Plugged In

Plugged In

The Braille Monitor

_July 1997

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(contents)

PHOTO/CAPTION: Gerald

Moreno

The Power of Being

Plugged In

by Gerald Moreno

From the Editor: Those of us

who have been members of the NFB for many years sometimes take for granted all

the benefits we receive from the organization every day. It's fairly easy for

those who read Federation material but remain aloof from contact with members

to dismiss as propaganda the enthusiastic stories of those who have recently

discovered what a difference the National Federation of the Blind has made in

their lives. Gerald Moreno presented the following speech during the Job Opportunities

for the Blind Seminar at the 1997 convention of the NFB of New Jersey on April

18. It is a salutary reminder to us all of how important it is that we share

the gift of the Federation with every blind person willing to listen. This is

what Gerald Moreno said:

I wanted to use the hair dryer last week.

My daughter likes to keep it in her room, and I always have to look for it.

She claims that I do not have enough hair to use a dryer. Annoyed by the search,

I grabbed the plug and plugged it in. It didn't work. I had a perfectly good

hair dryer, and it didn't work. Then I realized that I had plugged in the wrong

cord. When I plugged in the right one, it worked.

It wasn't that the hair dryer wouldn't

or couldn't work; it should have worked, but it didn't because I had grabbed

the wrong plug. The same can be said for the about 70 percent of blind people

in this nation who are unemployed. There are perfectly employable blind people

out there who, for whatever reason, are not plugged in and not working. Others

are working below their potential.

I would like to share my experiences

with you about the power of being plugged in--how, why, where. I entered Rutgers

in 1968. In late 1969 I had to stop driving because my eyesight had deteriorated.

At that point I went through what many blind people go through. Many weeks and

many tests later I was declared legally blind. Until this time I was not aware

that there was a National Federation of the Blind.

I registered with the library in Trenton,

RFB in Princeton, and the New Jersey Commission for the Blind. At that time

the Commission paid for my tuition and books and gave me spending money. Still

I didn't hear about the NFB.

I graduated in 1972 with a B.A. in economics.

Thus I began my job search. No one was interested. I felt alone in a world full

of people. It was sort of like being a plug that couldn't find the receptacle

where the power was.

In November, 1973, I was shopping in

the W.T. Grants Department Store and had stopped to ask questions of one of

the employees. I related my story to him: no job and my wife four months pregnant.

Little did I know that he was the store manager. He told me to file an application

for a job, and I was hired on the spot. He gave me a chance.

Although I was working, this job did

not pay enough. I continued to search and finally found a job as a social worker

for the Essex County Division of Welfare. It was early 1974, and I still hadn't

heard of the NFB.

In late 1974 there was a change in managers

at my office. A gentleman by the name of William Waldman became the assistant

field office supervisor. Mr. Waldman asked me to take oversight of the Work

Registration Project. The fact that I was legally blind didn't enter into the

equation.

Over the next five years I had contact

with the New Jersey Commission for the Blind as I developed various needs. I

also had contact with other agencies and groups, but I didn't learn about the

NFB yet. One thing that I should have done was remain active with the Talking

Book Library in Trenton. During my interview I inquired about receiving Talking

Books again. After I reapplied, I was put on their mailing list.

The library's spring newsletter arrived

in March of 1994. After being introduced to the technology available and seeing

how it would increase my job performance, I was anxious to call a telephone

number listed in the newsletter for more information about computers and adaptive

technology.

The telephone number belonged to David

Denotaris. I called David, and the rest is history. Not only did he talk to

me about his computer, he introduced me to an organization that could benefit

me. He introduced me to the National Federation of the Blind. Finally I heard!

Because I had contact with fellow blind users of adaptive technology, I was

better informed. When my employer was about to purchase my adaptive equipment,

I found out that they had made some changes, and the substitutions were not

compatible. I believe they were acting in good faith, but they didn't have the

expertise to assemble a suitable package for me.

By that time I had been in contact with

a member of the NFB by the name of Bob Kanish. He explained his system to me,

and I wanted a similar one. Just before the altered package was purchased, I

was able to intercept the order and have it modified. This technological catastrophe

was averted because I was plugged in. A potential problem was converted into

an advantage because I had contact with those who knew.

Due to a rather lengthy process (both

the Commission's and my employer's) of testing, evaluations, questionnaires,

and more, the adaptive equipment arrived in January of 1995. Should it have

taken so long? No, but I did get the equipment. We should probably work on shortening

the period between the first evaluation and the arrival of any assistance such

as training or adaptive equipment.

Think about what would have happened

if I hadn't been networking. That is why it is important to be plugged in. You

can find out that someone before you has already invented the wheel so that

you don't have to reinvent it.

When I met David in April, he asked me

to go on a bus ride to the National Center in Baltimore the next month. That

is where I attended my first NFB chapter meeting. I also purchased my first

cane that day. I often wonder when I would have gotten around to buying one

if I had not taken that trip.

It is very important to remain plugged

in. Think of a rechargeable battery. As long as it remains connected to the

power source, it is energized. The power in the battery would enable you to

listen to a radio or tape this talk. If the batteries were run down, you would

be powerless to do what you wanted to do.

Just as a battery needs to be charged,

so do you. The blind job seeker needs to know how or where to look for a job.

Not only the job seeker, but every blind person should take advantage of what

is available. As I said earlier, the right equipment was purchased for me because

I was plugged in.

You remain plugged in by attending local

NFB chapter meetings and conventions and by getting on mailing lists such as

Job Opportunities for the Blind, the Braille Monitor, and other worthwhile publications.

Developing new relationships and networking with those who have walked the path

you are about to walk can help guarantee that you will not succumb to the same

pitfalls that others have.

My life has decisively changed since

my introduction to the NFB. New friends, experiences, opportunities, and challenges

have come my way. The question some might ask is, "How different would

things be if you weren't plugged in?" The truth is that I am plugged in,

so I don't have to wonder. What I do ponder is, what is next for me?

Recently I read an article by Carol Castellano

in the Braille Monitor entitled "Possibilities." (By the way, this

appears in the newest Kernel Book, entitled Beginnings and Blueprints.) In the

article Carol recounts conversations that she had with her daughter Serena concerning

her future. The article reminded me of some conversations that I had with my

daughter concerning future possibilities. I said that I was considering going

on to further my education. The other possibility was to change careers in a

few years. My choices are limited only by my imagination.

The possibilities are countless. However,

if you aren't plugged in, you will never be aware of the multitude of choices

before you. Why limit yourself? Life has enough restrictions of its own. Don't

add to them. Become plugged in and informed of the menu of choices in front

of you. Place your order and enjoy. You are a peculiar type of hair dryer. You

can decide to plug yourself in or not. Plug yourself in and get hot--on fire

for success. The choice is yours.

I chose to be plugged in over three years

ago. Being plugged in has revealed to me things that I wouldn't have known otherwise.

This is my third state convention, and I am looking forward to my third national.

If you have never attended a National Convention, by all means make an effort

and meet us in New Orleans. You will assuredly feel the power of being plugged

in.