Creating a Positive Work Environment for People with Visual Impairments with Welby Broaddus
With our population of people with visual impairments being 70 to 80%, underemployed or unemployed, the employment crisis is still hitting us in ways that really it shouldn't be. Luckily today on the podcast, we have an amazing author who has written a book to help not only people with visual impairments, but the HR directors themselves to understand the benefits of hiring people with visual impairments. I know you are going to absolutely love this episode. Stay tuned because I cannot wait for you to hear what he has to say.
In this podcast episode:
Who is Welby Broaddus
How visual impairment shaped his work
Challenges faced at work
Welby’s thoughts on underemployed blind and visually impaired
Welby’s book, Leading Blind Without Vision
Where to reach Welby
Transcript of the Episode:
Who is Welby Broaddus
Kassy:Welcome everybody back to the podcast and welcome to our very special guest Welby Broaduss. I'm so glad that you are here. This is gonna be such a fantastic conversation.
Welby:
Thank you. I'm glad to be here. I’m excited. Thanks for having me.
Kassy:
Oh, it is absolutely our pleasure. All right. So today we're here really talking about employment for people with visual impairments. And I would love to hear a little bit about you and your background. We can go back as far as you want just to give everybody a little introduction into just who you are in general.
Welby:
Okay, so I’m Welby Broaduss, I was born visually impaired. They're legally blind by government standards. And I was raised my mom, my grandmother, my dad. They pretty much raised me to the point that I didn't realise I had a vision impairment until I actually got into school. Because other people in my family wear glasses, so I thought that I'm just a kid with glasses. I didn't realise I was visually impaired, legally blind so I actually got to school. And how I figured that out is at the point when I got to school, you know the typical kids they was talking about me. Why do I get to close your eyes and things like that. So then I realised that I was different.
And then I'm gonna fast forward so when I got to middle school. I had a counselor I think it was like seventh grade, Mr. Serona, I wish I could track her to find her today to thank her but she really gave me helped me get to sensibility, technology, large prints, books, talking books, and computer software to help me actually be a productive student. That's what I was doing, I was just going to do class pretending that guy can see everything and not acknowledging that by the vision impairment, cause I don't want to get talked about. So what she did, she set me up with, you know, how at the time was called Visual service for the vision impaired. And that's a government agency of the state of Ohio. And they helped me get the large print books, computers, things like that. So that really helped.
And then as I got into high school, that kind counselor didn’t come with in high school, so I had a different counselor. This is what helped me get to where I am today. So you know, your senior year of high school, you meet with your guidance counselor, first semester, and they ask you, they will help you map in your plan what you want to do in life. So in my mind, at this point, I was confident with myself with my vision impairment. People could talk about it, I didn't care because I accepted who I am, I love myself at this point.
So I met with my counselor. And she was like, so what's your plans after high school? So I took at this… I said I plan to go to Kent State and major in computer science. And this is what fueled me. And with no hesitation, her response was, Well, you're not cut out for the material, you should just go get a job. And at that point, I didn't hear anything she said in our conversation. At that point, she sound like the peanuts pans “wak wak wak” when she talks. And I said… I left her office. And I didn't tell her by my family what she said. But I told myself, I'm going to college, I'm gonna graduate because I gotta prove this person wrong. And so that's what I did.
I'd be… I can go to a whole story about it but the short end of the story is I ended go into college and earned a two degrees and my first job was working for University of Akron, which school I was… I graduated from. And my boss at the time they had this pilot programme with Akron public schools, and she want me to oversee this programme. And what I did in this programme was I work with the special ed kids at the high school because their high school is right on college campus. So those kids would come in the morning and I will teach them employability skills. And then in afternoon they come back and actually do jobs on campus, get some work experience so then they liaise for Akron public school. Se said, Hey, I want you to come down to teachers and meet the counselor and that's how God works. Come back full circle when I get down there. The counselor I met was my second counselor who told me I wasn’t cut out for the material so it came back full circle. And then… And I got up to her and asked her if she knew who I was and she said, No, she don’t knew who I was I didn't want to do on her face, it was for my own sake. So I said, Hey, I did this, this is full circle from what you told me to look where I'm at now, and things like that. So that led me to where I am. I just want to write a story about me being visually impaired. And I got to this point now.
Kassy:
That's such a great story. And I think it it shows two or three different things. A, a testament for teachers, and the power that our words have on our students and our learners. Because if you really believe in a student, they will take that and run with it. But if you don't believe in a student, or if you're just having a bad day, who knows what was going on in her life, like she could have just found out that like, her husband wanted to leave her that… you have no idea what was going on, right, that impacted your life so much. And that also goes to show your own strength, your self determination, your self efficacy, where you said, You know what, I'm going to prove you wrong. Where a lot of people wouldn't believe in themselves that much. And they would say, maybe she's right.
Welby:
Right, correct. I'm glad I didn't do that.
How visual impairment shaped his work
Kassy:
Yeah, so do you mind telling us a little bit about your visual impairment, if it matters and how that has shaped the work that you've chosen to do?
Welby:
So I didn't notice to start doing research for my book. So when I was born, I was… I think I was like premature where my lungs aren’t fully developed. So end up staying in the hospital, I think it’s like 10 days. And I was an incubator, and I think what happened, I got to much oxygen got exposed to me. And I have what they call optic atrophy and this stagness. So I'm severely visually impaired, and I can’t control the muscle on my left eye. So sometimes my eyes just shakes on its own, like that. And there's no surgery that can fix this, you know, because I saw… things like that.
My vision is so bad that I have to go see a specialist. So me going to the eye doctors in a local mall, that just basic. Does nothing for me, I always had to go see a specialist. Now that when I'm in Akron, Ohio, so I'm going to Cleveland Clinic and one of the best in the country. And I went there since I was born till I was 18 years old. And actually I still wants to go to Concord, I still want to go to seeing Dr. Price. Yeah, so and that's where I'm at. So I have like visual aids, I got a no… I got… I use like zoom texts and things like that over the years and things like that. I got magnifiers and things like that. I buy large prints, books and things like that as well.
Kassy:
Yeah. Well, that's good. Thank you, that gives us a little bit of background. So the people listening in our community can kind of like put themselves a little bit more in your shoes in such a wide range of visual impairment to be able to be like, Oh, well, he can do that, because XYZ or he can do that, because whatever thoughts that they have in their head, so as you moved forward after that moment with your counselor, what happened after that?
Welby:
So as I got this job, which I was looking at a programme was University Akron, so they did end up losing fund as it was a grant funded programme. And so I started applying for the jobs and I'm applying for this job to work at this agency called Joshua Howell Graduate’s Programme. And I ended up working here for 14 years and, and what this programme was you… you help at risk youth either get into college, find a job or get into the military. And what I did, I was working with the seniors. And I also worked in a dropout recovery programme. So you helped us you teach them employability skills, make sure they graduated things like that, to put them on a path to be successful.
And so I was there for like eight years at this point, I started the job. So I would apply and I'm gonna I'm not gonna say there's a national organisation, pretty much doing the same job that was already doing, I wouldn't apply for them. And so when I had to interview… you know how you go through an interview, you know, you when you kill it that people in the edge of their seat, they buy every thing you saying, everything's going great. And I've a ton of ideas I could do to help the agency work and things like that.
And so then they said, you know, there's always that question. So tell us something about you that we don't know. And so I said, Well, I'm gonna tell you I'm finishing up here, and I'm just gonna disclose that I’m legally blind. I don't drive but I have no problem doing my job. And I've been doing this job for eight years. It's anything I've done that I've already been doing that I'll be doing for you guys. It was like a playing Pac Man when you’re getting Pac Man. It was like beweep game over their whole expression changed. And that type of stuff always fuels me so what I would do, I will say rejection letters for all these types of interviews because I knew that the only reason I didn't get these jobs is because of my visual impairment. Because each of those jobs I knew I can do. Now people like me who are blind or visually impaired, you don't we don't put ourselves in positions to to fail because it's hard for us to get a job anyway. She's not gonna put… I'm not gonna go apply for a job where I need to drive a truck. Just to say I get a job to apply but because I know that I cannot be able to do that. And I know another thing, if I do that, the next person come on the vine vision impairment, they wouldn’t get a shot because of what I did.
So I will say these rejection letters, and they will always… It's like be preparing for a basketball game where you're in a locker room getting pumped up. So before any round of these rejection letters and I will say, alright, this is what happened. And it fueled me to go on to the next job to be successful at that one. Then I decided, you know, I'm not the only one going through this struggle, and I always want to write a book. I always knew the title was gonna be leading blind without vision, that was always my title. And so I decided to write his book when opportunity presented. So yes, I was… I had to write his book.
Kassy:
Wow. So I love… I love the fact that you save your rejection letters. I wouldn't do that. I would like, hide away in a corner.
Welby:
No, I, I knew it wasn't me. I knew it wasn't because I wasn’t qualified because I knew the language and had a question they would ask me. And the interviewer would tell me that they liked what I'm doing that I'm a good candidate for this position. It always changes when I disclosed that I’m visually impaired.
Kassy:
Right. So how do you overcome that challenge?
Welby:
Well, I don't have to disclose it. So sometimes these jobs… I didn't disclose it as well. But I also felt like I just want to be open and honest, because I don't want to not disclose it, didn't get a job and actually be treated another kind of way because they didn't want me to be the blind and visually impared worker for them. So I always disclose. I just like… that guy will leave me. And they have leave me thus far. Like… I like my current job. I'm still working. I work in Ohio South of County Juvenile Court, I'm a misdemeanor case manager there. And I learned to follow leaders in my community that I knew this about. Because I'm a humanist, I define myself, who care about human people, care about others. And so those are jobs, I was solicited to. Those companies like my boss now, the judge at the court Linen Teodosio. She cares about everybody. So I knew I got a chance with this person, you know, and by the job, I worked the job, they care about the less fortunate. So I do have a chance. And also I started my own business. So… that hey, that kills a lot of stuff, too so.
Challenges faced at work
Kassy:
Yeah, that's really cool. So okay, thus far, just in your working life. Can you tell us besides getting hired as the challenge, what has been one challenge that you faced after you were already hired and how did you overcome that?
Welby:
So once you’re out of that phase, visually impared. So a lot of times my glasses, not corrective lenses, so my glasses just basically like a visual aid. So I don't really need my glasses get around. I mean, they… they help just a little, but I don't need them to get around for say, for somebody else. So I think the challenge is people actually believe that I am visually impaired, or accepting me as a visually impared, as a challenge. Now the challenge is providing me the accessibility technology that I need to be successful in the job. And also, as a visually impaired person, there might be some things I do need that I don't even ask for. I just go through the struggle, because I know that the next person, they're going to be like, well, Jane, well, we need all this stuff. We don't want to hire this person because they needed all these stuff. So I kind of like, hold back because I wanted this next person to come to the job and be… have opportunity as well. So I think that tends to happen with me. And I think some of the blind and visually impaired people, they do the same thing. Like we don't want to ruffle feathers at a certain point. So I think that's one of the challenge I have. And it might be just with me. But I don't want to take the risk of like, Well, dang he needs too much, because I know they can't fire me because of my vision impairment. But the next person coming here might not get a chance.
Kassy:
Yeah. So you kind of take one for the team? Yeah. And I'm sure that any minority group that has struggled people on the way up, like you have had to make those sacrifices as well. And man, can we just take a moment to say like, that sucks. The fact that you have to do that. And that's the reality of the world that we live in. Because what you're doing is you're creating a stepping stone and you're saying, Okay, I'm going to take these challenges, and I'm going to deal with them and be afraid to ruffle feathers just so just for the chance that somebody else with a visual impairment is going to come back behind me in the same role or the same company. And I want them to have the chance to, like be where I'm at or even what I sense from you possibly even, like get further ahead than me.
Welby:
Yeah, yeah. And that inspired me to write a book because I want to educate… Even though there's ADA guidelines, but still companies still break those guidelines all the time. So… and things that they had, they have a fear about giving us a shot. Because we're not just like a people with disability for say somebody who has a disability, so they refer to a wheelchair. This could be totally different from somebody else that's in a wheelchair, but yet, their whole aspect is to wheelchair. So all you need to accommodate is just for individual needs is in a wheelchair. Whereas the blind or visually impaired community, I might need the papers printed in a large text, where the next person doesn't need it, they might need a braille reader. So we are from all over different spectrum. So they only know there's a cookie cutter just for all of us that we all can use, at the same time, do the same type of work, we all may need different accessibility technology to do the same job.
Welby’s thoughts on underemployed blind and visually impaired
Kassy:
Yeah, exactly. And I guess that's a challenge of people with visual impairments getting employed in general. What do you think about the fact that, you know, 70 plus percent of people with visual impairments are unemployed or underemployed?
Welby:
I think that that’s… is a shame. it's amazing to me that on a regular basis, our unemployment rate is 70%. And that's when the economy is good, economy’s bad or what even like now. This is a great time to hire the blind and visually impaired community since COVID because then you have people not as able to, people don't want… not going back to work. You see around everywhere, for all types of jobs that we can do. So what… this is the opportunity. You looking for employees? This is the time to give us a chance to see what we can do. All it’s gonna be is a win win, because you're getting a body come in here to help you perform the job that you want people to do. It is sad. It's really sad.
Kassy:
Yeah, I agree. And I think actually like, moving forward, since there are so many work-at-home positions, as long as you have AT skills, assistive technology skills, and you can do the job. Like if the job doesn't require a lot of JavaScript, then it cuts out all of the challenges of getting to work. And leaving home from work and getting around the office place. Because some of the biggest challenges are the ability to like get around, get to the coffee machine, get to the restroom, get to the meeting space, and have to deal with other people moving things around and not saying something but in your own home., you're here.
Welby:
Right, right. It’s your own environment. I know, I get around my house. So, you know, it's natural. Yeah, I definitely agree with that.
Kassy:
Yeah, I think so. And I'm hoping that with the VRT programmes, they're actually starting to really look at that, and make those accommodations to start training people even more in AT than we have been before. Because it's just something that's so needed right now. I mean, you can't really survive without it. But I mean, if you think about anybody who works from home, we have to be our own IT person, like setting up our own computer and doing all this stuff. So we have to have extra skills that we may not have needed before but that… it basically compensates for not having to have to move around in that environment or, you know, read something that's on a board because now it's on Slack or in an email, you know?
Welby:
Right, right. Great.
Welby’s book, Leading Blind Without Vision
Kassy:
Yeah. Yeah. So tell me a little bit about this book that you keep alluding to. Who is it for? What do we get to learn in it? I haven't gotten to read it. But I'm really excited to. I love your story and how inspirational you are.
Welby:
Okay, yeah. Okay, thank you. So yeah, so the book is called Leading Blind Without Vision, the benefits of hiring the blind or visually impaired. And basically, it's a book for HR professional business executives and business owners to learn the benefits of hiring the blind and visually impaired community. The first section of the book deals with… talks about the history of discrimination, the blind and visually impaired went through in this country, United States. And also it talks about the different technologies that came about, as well. And it talks about the ADA guidelines that came into effect in 1990, George Herbert Walker Bush signed in the law.
And then section two deals with all the qualities that we have for an employer like we’re dedicated employee, very productive, great problem solvers, things like that, motivated to work. And then the last section is geared for the HR professionals and business owners to onboard us into the workplace. And this book came about because it's… it's something that's dear to my heart. I just felt like we never got a chance. You know, they have these myths that's not true. Like they believe that we can’t be fitted, there's nothing that we can do in the job. They feel that we’re tne most accident prone. And that's not true. There was a study done.
Walgreens, for example, did a study. They created a facility in South Carolina, and they wanted to be accessible for people who have mental and physical disabilities. So they set it up and board just population into the workplace. And what they found out is that there was a 40% decrease in accidents for the employees who had disabilities versus their non disabled employees. So that just funks what myths are so I just want this book to educate them. And what I did in the book I added the appendix on the book that actually has every states and US territories rehabilitation and accessibility agency or Blind and Visually Impaired Centre for each state, US territory. So these employers can go to these organisations, and they can help them onboard qualified candidates that can do the jobs that they aren't they are they have opened it for their organisations.
Kassy:
That's amazing. So when you bring this book to your HR personnel, what have they said about it? As far as like helping them?
Welby:
So yeah, so the book came out in December, and I've been doing few interviews and things like that. They are really like saying, like, wow. I interview one lady from our book, her name’s Megan O'Connell's. And she said, this book has never been created. And I was like, I know, I was doing my research so I decided to write the book. And we got back from them. So I'm writing this book through this programme to Georgetown University called the Creator’s Institute. And my girlfriend at the time, now my fiancee, she told me about this programme that our friend went through. So I signed up for this programme, and it's a free programme, you just pay $500 for the editors. So I was writing a memoir in the beginning. It's called Leading Blind, it is gonna be the title. And so you have editors that you've worked with. So the distributing editors, the first one, basically just want to make sure you writing, get on point for the topic.
So she's let me write for a couple of weeks. And we met every Saturday morning. And she said, Well, I got a question. So you’re writing a memoir right? I said yes, I am. She said, Well, who's gonna read your memoir? And I'm sitting here like, what you mean? Like, people know me, you from Akron, Ohio. You got family friends there, people in Akron will probably read your book, but who else knows you? She said, well, people write memoirs are typical people who are known; politicians, athletes, celebrities, you know people like that. And I'm saying like, what? So then I said, she's right. So she said, she said, you know, and they apparently she has a disability as well.
So she said why don’t you write a book about how to educate people with disabilities on how to get a job. And I tell her like, No Joan, I don't want to write that book, because we already know I mean, we are a lot of us have been to… Majority of us have been to these rehabilitation centres and they showed us how to do that, they showed us how to get jobs. I said no I'm gonna flip it. I'm gonna write this book to educate HR professionals, business owners and executives on the businesses that are hiring. Those are the lost ones. We already know will be capable of doing. They don't know. So I want to educate that population on writing the book. And so she wasn’t disagreeing but she said that, that's going to be difficult as well. I'm up for the challenge, because I think that's the lead that I need to put out there. Because there's nothing out there like that so that's why I got to this point.
Kassy:
Oh, thank you so much for taking the time to tell that story. That's amazing.
Welby:
Thank you.
Kassy:
Yeah. So when we're looking at like, your book, and everybody in our community is gonna go to our link, and we'll have it linked up for you in the show notes. I think that this is really great inspiration for people getting a job. Yes, they already do. You're right, have the skills of how to get a job and the VRT programmes are doing a great job of teaching those. But then also it armed them with like, actually, here's, like, here's the truth and it armed them with more confidence, and more substance behind them. And if they do get in with, you know, an HR person who's teetering, then they can probably give them the book or send them a copy or tell them to buy the book. And it helped them help the HR personnel to realise the benefits.
Welby:
Right I definitely saw that. First there’s blind and visually impaired that’s unemployed but trying to find work. I think it's a great resource for them to buy as well so they can just have it with them so they can say hey, you said this is what I'm capable of doing. This is about me. This defunks any myths you may have that I can't do. This is what I'm capable of doing. And when the guy’s interviewed the book, and he has a tech company that he actually goes a company to teach them how to make this place accessible for people blind or visually impaired. Because if you require to use the computer for the job, us as blind and visually impaired, we could do to work because pretty much every software has accessibility technology that's already onboard into the system by law. So we're capable of doing you just have companies, don't know that, know themselves and aren’t educated themselves on the technology that they already have. So it's not really a major expense when you got to go out to go out buy something.
Where to reach Welby
Kassy:
Yeah, so smart. Oh, Well, while they let us know where we can keep in touch with you and give us a shout out as to where we can buy the book,
Welby:
Okay, you can reach me on my website is broaddusbizsol.com. And that’s B R O A D D U S B I Z S O L dot com. You can email me at same thing broaddusbizsol@gmail.com. And you can purchase my books, Amazon, target, bnm anywhere you buy your books online, you can get my book. And you can purchase on my website as well.
Kassy:Okay. Well, I thank you so much for being on this podcast.
Welby:
Oh, thank you.
Kassy:
It just been such a pleasure. I wish you all the best, absolute most success. Thank you for showing up for our people for changing the world for doing the work it. It's just it's so amazing to be able to connect with game changers, like you, I really appreciate it.
Welby:
Oh, thank you for having me, I'd definitely like to have that opportunity to spread the word. This is something that's dear to my heart, and always has been since I was a young kid. I just want to make a difference. And I'm going to show people that just because I'm I'm blind or visually impaired, or because I'm different or anybody is different doesn't mean we can't be productive citizens and give back just like everybody else, because we have a lot to offer, from our experiences as well to share with society to make this whole world a better place for everybody.
Kassy:
100%. Well, you guys, we will have the show notes up for you and we will have all of these links on the show notes as well. So you can go stay in touch with Welby, send him an email, check out his website and definitely go buy that book.
Welby:
Yes. Thank you.
Kassy:
Thank you so much Welby, really appreciate it.