The situation here in England is very different. The government pays for support workers and assisted travel, and the employer does not have to bear the support worker's travel costs. But asking for an assistant in India whom one can take along to the US at the cost of the employer sounds a little far-fetched. And excessive dependence on colleagues is not desirable.
It is true that Mahesh deserves to go since he is the most qualified and the most senior person. It is also true that employers should not discriminate based on blindness. We can have laws passed against it and have the media write all it can in our favour. Still, for attitudes to change, we have to be more independent and forthcoming. Building awareness is a difficult and long-winded process; we have to do our bit by trying to lead more independent lives as far as possible. Geetha ----- Original Message ----- From: "Viraj Kafle" <vka...@gmail.com> To: <accessindia@accessindia.org.in> Sent: Friday, September 24, 2010 4:51 PM Subject: Re: [AI] behaviour of my superior I second this. While it is always desirable that the VI people be as independent as possible, dependance itself should not be viewed as if it is a sin or a crime. One may depend on someone for mobility. But it by no means implies that one cannot do one's work properly or would inevitably fail to represent one's institution. I understand that people generally believe in the contrary, but that is precisely where the struggle is needed. As for the awareness versus intervention debate, I feel that the later is more desirable, because the fact that the employee is the most senior and the most qualified amply speaks of his qualities and capabilities and is sufficient to make people aware of the same. Of course, one has to be cautious and strategic in determining the course of action to be taken. Best. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mann, Madleen" <madleen.m...@rnib.org.uk> To: "Geetha Shamanna" <gee...@millernorbert.de>; <accessindia@accessindia.org.in> Sent: Friday, September 24, 2010 8:57 PM Subject: Re: [AI] behaviour of my superior > Dear Mahesh, > > I would be shocked about this too. > > I think it is perfectly normal to be guided by someone. Indeed here in > England people would probably try to ask for a support worker to fly > over to the states for a conference with them, just to avoid hassle and > to get the most out of the conference and the trip. > > I think it was fair enough that he asked you for a one to one > communication but as you state you are the person who really should be > going there so please if at all possible don't withdraw your nomination > but show them how capable you are. > Maybe it's the opinion some people have but it is by all means not the > opinion they should have. > And as for the comments about accidents, they can happen to everyone not > just to you because you have no sight. > > Please update us on this > Best wishes, > Madleen Mann > RNIB Customer Sales and Support/Technology > 105, Judd Street > London > WC1H 9NE > t: 0207 391 23 08 > E: madleen.m...@rnib.org.uk > -----Original Message----- > From: accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in > [mailto:accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in] On Behalf Of Geetha > Shamanna > Sent: 24 September 2010 16:05 > To: accessindia@accessindia.org.in > Subject: Re: [AI] behaviour of my superior > > Hi Mahesh, > > Please do not get me wrong for asking you these questions, but how > independent are you? Do you travel to work and move around within the > office > on your own? Do you use a white cane? Do you travel independently > outside > Pune on your own, be it for official or private purposes? > > The impression colleagues at work have of us blind people is to a large > extent dependent on the way we conduct ourselves. If a blind person > requires > assistance to move around within the office or to commute to work, > colleagues will always assume that blind people are dependent. It is not > > their fault entirely; that blind person in their office might be the > only > blind person they have come across in their whole existence. > > Instead of going to the press and publicising this issue, what is > probably > required here is for you to have a long and candid talk with your > superior > and try and convince him that you are capable of looking after yourself > during the US trip, and that you will not be excessively dependent on > the > colleagues traveling with you. You can also ask him to specifically list > out > his reservations; you can then address them individually. If you have > traveled alone previously, tell him how you did so and how independently > you > dealt with the situation. It won't be easy, but each of us will have to > fight this battle on our own. > > Finally, if he is not sufficiently convinced and does not agree to send > you > to the conference, do not give up. Whenever opportunities to travel to > local > conferences or other events within Pune or other parts of India arise, > be > the first one to apply. He may not be averse to sending you to local > events; > so make full use of it and try to be as independent as possible during > these > events. You will then notice how your superior's impression of you > changes. > > Geetha > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Mahesh Shah" <mss...@gmail.com> > To: "accessindia" <accessindia@accessindia.org.in> > Sent: Friday, September 24, 2010 5:45 AM > Subject: [AI] behaviour of my superior > > > Dear Friends-- > > I am writing to this list after a long time. I wish to tell you an > incident happened in my office , which shocked me. > > Every year, a delegation goes from my office, C-DAC, to participate in > SuperComputing conference in USA. This year I put my self-nomination > for this. I am the most qualified and most senior person for the job. > > But my boss called me for a one-to-one discussion and informed me that > it will be 'embarrasing' to send a person (VI) like me in . the > delegation. Because I will require someone's support and will hold > someone's hand. Also if some accident happens to me because of my > disability, he and office will be hold responsible for why they sent > such a person. > > I was really shocked and upset with the behaviour. Then I withdrew my > nomination for participation in the conference. > > Friends, I want to show you that how these learned so-called superiors > fail to understand the VI peoples aspirations and behave in such a > nonsense way. > > Thanks for sharing my concerns. > > > > Mahesh Shah > Pune > > Voice your thoughts in the blog to discuss the Rights of persons with > disability bill at: > http://www.accessindia.org.in/harish/blog.htm > > To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in > with > the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, > please > visit the list home page at > > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.i > n > > > Voice your thoughts in the blog to discuss the Rights of persons with > disability bill at: > http://www.accessindia.org.in/harish/blog.htm > > To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in > with the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, > please visit the list home page at > > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.i > n > > > To report this e-mail as Spam, please forward it to: > s...@mailcontrol.com > > > -- > DISCLAIMER: > > NOTICE: The information contained in this email and any attachments is > confidential and may be privileged. If you are not the intended > recipient you should not use, disclose, distribute or copy any of the > content of it or of any attachment; you are requested to notify the > sender immediately of your receipt of the email and then to delete it > and any attachments from your system. > > RNIB endeavours to ensure that emails and any attachments generated by > its staff are free from viruses or other contaminants. However, it > cannot accept any responsibility for any such which are transmitted. > We therefore recommend you scan all attachments. > > Please note that the statements and views expressed in this email and > any attachments are those of the author and do not necessarily represent > those of RNIB. > > RNIB Registered Charity Number: 226227 > > Website: http://www.rnib.org.uk > > > > This message has been scanned for viruses by Websense Hosted Security - > http://www.websense.com/content/HostedEmailSecurity.aspx > > > Voice your thoughts in the blog to discuss the Rights of persons with > disability bill at: > http://www.accessindia.org.in/harish/blog.htm > > To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in > with the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, > please visit the list home page at > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Voice your thoughts in the blog to discuss the Rights of persons with disability bill at: http://www.accessindia.org.in/harish/blog.htm To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Voice your thoughts in the blog to discuss the Rights of persons with disability bill at: http://www.accessindia.org.in/harish/blog.htm To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
