despite my poor sking form and knowledge , and helped me to become much better in just one week , I saw that accepting help was really important and necessary ; I also saw the pride she and other guides felt in giving help without expectation of reward other than enjoying our company and the pleasure of doing something they loved , skiing . I later became a board member of this organization and have missed only 5 of the annual trips since 1997 . Even then , I continued my work as a journalist , which I became in 1988 when I published my first article .
I saw a need over the years as I traveled for non-disabled people to learn how not to fear disabled people , and how to help them without being condescending , insulting or afraid . They needed to learn acceptance of us just as we needed to learn acceptance of our own limitations but also that these are only physical limitations and not social limitations . Poor behavior by others can limit our ability to participate in society . In 2012 I had to leave my job as an editorial director at a research firm . I decided right then to create the kind of training program that would address this lack of understanding and awareness and thus help people with disabilities participate fully in society .
Tell me more about your work and the program you developed to market to hotels . Why hotels ? First , because I had traveled extensively and that is where I experienced much of this
“ Advocate for yourself at every step of the way . NO one else will do it for you , even those who love you the most . They can certainly help you , but you must take the lead .” Peter Slatin
uncomfortable and demeaning behavior . Second , in my work as a reporter , I had come to know some hotel owners . A couple of these men were open to the idea of providing this training to their employees . I did that and then used those contacts and word of mouth to find other hotel owners to hire me . This has not been easy because the expense of paying for this training will not immediately give the hotel owners a rise in revenue and I have to convince them of the long-term value of the training . I set this up as a business rather than a nonprofit charity because hotels and other businesses need to see people with disabilities as consumers like everybody else , not as charity cases . This may not have been the soundest business decision for me but I feel it was the right one . I have trained thousands of hotel employees across the United States , both in person and through distance learning courses I developed with a business partner who is an expert in instructional learning . During the pandemic , as hotels have closed , I have begun looking to conduct my training in corporate settings so that companies can both feel more comfortable hiring people with disabilities and also providing customer service .
You ’ ve managed to take your disability and show others that you can still live your life , go to college , and have a successful career . What advice would you give a young person who is blind and may not realize the future can have a lot to hold for them . The most practical advice I have may surprise you : it is to learn Braille . I learned it when I turned 60 and I love it , but I am a very slow reader . However , the most successful younger blind people I know are those who are
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