Profiles
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Focus on employment
Nicola Asmussen works as a Telephone Accounts Manager for Boise Office Solutions in Christchurch.
Managing approximately 500 clients, Nicola is a top telephone salesperson for her company.
A scanner and the magnification programme ZoomText loaded on to her computer, enables Nicola to read necessary documents.
"Keeping a positive attitude and thinking outside the square helps me the most when dealing with any barriers that may arise through my vision-impairment," says Nicola.
Her previous experience as a children's telephone counsellor helped her to develop excellent telephone and listening skills. "While qualifications can assist in obtaining work," says Nicola, "I think it's also important to find something you are passionate about for motivation and greater job satisfaction."
In searching for meaningful work, Nicola says she looked for opportunities instead of waiting for them to find her.
"Sometimes you walk into brick walls but there is always another way around. Tunnel under or knock it down with a sledge hammer," she advises. Wise advice indeed!
Vocational employment advisors:
Auckland - Eleanor Wicks ph 09 355 6879; Hamilton - Bob Wicks ph 07 838
7516; Wellington - Shirley Hampton ph 04 380 2149; Christchurch -
Stephanie Lange ph 03 375 4319; Dunedin - Paula Waby ph 03 466
4250.
White Cane Day
White Cane Day takes place this year, as every year, on October 15.
This internationally recognised day symbolises the achievements and independence of the blind.
You may notice advertisements or articles in your local newspaper around this time. The Foundation and the Association of Blind Citizens will be using the day to promote public awareness of what the white cane means. We are getting feedback from members that a significant percentage of the public do not understand its ongoing relationship to blindness.
You can play a part in getting the message across. White canes are a means of independence because:
- they transmit information about obstacles and contour changes
- they alert others to exercise simple courtesy and common sense when approaching
Ask your neighbours to trim back any tree branches overhanging onto footpaths and your local shop keepers to clear away hazards such as wheelie bins and billboards.
Remind others not to assume that that all blind people today have guide dogs. Some prefer a cane because they are allergic to dog fur or simply don't like dogs.
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Mark Pollock takes on the world
What could motivate 200 business people to leave a warm bed at 6am on a foggy winter morning in Auckland? Answer: one blind man and his story.
At 22, Mark Pollock was rowing for Ireland, about to graduate from Trinity College in Dublin and was dreaming of a career as an investment banker. He thought he had the world at his feet, but that world vanished out of sight when his retinas detached and Mark went irreversibly blind.
"We can't control the world and what happens to us but we can choose how to respond," Mark said to a packed-out Chamber of Commerce breakfast gathering at the Hyatt Hotel. "I decided to be someone who made things happen."
In the six years since that decision he has won a silver and bronze medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, run six marathons in a week across the Gobi Desert and a North Pole Arctic marathon. He's learning to kayak and swim, studying for a PhD, writing a book on motivation and success, and travelling around the world as a motivational speaker.
"As soon as I know what I want, and why, the team starts forming. When you know what you want to achieve and share your goals it's incredible what happens."
Mark acknowledges there was an initial period of some months when he didn't see any future for himself. "I thought I was going to be an investment banker and two months later I had someone teaching me to boil a kettle. I went through all the emotions you'd expect. I was angry, blaming other people, bargaining."
Life began to turn around when he got a white cane, a guide dog named Larry and a text-to-speech computer. He enlisted the help of London-based Blind in Business and tried out various career options. Three years later, Mark stepped back into a rowing boat again.
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One of the hurdles Mark admits he is still getting over is feeling comfortable in the company of other blind people, and taking part in blind sports. He has gone to extreme lengths to convince himself he can do anything a sighted person can. Standing at the North Pole, freezing and wondering why on earth he was there, a fellow adventurer asked, "What are you trying to prove?" It was a useful question. Mark has just ordered a tandem road bike and is investigating disabled categories of triathlon races. He acknowledges that full acceptance of the way things really are is always a work in progress.
Getting behind the Bequest Society
The Foundation's Bequest Society began in earnest last year, after being piloted in Dunedin.
The society's aim is to acknowledge and thank people who leave bequests to the Foundation in their will, while they are still alive.
It has already attracted many members. Two of those members are 87 year-old Valerie Wallace and her 93 year-old husband Edgar.
When Edgar's direct sight deserted him almost four years ago, the couple thought they would be faced with "no end of problems". Then Edgar discovered talking books.
"Well," says Valerie, "he has never done so much reading! We're very fortunate in our times of adversity to have the support of the Foundation."
The Wallaces' gratitude prompted them to do something about providing for other members faced with similar circumstances. They made a bequest pledge. "We take things day by day at our age," says Valerie, "but we rest happy that, whatever happens, whatever we have left will be put to the best possible use".
Last year the Wallaces took a trip with a group of 12 friends to visit the Guide Dog Centre. They've also been to a couple of the lunches held by the Bequest Society. These lunches take place four times a year and have guest speakers.
"We can't drive any more," says Valerie, "so someone comes and gets us. It's a chance to socialise. It's good to meet with other people. We'll be going to the next one."
Nearly half of all New Zealanders have not made a will or have not kept their will current. A great deal of confusion and additional stress on family members occurs when a person dies without a clear will.
The Foundation can also offer suggestions for specific projects the bequest could be assigned to.
If you would like to make or revise your will and leave a bequest to the Foundation, you can contact one of our Bequest Advisors by dialling 0800 DONATE (0800 366 283).