How do I find the workplace technology that will help me do my job?

The first thing to do is to analyze all of your job duties and determine which are the "essential" priority tasks that must be accomplished.

Next, determine how much of your work day you spend performing these tasks. For example, you might spend 30% of your time on the phone with customers, 25% answering e-mails, and 10% filing information. It's important to determine which job duties require vision, and where and when you're experiencing difficulties because of vision loss.

Discuss any concerns you have with your Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor. For example, if your job involves computer work and you have problems seeing the screen, your counselor can introduce you to the different types of software [1] that will allow you to access information and continue working independently. Tell your counselor what your job requires and let him or her guide you to the most appropriate solutions.

An assessment at a formal work evaluation center, which may or may not be close to your home, is usually recommended, arranged and paid for by your Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor. A work evaluation will help determine your service needs and will allow you to use different technologies, such as CCTVs [2] and computers withscreen-reading software [3], such as JAWS.