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Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Job developer/vocation specialist Ercilia Aranda demonstrates one of the split-screen closed- circuit television and monitors available from the Sensory Access Foundation for people who are visually impaired or have low vision.
SAF works to extend its reach
Foundation provides clients with education and job training
By Jana Seshadri
Christa Kennedy is legally blind, but that did not deter her from becoming office manager for Product Services Inc., an independent contract firm. She didn't do it alone. Sunnyvale's Sensory Access Foundation helped Kennedy, 34, undergo education and training on their access technology, and now she puts it to good use.
"I can't say enough about SAF," Kennedy said. "The trainers were always there for me and did everything for me to get where I am today."
For 28 years SAF, a nonprofit organization, has been providing skills training, job placement, accommodation and job retention services to people who are blind and visually impaired. It's the only organization of its kind in California.
Kennedy, who lives in San Luis Obispo, was attending a junior college there when she heard of the organization and decided to pursue it. Financial assistance for the course and for the accommodation was given by the department of rehabilitation, which made it possible for Kennedy to complete the 14-week customer/administrative services training, or CAST, program at SAF. Kennedy said she then felt she was ready to work in her father's family business.
"With the skills I had gained at SAF I was able to approach my dad for a job," Kennedy said. "Now I can start saving some money and get off of supplemental aid."
CAST is just one of three different kinds of Access Technology training programs that SAF provides. Kennedy said she received training in customer service methods and techniques in addition to selected PC Power Series classes to provide her with job skills. Kennedy said she is now able to go online and look up information on different companies and their products and determine if her father needs any of them for his company.
She also does data entry through multitasking. With the help of a split screen, visually impaired people can work on two different programs simultaneously. Kennedy said she uses it when people send her their résumés. She's able to retrieve information from the résumés, then enters the data into an Access spreadsheet and sends it on to a job placement company in Florida.
SAF can also help if the client is in danger of losing his or her job. SAF specialists intervene to determine if anything can be done for the client to retain the job, such as introducing new equipment or providing additional training to the client.
During or after their client is hired, SAF also steps in to do a tech evaluation, which assesses the equipment the employer has and suggests changes if needed.
"I sit with the employer and our client, and after a tech evaluation, sometimes I even introduce new equipment or software for the employer to purchase and install," Access Technology specialist Marie Batoy said. "Our job is to expose the individuals to the many types of technology available to them in the market."
Companies and individuals have access to several different kinds of equipment for the visually impaired. The portable or standalone CCTV monitor changes the background color for better contrast, magnifies documents for low-vision clients and splits the screen for clients to work on two programs simultaneously. A portable electronic note-taker is voice enabled so clients can hear what they are typing, and has two keyboard versions--QWERTY and Braille. The "Jaws" program reads aloud what's on the screen.
Steve Nakagawa's eyesight was damaged because of chronic diabetes. Nakagawa was working for Palm Inc. in Santa Clara for four years as technology support manager when he was laid off last month. Nakagawa is currently in SAF's vocational services program, which will prepare him for competitive employment. As part of the PC Power Series program, he is also being trained on the "Jaws" program.
"I want to make sure I can be productive when I start applying for jobs again," Nakagawa said.
"We help our clients do a lot for themselves," said Rebekah Reali, a job developer and vocational specialist for SAF. "We encourage them to create resumes, do active job searches and conduct mock interviews with them so we can point out or suggest where they can say or do things differently. We even advise them on their appearance and how to dress for an interview."
SAF connects individuals with job agencies and job fairs throughout the state, which gives them wider exposure. But SAF doesn't just work with individuals, it also works with companies.
"We conduct seminars and informational interviews with different companies to find out about jobs in the field," Reali said. The companies are also briefed on how to successfully hire and accommodate people with impaired vision.
Although its largest contract is with the California State Department of Rehabilitation, which provides SAF with 85 percent of its financing, the organization offers its services free of charge to community outreach clients, who are unable to pay. However, there are certain eligibility requirements for these clients--they have to be mobile, medically stable and have basic spelling, reading and typing skills.
After the initial eligibility assessment, SAF trains them to look for a job. SAF prides itself on helping its vision-impaired clients function productively in a work environment but also requires dedication from its vision-impaired students.
"They have to have the motivation to work," Reali said.
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
