Archive for August, 2011

DRA Investigates UC Berkeley Student Access Barriers

Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), a non-profit legal center, is investigating complaints regarding services for students with disabilities within the University of California, Berkeley system. If you are a UC Berkeley student who has experienced difficulties obtaining accommodation services, they want to hear from you.

DRA is investigating both the quality and the timeliness of the following services:

• Note-taking and scribe services
• Availability of documents including textbooks, handouts and other course materials in accessible formats
• Mobility assistance
• Accessible equipment & technology denial and/or delay in receiving other needed accommodations.

They are also investigating the following issues:

• Lack of information regarding access features on campus
• Lack of information regarding accommodation policies and procedures for students with disabilities, whether the delay or denial of accommodations has forced you to rely on alternative resources such ss:
• Advocating on your own behalf for accommodations from your professor
• Relying on friends and social networks for note-taking and/or other needed services

To share your stories, contact Kara Werner at kwerner@dralegal.org or. 510-665-8644, ext. 138. All communications will be kept confidential.

Sign Up Now for Aug. 31 Jobsite Conversation Series Visit

Our next visit takes place on Wednesday, August 31st. We will visit Chris Giuntoli, who is the Director of Event Planning at San Francisco Marriott Marquis, one of the company’s most prominent hotels.

After graduating from Penn State University with a degree in hotel management, Chris began his career at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis as a Convention Services Housekeeping Aide and worked his way up to his current position as Director of Event Planning. Special tools like an audio calculator, high-intensity magnifying projector and a talking BlackBerry help Chris meet the demands of a fast-paced work environment.

Chris proclaims, “There is a big fulfillment in the management of an event. Achieving the customer’s goals is an unexplainable feeling, and the bond that you make with that customer is priceless.”

Chris has nearly two decades of experience in his field and many accomplishments, professional insights and exciting stories to share with our group, including his experience during the hotel’s grand opening on October 17, 1989, the day of the Loma Prieta earthquake.

In recent weeks we have visited a blind scientist, a blind massage therapist, a blind city budget analyst, a blind student accessibility coordinator, a blind attorney, a blind rehabilitation supervisor and a blind CEO. We look forward to our visit with Chris, as it will without doubt be another inspiring and informative installment of the LightHouse’s Jobsite Conversation Series.

Please RSVP by Tuesday, August 30, as space is limited. To register for the Jobsite Conversation Series, or to find out more about it, please contact:

Rich Russo
Community Services Program Assistant
(415) 694-7352
rrusso@lighthouse-sf.org

Employment Opportunity – Youth Career Development Specialist (Menlo Park)

Youth Career Development Specialist

About JobTrain: Located on the Menlo Park/East Palo Alto border, JobTrain is a private, nonprofit job-training

center and accredited school (accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges – WASC). JobTrain

offers a variety of vocational training programs as well as basic computer and ESL classes.

About the position: This listing is for a full-time exempt position at JobTrain, reporting directly to the Youth

Programs Coordinator. As with any position at JobTrain, we seek individuals who understand the dynamics of a nonprofit

organization, the importance of fiscal responsibility, and the development of programs geared to minority and

underserved populations.

This position works primarily with clients throughout their employment search, although in some cases, the position

will require vocational counseling to clients that are currently in training. The Career Development Specialist will also

work with other staff to develop and market new and innovative approaches to job development and identify

employers in training related fields.

Duties:

1. Establish, nurture, and maintain employer relationships as well as corporate/business.

2. Assist in the organization of job fairs and participate in sponsored events such as career fairs, boot camps

etc which publicize JobTrain’s vocational training programs and expose JobTrain clients to job interview and

placement opportunities.

3. Case management of job development progress, placement and job retention.

4. Assist Corporate Relations Coordinator in developing, managing, and maintaining an employer/job

development database for informational, tracking, and archival purposes.

5. Make recommendations for improving and redirecting employer relationships and job development

prospects to the Corporate Relations Coordinator.

6. Produce reports detailing efforts in job development, referral and placement activities to the Youth Program

Coordinator.

7. Represent JobTrain to businesses, industry, and the community-at-large.

8. Maintain client folders and organizational database on a weekly/monthly basis to include current client data,

and employment information as needed. Strong attention to detail is required.

9. Other related duties to facilitate a strong Client Services Department.

Qualifications:

Experience: Any combination of training and experience which demonstrates ability to perform the duties as

described; verified experience in job placement in either private or public agencies within the last four years

preferred; experience working with at-risk populations and experience in public relations preferred. Knowledge of

methods and techniques of job development and client placement; current practices in vocational education; local

labor market trends and employment opportunities in both the private and public sectors in the San Francisco Bay

Area.

Education: A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in education, counseling/ psychology, social

work, or other human services is preferred.

An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted for the above.

Other: Successful applicants will have excellent written, verbal, organizational, interpersonal communication, and

computer skills.

Compensation and Eligibility:

JobTrain offers a competitive salary; medical and dental benefits; a 403(b) retirement plan with company

match; life insurance; and paid time off. We are an equal opportunity employer. Successful candidates

must have legal residency and meet the eligibility requirements to work in the United States (per INS Form

I-9 instructions).

How to Apply:

Please send your letter of interest and resumé to Eric Forgaard at eforgaard@jobtrainworks.org or mail to

his attention at the address below. Please no telephone calls.

JobTrain

1200 O’Brien Drive, Menlo Park, CA 94025 Main Telephone: (650) 330-6429

Employment Opportunity – Job Title: PART-TIME RESIDENT ASSISTANTS .

Job Title:

PART-TIME RESIDENT ASSISTANTS

Company:

EPMI

Experience:

1 to 3 years

Salary:

not provided

Job Location:

Walnut Creek, CA

Byron Park, located beautiful Walnut Creek, CA, has long been recognized in the industry as a superior residential community for independent living and now for assisted living.  The goal of the Byron Park  staff is to provide a high level of quality care and  service for our resident.   We have immediate openings for part-time Resident Assistants   If you are a self-motivated individual who is looking for a career instead of just a job, we want you.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

a)      Education/Experience:
·         High School Diploma or certificate of equivalency.

·         At least one year Experience working with the elderly.
b)      Skills:
·         Current First Aid Certification or willing to complete and obtain certificate.

·         Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENT

Criminal clearance, including fingerprinting, is required prior to presence in the facility.

Health screening/physical required within 30 days of employment, TB test results within 7 days and both will not be older than six months. 

Must be able to sit, stand, bend, lift and move intermittently throughout Community during working hours.

Must be able to lift, push, pull and move equipment, supplies, etc., between 25-50 pounds.

Must possess sight/hearing/speech senses, or use prosthetics that will enable these senses to function adequately so that the requirements of this position can be fully met.

Emotional stability evidenced.

Able to assist in the evacuations of residents.

Assisted Living is a 24 hour per day, 7 days per week business, which requires employees to have flexible hours and/or shifts. May be required to work beyond normal business hours and/or on weekends, evenings & holidays when necessary.

To apply;

http://www.sanfranciscodiversity.com/jobs.asp?pagemode=15&jid=2428119&utm_campaign=JCpartner&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=jobLink&utm_content=v1

Join Our New Fitness Partner Program

We want to pair blind athletes with sighted guides for a wide variety of athletic endeavors – anything from working out at the gym and biking, to running the next half marathon. Interested? Sign Up Here!

ACB and Google Conduct Survey to Better Understand Computer Usage and Assistive Technology Patterns in the Blind Community

The American Council of the Blind (ACB) recently announced it will be working with Google Inc. to survey blind, visually impaired, and deaf-blind individuals to better understand how they use computers and assistive technology to access information.

The survey, developed jointly by Google and the American Council of the Blind, will gather data about technology use and needs in the blind community. Respondents will be able to complete the survey by either telephone or web. Survey data will be used to better understand how blind users interact with the web, which assistive technologies they find most useful, and how they make decisions about whether to switch or upgrade tools.

The survey, which will run through mid-September, is available immediately at www.acb.org/googlesurvey. Individuals who want to take the survey by telephone, please call 347-772-8355.

2011 NFBC Scholarships Available!

The National Federation of the Blind of California annually awards several scholarships to qualified blind students pursuing undergraduate or graduate studies in order to achieve an academic degree. This opportunity is also available to high school seniors preparing to enter undergraduate programs.

Scholarship amounts vary from two to five thousand dollars. Completed applications and all required documents must be postmarked by September 15th, 2011.

For more information, go to http://sixdots.org/2010/06/2010-nfbc-scholarship/

Help raise money for the Please Touch Community Garden!

There have been some unforeseen obstacles along with some unexpected costs that have come with trying to sprout a garden in such an urban concrete environment (vermin control, needs for extra construction work). They have left The Please Touch Garden in need of help.

Join us at Swig (swigbar.com) to raise money for the Please Touch Community Garden. Enjoy live music, DJ’s, and drink specials. Basically come out and show your support by grabbing a drink and having a darn good time.

When: Tuesday, August 30, 2011, 5:30 to 9:00 p.m.
Where: Swig, 561 Geary Street., San Francisco, 94102

No need to wait to help us out. You can follow this link to RSVP and donate right now — If you cannot make it out for the fun you can still show your support and be there in spirit by making a donation:
http://www.snagtickets.com/product/page/cb52a75d13e89a08ec6cb0a792ded5e1

Learn more about the garden project at the Please Touch Community Garden Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/pleasetouchcommunitygarden

Thank you for your support!

Trouble Sleeping?

Are you falling asleep during the day? Do you ever feel like your sleep patterns are different than the rest of the world? If so, you may have a sleep problem related to your blindness. Would you like to help find a solution to this issue?

Vanda Pharmaceuticals is engaged in a medication study to address this disorder. Vanda is looking for participants to take part in an FDA trial. You will be compensated for your time if you are accepted into the trial. If you are interested, please contact the referral center at 1-888-389-7033 or go to www.non24registry.com to take a short survey.

This Thursday: Jobsite Conversation Series Visit – Sign Up Now!

Our next jobsite excursion will take place on Thursday, August 25th. We will be visiting Serena Olsen, who currently works at the Japan Society of Northern California here in San Francisco. She incorporates a wide range of office management skills as part of her work, including event planning and membership coordination.

Serena earned her BA in global & international studies and linguistics from UC Santa Barbara with an emphasis in East Asia and Japanese, respectively. In 2006, she completed a master’s degree in international policy studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. She has traveled extensively throughout East and Southeast Asia for personal, academic and volunteer excursions, including a 2001 Pacific Rim Study Abroad program, a 2006 volunteer project with Tabitha Cambodia building stilt houses and several visits to dear friends in Indonesia.

After completing her graduate degree, Serena entered an intensive adult training program to learn how to effectively use Braille, a cane, JAWS and other important non-visual tools allowing her to pursue her personal and professional dreams.

Serena relocated to the Bay Area at the beginning of 2010 and quickly found work in two areas dear to her heart: Asia and improving livelihoods. In addition to her work at the Japan Society of Northern California, she teaches Braille at the Lions Center in Oakland and looks forward to a long and meaningful career as a non-profit professional. In her spare time, Serena enjoys delicious food and wine, cooking, spending time with friends, yoga and just about anything Asian.

In recent weeks we have visited a blind scientist, a blind massage therapist, a blind city budget analyst, a blind student accessibility coordinator, a blind attorney and a blind CEO. We look forward to our visit with Serena, as it will without a doubt be another inspiring installment of the LightHouse’s Jobsite Conversation Series.

Please RSVP by Tuesday, August 23, as space is limited. To register for the Jobsite Conversation Series, or to find out more about it, please contact:

Rich Russo
Community Services Program Assistant
(415) 694-7352
rrusso@lighthouse-sf.org