Does the glass ceiling really exist?

Greetings!  I’m Christian Robicheau, assistant editor at www.sterlingcreations.ca and I’d like to wish everyone a very happy 2010.  We thank you all for your great feedback and comments and we look forward to a continuing great relationship with you our readers.
Today, I am delighted to present you with the first editorial of the year by our president Donna J. Jodhan.  She starts off the new year by tackling the very thought provoking question of whether or not the glass ceiling does indeed exist.
Here now is Donna’s editorial.
I wish you a great weekend.
 
 
Does the glass ceiling really exist?

 
Let us be honest with ourselves and with each other for just a few seconds.  Does the glass ceiling exist for blind and visually impaired persons in the workplace?  My humble opinion?  A resounding yes.  True it is that there are some employers out there who are genuinely desirous of wanting their blind and visually impaired employees to rise as far and as high as they can in their careers.  However, there are too many others out there who either by choice or unwittingly set the glass ceiling for their blind and visually impaired employees.  No shocker and no shaker.
 
The question of the day, is that if you agree that there is a definite glass ceiling in the workplace for blind and visually impaired employees, why?  Is there a glass ceiling for persons with other types of disabilities?  Is there a glass ceiling for women?  In my humble opinion, the answer to all of these questions is yes and here are my thoughts on the matter. 
I believe that the glass ceiling exists for us because of an attitude barrier.  There are those who honestly believe that we can fit in, that we can hold up our end, and that we can honestly make a contribution to the workplace but they are really outnumbered by those who honestly believe that we are a hindrance rather than a help.  They do not believe that we can make a contribution and instead of dealing with their hang-ups, they choose to place a glass ceiling over our heads.  They are not prepared to lift this glass ceiling any time soon so it is up to us to break it and how do we do this? 
 
Not an easy task but it is doable.  Through persistence, education, and constant and continuous efforts on our parts.  We need to show by example, we need to develop constructive strategies, and we need to keep cool heads as we go about our objectives.  Things have improved over the past two decades but not nearly enough.  As a blind woman who has worked for some of North America’s top companies, I have had the experience of seeing the glass ceiling firsthand so I am speaking from experience.
 

I’m Donna J. Jodhan wishing you a terrific day and weekend.
To reach me, please send an email to info@sterlingcreations.ca and I would be delighted to send you an electronic copy of our latest newsletter.
 
Here is a complete list of where you can view Donna’s blogs and editorials.
Donna Jodhan!  Advocating accessibility for all
http://www.donnajodhan.blogspot.com 
a weekly feature on important answers to consumers concerns
http://www.sterlingcreations.com/businessdesk.htm
Weekly blogs for language professionals and accessibility consultants
https://www.sterlingcreations.ca/blog/blog.html
A monthly editorial on issues on diversity
http://www.diversityintheworkplace.ca
a monthly editorial on business issues and concerns
https://www.sterlingcreations.ca/magazine.html 
weekly editorials on accessibility issues in Canada
http://www.accessibilitynews.ca/acnews/editorials/donna.php
Editorials:  An International perspective on issues of accessibility and disability
http://www.accessibilitynewsinternational.com (under the editorials section, an international perspective)
A general perspective on issues of access and accessibility
http://numpadplus.com/blog/?page_id=7 
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About Donna Jodhan

Donna Jodhan is an award winning blind author, advocate, sight loss coach, blogger, podcast commentator, and accessibility specialist.
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