Michael Hess | Source | Executive Director at The Blind Institute of Technology
Michael Hess
Michael is the Executive Director at The Blind Institute of Technology. BIT's mission is to reduce the high unemployment rate among the blind and visually impaired (BVI). Michael has over 20 years in the telecommunications industry with a track record of success in project management, business analysis, product development and management. He applies these strengths to bridge the gap between the BVI community and employers across America. The goal is to set up both BVI employees and the employers for success in the workplace.
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People with disabilities are the greatest untapped resource on the planet: we are the perfect candidates for what I call ‘desk jockey’ type jobs: today’s technology is so accessible, and people with disabilities are extremely productive and loyal employees. In some ways, they are more productive than sighted people. For example, some blind people can listen to their screen readers at 300 words a minute. That is faster that a sighted person can consume the same amount of data, looking at a screen.
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First Person: ‘people with disabilities are the greatest untapped resource on the planet’Worldwide, persons with disabilities experience higher levels of unemployment and economic inactivity than non-disabled persons.Ahead ofInternational Day of Persons with Disabilities, Mike Hess, US-based entrepreneur and founder of the Blind Institute of Technology, spoke to UN News as part of the International Labour Organization (ILO) photography project "Dignity at Work: The American Experience".
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The Blind Institute of Technology
Executive Director