Recommended Reading for Job Seekers

Attmore, M. (1990). Career Perspectives: Interviews with Blind and Visually Impaired Professionals. New York: American Foundation for the Blind.

Profiles of 20 successful achievers who describe in their own words what it takes to pursue and attain professional success in a sighted world. From all around the country and representing a wide range of professions, including law, science, journalism, management, and medicine, the blind and visually impaired individuals featured in Career Perspectives can serve as role models for others who want to follow career paths.

Bolles, R. N. (2001). What Color Is Your Parachute? Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press.

This classic career-exploration guide written for the general public, which is revised annually, is available to people who are blind or visually impaired through the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped and Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic in alternative formats. It contains easy-to-understand and implement ideas for self-examination and labor market analysis as well as a well-researched list of Internet and print resources for exploring career options and refining job-seeking skills.

Kendrick, D. (1993). Jobs to Be Proud Of. New York: AFB Press.

This profile of 12 blind and visually impaired people who are working at jobs that they love is full of lively, down-to-earth accounts of how these role models followed their own interests and made successful job choices which do not require advanced academic or technological training. Available in print and braille, Jobs To Be Proud Of offers insights, practical strategies, and a wealth of creative ideas for parents, teachers, job placement specialists, rehabilitation counselors, guidance counselors, employers, and adults and children who are blind or visually impaired.

Kendrick, D. (1998). Teachers Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired. New York: AFB Press.

The first volume in the Jobs That Matter series, this book profiles 18 visually impaired individuals who have successfully fulfilled their dreams of becoming teachers. These engaging individuals demonstrate how visually impaired teachers can be effective in their jobs and achieve classroom success and satisfaction.

Kendrick, D. (2000). Business Owners Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired. New York: AFB Press.

This book, available in large print, audiocassette, or ASCII disk, is the second in the series, Jobs That Matter. Each profile features a successful individual who has accomplished his or her dream of business ownership and who shares important insights. From a lawyer and an accountant to a florist and a gourmet cook, the range of engaging role models will inspire young adults with visual impairments and the parents, teachers, and counselors who advise them.

Kendrick, D. (2001). Health Care Professionals Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired. New York: AFB Press.

Health care offers exciting career possibilities for people who are visually impaired as well as those who are sighted. That is the message of this inspirational new book, available in large print, audiocassette, or ASCII disk. Written in an accessible, easy-to-read style, Health Care Professionals Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired documents the stories and strategies of professionals ranging from a forensic psychiatrist to a radiology dark room technician. Information on technology and tactics that are used to perform demanding jobs are also included.

*Rabby, R., & Croft, D. (1989). Take Charge: A Strategic Guide for Blind Job Seekers. Boston: National Braille Press.

This book, available in print, braille, and on audiocassette, provides guidance to blind and visually impaired job seekers on such issues as self-disclosure, networking with prospective employers, and the importance of developing competencies for competing with sighted applicants for jobs. *Although this book is out-of-print, it is still available in many library collections.

U.S. Department of Labor. (2002). Occupational Outlook Handbook. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

The Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) is available in print, as well as on-line (at http://www.bls.gov/oco), from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and on audiocassette from the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. It contains detailed information about the 250 most popular jobs in the U.S. labor market, including the nature of the work, working conditions, number of people employed, training required, job outlook, earnings, related occupations, and sources of additional information.

Wolffe, K. E. (Ed.). (1999). Skills for Success: A Career Education Handbook for Children and Adolescents with Visual Impairments. New York: AFB Press.

Innovative materials for helping young students start on successful careers! This book, available in print and ASCII disk, provides activities and information for teachers, parents, and other concerned adults to promote the exploration and implementation of career choices. Activities are clustered in five important content areas: conveying high expectations, encouraging socialization, developing compensatory skills, promoting opportunities to work, and providing realistic feedback.

Wolffe, K. E., & Johnson, D. (1997). The Transition Tote System: Navigating the Rapids of Life. Louisville, KY: American Printing House for the Blind.

This set of materials consists of a briefcase-style computer bag and organizer; a student manual (available in large print and braille and on audiocassette); an information supplement (a facilitator's guide); and a video, Navigating the Rapids of Life. The student manual is a practical guide with lessons in organizational skills, self-awareness, work-exploration skills, job-seeking skills, and job-keeping skills and an annotated resource list. The information supplement, available in print and braille, is designed for teachers or other instructional staff and parents. It explains how to modify the content and activities in the student manual for students who are unable to complete the assignments independently.

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