Scanning News Articles
Arizona industries for the blind offer a lifeline with scanning employment
Date: 17/06/2008
The majority of the blind community (often around 70%) is unemployed, most blind people find that employers often don’t give them the chance for a job role and there is always a large risk involved in such employment.
Last month Arizona industries for the blind helped Wayne Edwards getting back into employment by offering him a job in their Digital Data Scan department where he now prepares documents for scanning by removing the staples and paper clips.
Wayne Edwards lost his sight over four years ago when his diabetes caused a bilateral retinal detachment. When he had full sight he worked as a successful business manager but as soon as he lost his sight he couldn’t find employment for four years.
Edwards was thankful for the opportunity to get back into work; "I found it very disheartening that people couldn't give me a chance," said the 49-year-old from Phoenix. "I was anxious to knock that dust of four years off of me and get back to work."
Digital Data Scan is an electronic document-conversion service that the blind can operate. The technology for this was actually developed by National Industries for the Blind, now the Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind plans to operate the sixth service.
With more business and interest in the commercial industry Arizona Industry for the blind hope they can offer more similar chances to blind people in the community.
At the moment out of 110 employed people at AIB 65 of them are blind or visually impaired. With the scanning industry growing they believe it will provide a brighter future for visually impaired opportunities.
Another AIB employee Carlos Paraskevas, who also works in the new facility, said he views his job as a temporary but important direction in his future plans.
With the military and the government being AIB’s biggest customers they hope that more organisations and companies will take the step to convert their documents electronically which in the end can also benefit the workflow in the office as well as providing these opportunities in other areas.
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