Belinda Wilson, Employment Guru

00:31

S1 (Speaker 1)

This is Studio one on Vision Australia Radio.

S2

Hello, I'm Matthew.

S3

And I'm Sam.

S2

And this is Studio One, your weekly look at life from a low vision and blind point of view here on Vision Australia Radio.

S3

On this week's...

S2

Show, our guest is Vision Australia's employment...

S4

Guru...

S2

Belinda Wilson. She's a woman with a tough but rewarding job. She prepares young people living with low vision and blindness to get ready for their careers. She helps make the little buggers employable.

S3

As we always say at this point, please do get in touch with the show. Whether you have experience of any of the issues covered in this episode of Studio One or if you think there's something we should be talking about, you never know. Your story and your insight may help somebody else who is dealing with something similar. Yeah.

S2

Any problems with employment, getting jobs or keeping them? We know it's a common topic. Please do get in touch. Email Studio one at Vision Australia. Org. That's Studio one at Vision Australia. Org. We also accept complaints and heckling through the medium of Twitter vision Australia Radio can be found at at Radio Network and I can be found at Twitter.com slash swinging.

S1

POM This is Studio one on Vision Australia Radio.

S2

Hello there, Sam.

S3

Hello there, Matthew.

02:06

S2

And our guest today is Belinda. You remember Belinda, don't you?

S3

I certainly do. We've had many a chats over the years.

S2

Yeah, we have, actually. And I noticed that and I we always have her on and she's always very grown up and professional. But when I get to talk to her off line, like when you're arranging the interviews, we'll sit there and have a goss and she's absolutely lovely. So today, officially, she's on to talk about the Leap program, which is Vision Australia's employability program for young people. And she's just back from a camp which I really like, the sound of which I'll talk about in a second. But I'm hoping we get the time to talk to her and find out who she is as a human being. So when she lost her sight in her 20s, she was actually living in America and, you know, traveling and living abroad and stuff that is interesting to you and me. 

So I'm hoping to to prod and probe and investigate that this camp Sam, get this what they've done, it said they did a pilot a couple of weeks ago and they got nine kids aged between 14 and 18 together. And what the purpose of the thing officially was to get them some work experience or experience relevant to a potential working life, which I think you and I could have done with when we were that age. And then the main thing and the stuff that I think you'll relate to is she's just come back full of beans about the whole thing. So she didn't want to leave because actually the bits that they snuck in or did accidentally, like getting the occupational therapists to help the kids put their own quilt covers on. And for those who like had mothers like mine who didn't particularly want them in the kitchen, you know, these kids are 16, 17 years old and spreading jam on toast and making a cup of tea for their friends for the first time. And it was the incidental stuff and the conversations that they had between them. I think you've got some memories like that from, I guess from your sporting days, those bits that are in the incidental bits that are important and going away to events like that.

S3

Oh, not just that. I mean, it's a case that it still happens today that parents do wrap their kids up in cotton wool. They don't want them to get hurt or anything like that, and they don't necessarily let them take the risks even in something as big and scary as a kitchen. So yeah, I used to find that also when I was coaching, I had to actually teach a girl how to do pushups, for example, because she'd never done them before. You know.

S2

You're not teaching.

S3

Me sometimes. Sometimes. Yeah. Simple things are not passed on. And you miss these things out at school as well because the teachers just assume the same thing. So a lot of simple life lessons can come in extremely handy.

S2

Yeah, I'm all in favour of this one. And Belinda's coming up now, and I have to say I would like to go on this camp next year. I think it would be fun.

S1

This is Studio one on Vision Australia Radio.

05:01

S2

Joining us now, gentle listener is somebody who's become a friend over the years. She is, of course, Vision Australia's employment guru and that's quite she's got her work cut out for there helping people with a vision impairment get into work. Her name is Belinda Wilson. Belinda, how are you?

S5

I'm great. How are you doing?

S2

Yes, I'm very well. You and I have both been through parts of our lives where as vision impaired people, we haven't necessarily been as fully employed as we might think we deserved to be. Is that a nice way of putting it? 

S5

I personally was not in that situation, but they... I'm very lucky in the sense that when my vision impairment came in, I managed to pivot very quickly into what just ended up luckily to be the perfect position. But that being said, I did not realise what obstacles were coming up to me when I started to lose my vision, when I started working with people in employment, them in, you know, children and young people and all different populations. The challenges and the barriers that were there were very, very clear and very systemic as well as personal.

S2

Yeah. I mean, my. My thing is, I always feel that whenever I go for a job interview, I know that every other candidate is spending half an hour saying how good they are. And I know I'm going to have to set aside seven minutes to explain what I can do and what I can't do. And, you know, if there's any doubt in anyone's mind or an equally qualified candidate, then you just get the feeling that that is going to get you knocked out the process, really.

S5

It is, it is daunting. It's a daunting thought to come up against, which is that I am in a "pull against all the other applicants and how do I make myself stand out and how do I talk about my strengths?" And part of the thing that I think is helpful to keep in mind is that if you come forward with solutions and with strengths and strengths-based, rather than "This is what I can't do, this is what I can do", you're already ahead of half the candidates. A lot of people can't express what they can do and how they can do it. They'll say they're great. They'll say, I'm great, I'm organised. I'm a leader. I'm a team player. But they don't say how they're a leader, how they're a team player.

S6

Yeah, I...

S5

Love when you're able to speak to your strengths. You're way ahead.

S2

I love that. Yeah, I'm a self-starter, but I work well as part of a team. God, they're horrible experiences in job interviews, aren't they? Yeah. I don't know why we've ended up on job interviews of all the part of the process side.

S5

Like, I used to work on the recruitment side and I just rolled my eyes every time someone came up to me and said, I'm a hard worker, I'm a team player, I'm in. It was like they had all been given a script and I think they probably had.

S2

I think it's I think it's in the job ads, isn't it? I think it's your fault.

S6

Yeah.

S5

Well, yeah, exactly. So they just regurgitate back the job ads, but they don't say how they are, that they don't provide any proof or any evidence or even stories behind that. And that's something that we talk about a lot in employment, is backing up what you say. And that's, you know, if you speak with enough confidence, people may believe you, but you still have to be able to do the job. And how you said you you're going to be able to do a job or attempt to do the job is just as important as as just putting it down on paper or just saying it.

S2

So obviously, part of what you do and I've never as a profession is to coach people in in that process and help them into work. I mean, you work with all ages, don't you?

S5

Oh, yeah. I have a I have a very varied history in terms of what I've done and where and all those sort of things. But I started off in, in adult education and then I switched over to vocational rehabilitation, and then I went into adult employment and then I went into teenage employment. And now I'm in Youth youth development programs, which is about employability and also, you know, transitioning into tertiary education. So next, I think I'm at preschool. I'm going to be doing preschool. Career development is is my next step. I started off with adults and I'm just going to move in my and then after that neonatal I'll be going into neonatal career education. So that'll be...

S6

My last step.

S2

I did the whole idea of you sending toddlers up chimneys. That's great. Or down pits.

S5

Yeah. Yeah. Well, not the youngest thought the better.

10:07

S2

Yeah, true. Yeah. Paper round. Um, so at the moment, you and I tend to talk at various junctures during Vision Australia's Leap program. And what part of the year are you now Do we need? How do we get people involved? What would they get involved in? What have you been up to? All those questions?

S5

What have I been up to?

S6

What have you been up to? Where?

S5

What have I been? Upstairs. It's a little past the halfway point of the Leap program. And just to cycle back a bit. Leap is a leadership and employability program. And it goes for ten months and there's so many different components to it. And that's why I love the program so much because it's not just one thing. And it can also be very individualised depending on the person that's doing it. And it goes through a lot of different things. So there's monthly meetings with a service provider, but there's also monthly meetings with a group to discuss with people their own age, the content, there's guest speakers, there's meetings with adaptive technology specialists, there's meetings with mentors. 

I mean, this is why I find it so cool - because overseeing the Leap program a couple of days ago, I went to from hearing from a blind artist about how she finds meaning in life through her art to speaking to someone who works in networking at LinkedIn and speaking about, you know, algorithms. So it's so varied in in everything that gets learnt and everything that that gets done. And about halfway through the program a couple weeks ago, we held our first camp and that was held at the Vision Australia seeing eye dogs. And we had nine clients come and you may have to cut me off here because I just loved it so much. But the joy in the program was that it helped them with doing independent living. So they were making their own breakfasts, they were making lunch. We made them make dinner one night. They were, you know, cleaning up after themselves, all those sort of things. They got to interact with each other and talk with each other and get to know each other. We did a scavenger hunt in the mobility centre with with quizzes that I actually didn't know the answers to. So when they tried to cheat, I couldn't help them. Then we had, you know, we had a night out at dinner where they walked down to a local restaurant and paid for dinner. We had a seeing eye dog kennel and puppy tour, which was too cute for words.

But the highlight for me of the whole program was each each participant got an individual work experience. And this is the first time we've done this. This was our pilot for the camp, and the range of work experiences that people had was amazing. And it wasn't about them necessarily getting into a work experience that they've liked, but to get a feel of what it was to do specific or not specific, I guess various jobs, and to do them hands on. So we didn't have any of the shadowing stuff. We didn't have any of this observing stuff. If they were going to be with finance, they were using the finance equipment. If they were going to be with the CEO, they had an emergency situation where the person who was doing the work experience was told, Well, what would you do? Yeah, in this situation in social media, they were taking photos of the dogs for graduation, just in the reception. They were helping clients. So it was, it was all hands on. Everything they did was hands on real experience rather than just sitting and hearing from someone. 

I'm not allowed to have a favorite, but if I could have, I choose one myself. The one I would choose would be with Jess Gibson radio, where they got to write their own little snippet, produce it, um, and, and then interview people. And I just thought, what a cool experience to have as a teenager when your work experiences aren't usually that great.

S2

No. And again, we've tried to help out a bit on here. And you're right, most people just you sit in the corner and and listen, you don't even get to watch of course, if you have vision impairment. But the interesting thing for me, the bit that really is the incidental stuff, I mean, I appreciate that getting people to experience what it's like to work is, is your job. But as you say, the whole talking to another person with a vision impairment when you're that age because you probably these days it's mainstream education for everybody. And it certainly was for me. And yes, I think I would have benefited hugely from being made to tidy up after myself. But apparently I'm not the only person whose mother didn't really want their vision impaired child in the kitchen because it got a bit messy. So, you know, I would have you know, it's hard enough already. Don't let the child do the cooking. Don't let the child who can't see do the cooking make more. It's going to make it harder.

15:18

S6

I mean...

S5

We assisted, but everybody did everything themselves and they was so great about it, you know, just in terms of even just learning how to spread butter on toast or how to make a pizza base, those sort of things. Everybody did everything hands on. And what I loved is every single one of the clients was just so willing to try and experience new things and to try those things. And I just think that them talking to each other and just getting to know each other look, they meet online, but there's something different about face to face. I'm just praying that we can do that again because it's a pilot and we want to run it again next year. We have to figure out all the logistics. But it's just I think that they learned more - and I probably shouldn't say this - but they learn more on those three days from each other than they have in all the meetings they've had before meeting up with each other.

S2

I can imagine that they would and I can... As I say, teenage me would have benefited hugely from that and would have been excited about it and would have remembered it, if you see what I mean. It's going to be one of those things that they're probably going to remember for the rest of their lives, I would have thought.

S5

Well, I hope so, because, I mean, just as someone who was facilitating it, I didn't want to go...

S6

Home.

S5

No, I didn't want to leave. You know, I was just having such a great time with this fantastic group of teenagers and these service providers and this staff that was just so enthusiastic and so willing to pivot on a dime like, you know, if something happened and someone which happened, someone unfortunately got sick and couldn't attend as a service provider and someone else jumped in. Yeah, you know, that's that's the type of people I was working with and the type of people, the clients that I'm working for, which just makes things. I mean, it makes me very glad I have the job I have. Yeah.

S2

Yeah, absolutely. Do you find yourself so in those casual situations that you know of an evening, obviously there's some things that you can tell kids with a vision impairment that come from your experience. Did you find yourself putting an arm around people or did you did you did you enjoy that part of it as well?

S5

I did. And I didn't realise until I looked back and looked at it. That every single person there kind of brought their own strengths and their own experience. So of course, I was speaking about one of my first jobs and how I had to check over my paycheck and to make sure that you're looking at the agreement because that's that's my mind where it goes. And then, you know, the occupational therapists are talking about, oh, this is how, you know, you put a quilt on, you know, quilt cover on and this is how you you spread jam or make a cup of tea. And I sat there going, we're not even we're not assigned to do this. We're just doing this because this is where we come from and this is. And then one of them was, oh, good leadership. Let's talk about leadership. And it was just... everybody brought their own area of expertise and strengths. And that's that's something I think is really special, is that it's not just what we do, it's who we are. 

And it's not that I'm talking about this because someone said, Belinda, you need to talk about this. It's just where I go when I'm speaking to people. If it's not about movies and, you know, all those sort of things. Yeah, movies or books, those those are usually the other ones, but it's just naturally where I go. So nobody went in there and said, Look, you need to talk about this because we had activities planned, but that incidental stuff, we were all kind of relying on our strengths or going to our strengths. And I didn't notice until later how seamlessly that worked and to the fact where I think a lot of the clients weren't aware that we were kind of slipping in some low vision blindness. Knowledge.

S2

Yeah, sneaking in there. But there wasn't a list.

S6

Sneaking it...

S2

In. There wasn't there wasn't a list to be ticked off of what things you need to learn. And it was the incidental. I love...

S6

It. I mean, we did.

S5

Have formal activities, but yeah, I don't think anybody really who was there saw it as like it's a blindness and low vision camp. They saw it as I hope they saw it as a really fun experience.

S2

So hopefully that will happen again next year. Is it a funding issue?

19:31

S5

Belinda It's it's a yes. Funding and and pilot, you know, but once you pilot you have to kind of finesse things and then there's a few other things with with anything we do we want to make sure that it's it's getting the the most use out of it and that we're doing it in, in a really safe and secure way. And, you know, when we ran this camp, we did a lot of risk assessments. We did a lot of investigation into what was the the right way to do things that supported kids in a way that they could also have fun. So we just want to make sure that we're still doing something that is not putting a huge financial burden on the families. Yeah. And is worthwhile.

S6

Yeah, well, I...

S5

Think it's worthwhile.

S6

I think it's worthwhile. Well.

20:19

S2

In fact, if I could come next to you, that would be great.

S6

Oh.

S5

We do have a list of people who are like, you know, I want to come next year. And I'm the one saying, you know, I'm living in Melbourne. I'm saying maybe we should run it in Queensland next year.

S6

Oh, I don't...

S5

Want to be in the Melbourne winter.

S2

Oh, the power, oh the power you have.

S6

So.

S5

Oh yeah. Just because I say it doesn't mean it's going to happen.

S2

So that's what, so that's what's just happened. What what's next in your academic annual cycle? I guess it is. It's probably like a school year isn't it? I guess for you, your, your life is structured that way.

S5

Well, yeah, it's structured. It's structured on school and school holidays. So the last school holidays just ended, which was the camp. And then the next school holidays that we're heading up for is the mock interviews. And it is such an important part of the Leap program. We have so many volunteers that put their hands up from Vision Australia leadership team to interview the participants of Leap, and the participants are tasked with finding a job application or a job posting, preferably one with a fair bit of description, writing cover letter, writing a resume and submitting it, and then being interviewed on that job so they don't have to apply for the job, but they kind of have to do a mock a mock application and that gets sent to several members of the of the leadership team. We get we assign them to a time slot and then they then do an interview and get feedback. 

And making people go through that process makes them determine a lot about job seeking and employability, helps them with determining their strengths, with their writing skills, with their technology skills of online job seeking, their communication skills, their zoom etiquette, their presentation. The list goes on and on. It's funny because every year people say, Oh, I hated that. I hate the mock interviews. And then when we look at the data at the end of the year, it's the second most popular activity. So people may hate it at the time, but they they really realise the the use of it and how much it it helped them.

S2

Yeah I mean look the... with my first thought on employment is interviews and and how, you know, how hard it is to walk into a room where you're not necessarily sure if you're making eye contact with the person on the other side of the table or, you know, it's still a traumatic experience. I think I would have benefited from that. And actually that practice, probably you'd rather do it the first time in that situation than do it in the real world. I think. I think it's we need every little bit of help we can get, don't we, really? We did. We deserve that type of help, I think.

S5

I love doing mock interviews. It's one of my favorite things to do resumes and mock interviews. I love doing them because having someone come in and say, I don't know, don't know how to express this or I don't know how to say this and kind of digging a little bit deeper. People have these strengths and these skills that they don't know they have because they don't know they are strengths and skills. So seeing someone go from "I don't really know, I'm not anything special. I haven't done anything. I have never had a job" to finding out, Oh, actually, this is something that's very valuable to an employer. That's that's magic to me to see that.

S2

And it's the ability to think around problems, I guess is something while we can't generalise and we mustn't, there's something that we all have in common, really, isn't it?

S7

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.

S8

Now.

S2

When do when do applications go in? When do we when? How? If we have a 15 year old involved in our lives who has a vision impairment, who we think might benefit from this? What's the process? When does that all start? How do we go about it?

S5

Yep. So applications for next year's Leap program will open in September for the February program. And the reason why we open so early in terms of the applications is because we do understand that sometimes it can take a while to get NDIS funding for the program and we do have a flyer on NDIS funding and how to present it to the planner or to request additional funding for the program. The other part is that it does take some some work on our side to set up the program, the different groups, the service providers, the the times when they're going to be meeting just to line all that up. It does take a fair bit of time to to get all of our ducks in a row. So we would rather that someone, you know, come into the program and be fully aware and prepared, then throw them in a program that they're not aware of and not educated on, on what it entails. 

So everybody who applies goes through a Leap Mini - and that's a little kind of taster session with me where they do kind of, you know, a little bit of a simulated Leap program. And it's to figure, you know, to answer their questions and also to see if they want to do it. And it's the right program for them. And if it's not, there's there's a lot of alternate programs as well. So if they're looking for socialising with people their age, there's an online program called Team Talk where teens can connect with each other socially but doesn't necessarily involve the employability and organisational and, you know, those components or they they may be looking just to upskill in terms of their technical skills and that may not be in line with the whole program. So it's really just to find out that this is the right program for them and it's the right time for them to do it and that they're going to get the most out of the program.

S6

Is there a....

26:11

S2

Specific age or is it because you always say teenagers?

S5

It's 14 to 18. Okay. We say that, we would discuss potential situations. So, for example, if someone was doing something where they may be doing their final year over two years and 19, maybe that would be, that would be a situation that could potentially work. The reason why we say 14 to 18 is it is an after school program. So it does make sense for people who are in school to then come and do this as an extracurricular activity. It is not run, you know, during the daytime or anything like that. So sometimes if people are not in that secondary education area, it doesn't really fit in with their schedules. And also we want to make sure that people are speaking with their peers who are kind of in the same stage of their life. Yeah.

S2

Right. So applications open in September. We'll have you back on at that point to give us a bit of a nudge. But, you know, absolutely, we always talk grown-up stuff and I love the conversations that you and I have when we're not on the radio and we almost don't get to hear about you. And I mean, one of the reasons I love having you on is because of your amazing wandering accent makes great radio. And you lived in New York for a while. You're like, it's like having Sex in the City on, it really is. You lived in New York for a while, didn't you?

S5

Yes. Sorry. My amazing wandering accent. Thought I'd beaten it. I thought I'd beaten it. I thought I was fully Aussie. But maybe it's... I don't know.

S6

But it's very endearing.

S2

I love...

S6

It.

S5

I lived I lived in America for... I lived in in New York actually for a very long time. I lived there for 18 years and I moved there when I was 12 from Australia and I came back when I was 30 and it was an amazing experience and it really. It really made me open my eyes to different types of people and different types of life and made me really be able to cut my teeth on on a lot of different careers and and activities and see what I liked and what I didn't like and, and be able to experience a lot of things. And the one thing I always say about my career is that I'm always willing to give something a go because I may end up loving it. And that's usually that's usually in my career. That's usually the key for me. If it's something new and it's something exciting, I'm probably going to like it. 

So when it comes to running programs and and you know, this is our first camp, absolutely. I'd love to be involved in it. So that's my my way of keeping myself interested in my job is to have constant variety and always try new things, whether or not I like them. You know, sometimes I may try try something, go, God, I never want to do that again. But at least I tried it, you know? And just continuously learning new things is is what I really love.

S2

Vision impaired people living in an alien environment. You moved countries where does your I'm never quite grasp the time scale of when as you put it earlier on your vision impairment really kicked in how does that all relate and and yeah moving countries while going through that other stress as well must be a nightmare.

S5

I know because I was in denial.

S2

So handy.

S6

What happened?

S5

I was... it's handy when you're in denial.

S2

So there's a long term sustainable solution. Yeah, I...

S6

Guess. Yeah.

S5

Well, what happened is, you know, I was in my my mid 20s when I realised I was having problems with my eyes and it was due to me being type one diabetic. And the way that it was approached in America was very different to how it was approached here. I wasn't really informed of everything. And they just said, get laser surgery and, you know, you'll be fine and, everything will be fine. You don't have to worry about it. I wasn't told what could happen as a result of that laser surgery. And a lot of people don't get me wrong, a lot of people have laser surgery and they're fine and they they never have to worry again and all those sort of things. That was not the case with me. So I thought that everything was fine. I was, you know, great with my, you know, with everything that was going on. And I wouldn't have to worry about it because I was told it was it was it was sorted. 

And then I moved to Australia and was obviously having vision issues, but thought I was having headaches and thought I was stressed and and was having anxiety for moving countries until I broke my ankle. From stepping over a curb that was very clearly, clearly very no offense to the the city because they had lined it and outlined it very quickly. I just couldn't see it. And when I broke my ankle, that was the wake up call that I went, I think there's something wrong with my eyes. And that led to years of treatment and surgeries and injections and all sorts of different things. And I was I was very fortunate that at that time when I was working, I didn't I wasn't aware enough to realise that it could be a problem. 

So I just told my employer, Yeah. This is what's happening. I didn't even give them a choice. Just said "Just so you know, I've broken my ankle and I'm losing my vision." Like, that was my disclosure. I probably would deal with it a little bit differently now, but I was pretty secure in the fact that that was that was my my situation. And that was, you know, I felt pretty confident that I could still do my duties and I can still perform my job to the best of my ability. And I did not have any doubt in my mind that it would be a problem.

32:32

S6

Did your employer feel the same way?

S5

I think there were a little taken aback, when I said it that way, but I think they were like, Yeah, okay, we'll work with you. And then what happened after that is that they hired someone who was legally blonde. Oh, wow. And she was the reason why I found out. When you get your eyes, you get diagnosed. All those sort of things happen. They don't tell you how to live your life. They they tell you the medical side, but they don't tell you what what to do. And I kept on saying, But what do I do when I said, you get these injections? And at that stage those injections weren't working and, oh, you know, well, maybe you could do this and maybe you could do this. But they never said like, what? What can I do about my life? Like, I'm in a job where I travel to three different sites a day. Like what? In a car? What do I do? Oh, well, you know, you can go get a dog, which is the stupidest thing anyone's ever said to me. 

But anyway, you know, they just didn't. Yeah, they just didn't understand that I didn't know how to live with a vision impairment. So this beautiful woman - unfortunately, she's passed away now - but this beautiful woman who was legally blind, told me you need to go to Vision Australia. You need to get new equipment, you need to get assessed, you need to get all these sort of things. You need help. And I was a very proud person. But I listen to her because of the way she approached me about it. And I couldn't sustain what I was doing any longer. So I went to get help at Vision Australia. And when I was investigating Vision Australia, I found a job ad.

S9

And...

S5

I thought, Oh, this sounds right up my alley. And I applied for it and got it. So that's how I ended up. My vision impairment led me to work at Vision Australia in a very, very weird way. But it was, it was wonderful because I, I went to get help and went, Oh no, that's my job. So it kind of worked out very well in the end that I ended up getting a job that was perfectly aligned for me at the time because I had a vision impairment and I don't think I would have ended up with Vision Australia even thought about working for them if that person hadn't suggested...

S6

It to me.

S2

To say I came across my job at this organisation while looking for a salary comparison for a mainstream radio job. I would never have come across my current gig if I hadn't been looking for something else. And I have never seen the bit at the bottom of the advert. I just went. Applications from candidates with a vision impairment are encouraged and it's like what!?

S6

What.

S5

Exactly.

S6

That.

S5

That was a habit of mine from being in the employment area. Whenever I went to a website, I would say, Oh, what jobs do they have? I still do to this day. Yeah, no matter what I'm looking up, I'm looking up, whatever. I'll go, Oh, what jobs do they have? Because I'm just curious. It's just it's almost innate for me to do it.

S6

Yeah.

S2

I still.

S6

I went to look.

S2

I still check the job boards every day. I still do. But, you know, having worked as a freelancer for ages, it's just a habit I've got into.

S5

Yeah, it's just. Yeah, it's ingrained in you. And it's because I used to look for jobs, people. So now every time I could be looking at anything, it would be, you know, village cinemas. And I'll go, What jobs do they have? Just out of curiosity, I just I'll do it. So, you...

S2

Know, I love the...

S6

Way serendipity. You you are.

S2

An employment guru to the core cutter down the middle. And like a stick of rock, it says employment. Belinda Wilson We've we've we've overrun our time. I thought we were going to have longer to talk about the real you so you'll have to come back in September and get us all to apply for the Leap program. And then we'll we'll talk audio books and metal gigs.

S5

Oh, absolutely. Absolutely.

S6

That sounds fun.

S2

All right. Thank you. Belinda Wilson Vision Australia's Employment guru. That's the best way I like putting it. Thanks for your time.

S6

Thank you. Would be fun.

36:44

S2

Right? That's your lot for this week. Our thanks go to the lovely Belinda Wilson. Details of Vision Australia's Leap program can be found in the podcast description and on our website, npr.org.

S3

And of course, thank you for listening.

S2

Next week, the International Blind Sports Federation World Games are less than a month away. We talked to some of the blind and low vision athletes who are preparing to compete in sports, including cricket, football, powerlifting and archery.

S3

Yes, this should be a fascinating one considering your unique relationship with sport. Between now and then, please do get in touch with the show. Whether you're having an experience of any of the issues covered in this episode of Studio One, or if you think there is something we should be talking about. You never know. Your story and your insight may help somebody else who is dealing with something similar.

S2

You can email Studio One at Vision Australia, Dawg. That's Studio one at Vision Australia -dot-org, and you can find us on Twitter. The radio station can be found at at RVA Radio network and I can be found at Twitter.com Whinging.

37:43

S1

POM Vision Australia Radio gratefully acknowledges the support of the Community Broadcasting Foundation for Studio One.