Finding an internship placement as a blind future counselor.
Hi everyone, this is going to be a lot, so thank you in advance for reading. I’m a blind future counselor, and I am currently completing my last semester before I am scheduled to begin practicum in the fall. Unfortunately, I have really been struggling to find sites that are willing to take me on for practicum and internship. I am currently an executive functioning instructor, and I have worked in multiple therapeutic settings, so after viewing my résumé I typically receive interest from sites. However, after I disclose my disability, they are immediately made uncomfortable.
I have been blind my whole life, so I am definitely no stranger to this particular brand of discrimination. However, I am struggling to navigate it in these situations, since I cannot force an internship site to take me on. My program sent me a list of approved sites in my area, but so far I have received rejections from almost all of them. The ones that have not rejected me outright have created a list of excuses as to why this would not work. They are concerned about paperwork, liability, and ability to interpret body language. Although I have explained the adaptations that I have made in order to mitigate these factors, many of the people that I have interviewed with remain uncomfortable. I know that this is a longshot, but do you guys have any advice? I’ve reached out to the internship coordinator at my university, as well as my advisor, but neither of them has been able to provide substantial answers.