Fernando Botelho's life philosophy is that the glass is always half-full, not half-empty.

LC: Tell me a little bit about yourself.

FB: I am 34 years old. I was born in Brazil, and am married. I came to the United States in 1989 and went to college at the Bently College, Cornell University, and Georgetown University. I have a Major in Business/Economics a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a Master of Science in Foreign Services. I speak Portuguese, Spanish and English.

I really enjoy reading and am a huge Bookshare fan - a Web service where books can be downloaded legally. To get myself out of the house, I like to go for walks and my wife and I love to ride bicycles. We have a place near our home where we can rent two passenger bicycles and my wife, of course, being the sighted one, is the driver.

Presently I am working as an international development consultant with the International Trade Center. The Center is part of the United Nations and is based in Geneva. I have worked with non-profits in the U.S. such as The Associated Blind, Inc. based in New York, where I was the Director for Technical Development.

LC: Were you born visually impaired?

FB: My parents perceived that there was something wrong with my sight when I was four years old. I could do almost anything until I was 16-years-old, when I lost most of my vision and had to improvise.

The period when I was in Brazil and lost all of my vision was quite challenging because at that time I did not have any of the special equipment that I have today. All I had then was what you would today consider a very primitive computer, an Apple II. I had to do all my notes in this computer with my eyes glued to the screen, otherwise I would not be able to see what I was typing. I also had to use a tape recorder to record all my classes and needed help from friends often.

Assistive Technology Makes the Difference

In Brazil I was studying like crazy but did not have the productivity that demonstrated it. I was ranked 11 out of a class of 46. When I went to college in the United States and I had the opportunity to suddenly have access to all this new technology. In the United States I was ranked 4th of 903 students. It was such a wonderful experience for me because I was used to putting in a lot more effort in than any one else and getting almost nothing back in terms of good grades. Suddenly I was putting in the same amount of effort but because of all the technology I had available to me and I was one of the best students in the freshmen class.

LC: Why did you come the United States?

FB: I came to study because I had wanted to find out what kind of technology was available here and also because of the libraries. They are difficult to find in my country. For example, in the United States there is the talking book service from the Library of Congress so blind individuals have access to books on tape. That is an amazing service. I immediately decided this was the country I wanted to study in because it was so incredible to have all these services available to me.

LC: Can you share the websites for the talking book and the bookshare services?

FB: Yes, the website for the Book Share is www.bookshare.org and the website for the talking book service is www.loc.gov/nls/ . These services are not only good for blind people, they are also good for people with other kinds of impairments like dyslexia.

Research on Employment in Latin America

LC: You are presently working on a research project in Latin America on employment and disability. Describe the project and the expected outcomes.

FB: The goal is to find success stories, where are they, and what made them become a reality. Then we want to duplicate them elsewhere. The first step is to identify professionals with disabilities who are working at companies that export services. For example, an architectural or accounting firm that has clients outside the country. We will find out how the disabled professionals got their jobs, what kind of preparation, degree and equipment was needed to perform the job. Then we will examine what the companies that hire disabled employees have in common. We want to understand how these success stories become realities. We want to find out who was responsible for these success stories. Was it the individuals, companies or federal governments? We want to find out what made the individual a success, and what motivated the company to hire the disabled person.

The second step is to look for funding to promote whatever solutions we discover. We want to apply the knowledge to countries that need it, so success stories occur elsewhere.

LC: Was there a special reason to start this research in Latin America?

FB: We had to start somewhere and the people who had the idea were mostly from Latin America so it made sense to start there since the people doing the research speak the language. Eventually we would like to do it in other regions.

Barriers to Employment

LC: What do you think is the biggest barrier that a person with a disability faces when finding employment?

FB: The biggest barrier is that most employers have never seen somebody with a severe disability in the workplace doing productive work like everybody else. Since employers don't have the experience of witnessing a productive disabled individual, they are reluctant to hire a disabled person even if the individual with the disability tells them they can do the job. It is hard for someone who does not have a disability to grasp that having a disability is not a big deal. I don't think most employers deny employment out of bad will. It is simply the lack of experience of working with a person with a disability. That is why it is very important for disabled people to get internships so they can show their talents. It is important to get a job, no matter if it is paid, underpaid or volunteer. The job allows you a chance to show what you are able to do and from then on it is a matter of dealing with the same issues that everyone else deals with: figuring out what positions one is qualified for. The biggest obstacle, however, is getting the opportunity to show the employer that you can do the job.

Other Jobs

LC: I noticed that you have worked on management, research, and computer work. Which of your jobs have you enjoyed doing the most and why?

FB: That is a hard question because I think that every job has its good side and its bad side. I have been fairly lucky because I gained valuable experience from each of my jobs.

The job I enjoyed most was when I was the Technical Director at the Associated Blind when we were creating the website www.esight.org. This is a site that focuses on career advancement for people who are visually impaired. What made it interesting was that we were creating something from scratch. This was back at a time when there was no career sites designed to meet the needs of people with disabilities. What also made it fun was that I had the opportunity to recruit other disabled people; one of them was an intern who was hard of hearing. He is Deaf and I am blind. How do you work in that situation? However, with the technology and some creativity and goodwill we made it work.

Integrated Education

LC: Were you always in mainstream classrooms?

FB: Yes, I always was in class with non-disabled children. Most of the time I was accepted by other students because I am friendly and patient with people who do not have any experience with people who are blind. So I explained patiently to ask me if I needed help and not to just grab me.

LC: You lived with your parents until you went to college in the United States. Was it hard for your parents when they had to let you go?

FB: Yes, it was a hard thing for them, but I thank them for accepting my decision and allowing me to take my own risks. I know that some of us with disabilities are very proud and don't want to ask for help. However, they know that I do not have a problem asking for their assistance and I think that helped them to let go.

LC: Any closing comments for disabled Latino jobseekers who will read this interview?