in and enhance today’s work force.
By sharing the link to the ACB video, you give a potential employer a chance to see firsthand that our abilities matter more than our disabilities.
One final suggestion: you may or may not want to share the version of the video with audio description. Your goal is to ensure that the employer gets the message — that people just like you are living positive, independent lives. While the audio description is hugely helpful to you, it could pose as a bit of a distraction to someone who needs the central message of the video. Once you’re hired and the video has received the kudos it will inevitably get from your employer, you could introduce the audio description. While you’re at it, be sure to share these links with employment specialists and rehabilitation counselors.
So next time you have that all-important job interview, do more than inform your future employer regarding your life and accomplishments. Share the link to the BlindAbility video and send the message that yours is a rich and varied life similar to the lives of those depicted.