I’m writing to tell you of a possible innovation which will, if it is allowed to come to be, change the way blind persons are employed.
Imagine a program where blind people could become employed quickly? A self-funding program where businesses would have the best incentives to hire the blind, as well as a guarantee that the blind employee would remain on the job. Tom Dalley is working with some officials to help develop this new program. Here’s how it works.
Let’s say that I own Company X, and I decide to hire you as a blind employee. I have you on a trial basis while the program gives me 75 percent of your pay for the first quarter, 50 percent of your pay for the second quarter, and 25 percent of your pay for the third quarter. During the fourth quarter, I would then, decide whether to keep you on the job for a much longer period of time. If I decide to keep you on as an employee, my company would be required to pay the program back for the second year so that the next blind person could be funded for the first year of their own employment. This process would make the program a revolving fund which would keep blind people working.
The only responsibility that vocational rehabilitation counselors would have would be to direct blind people to those employers who are willing to invest in the program on the blind workers’ behalf. Furthermore, there would be no real need to have Vocational Rehabilitation assist with the job hunt. You could if you wished, simply apply for positions of employment offered by participating companies on your own.
Imagine what this revolving fund could do. It could, due to the self-funding nature of the program purchase the assistive technology needed for the blind employ to complete his or her task, and on the job training as well.
On Tuesday, September 1, 2020, Tom and I coordinated a Zoom conference about this innovation. Follow this link to listen to the audio Zoom Conference.
Tom is aware that this employment plan will take a lot of time and effort, particularly where getting start-up money is concerned.
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If you have questions for Tom, please send them to me, or I can put you in touch with him directly.
To contact me with your question, and learn about my published work as well, please visit: http://www.dldbooks.com/robertbranco/
Or email directly at bobbranco93@gmail.com.
Tom Dalley, was also a guest on my podcast, In Perspective episode 144. To listen to episode 144 of In Perspective, follow this link.
As always, thank you for listening to In Perspective.
Sincerely,
Bob Branco.
