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When most of us explore career options and ultimately select a career path, we consider our skill set, what training we require, and whether our talents are well suited to the field in question.
Not so if you happen to be blind. Job prospects for blind people are severely restricted by whether or not the professional software required to do the job is accessible. This often means that blind people have to put their talents aside and limit themselves to professions where others like them have been successful in utilizing the required software. In an age where professional diversity is what we strive for, our broader society is deprived of a pool of talent simply because those individuals cannot access information on the screen.
I knew I was taking quite the plunge when I decided to study to become a professional homeopath following a life-changing experience as a patient. After extensive research, I realized it was going to be difficult to find a blind homeopath whom I could contact for guidance or mentorship. Nevertheless, my passion for homeopathy and my confidence in my own abilities are the driving forces behind me challenging existing barriers and pursuing my dream.
But I need your help.
Why?
Currently, I am unable to complete crucial components of my assignments, meaning that I am missing out on key learning opportunities. This is because:
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The only materia medica (reference material) I have access to is public domain and therefore does not include current material covering recently discovered homeopathic remedies.
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Repertorization—looking up remedies based on patient symptoms—is a struggle because I cannot access the software everyone else uses, so I must search laboriously through an outdated web-based repertory with no search functionality.
So what’s the solution?
Thankfully, there are programmers who specialize in making inaccessible software blind-friendly through coding known as scripting. Following an in-depth consultation with a top-notch specialist, which involved testing two popular homeopathic software packages, it was determined that MacRepertory / ReferenceWorks was, hands down, the software of choice as the only “scriptable” option today. As an added plus, this software contains a wealth of past and current books not available in electronic format anywhere else.
So only one barrier remains: funding. The combined total for scripting and the purchase of the software is $7950. Not only is this a cost I cannot afford, but my sighted classmates pay no more than a few hundred dollars a year for software and reference books combined. This is because they have the option of buying print books without needing to access them electronically via a more costly software package; and the less costly software used by many sighted homeopaths proved entirely inaccessible when tested by the scripter.
Once this project is complete, the blind community will have access to a new career path and will no longer have to sacrifice potential due to an accessibility barrier.
Become a part of the solution, and make my dream come true!
Thank you.
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