James Stainton is a local fine furniture maker, cabinetmaker, and fine home-finisher. He also does cabinet installation in residential and commercial areas.
Mr. Stainton is considered totally blind, and has Epilepsy. "I was born four months premature," he indicated. "And the oxygen that was needed to keep me alive damaged my retinas, and so I developed the Retinopathy of Prematurity plus Glaucoma. The only 'vision' I have is light perception, so I can see when the lights are on or off."
Mr. Stainton believes that it is important to disclose a disability. He indicated that failure to disclose (particularly in the case of visible or cognitive disabilities) only makes the individual look bad, because people can tell there's something going on. "Just come right out and tell what your disability is, and show that you're confident in how to handle it. Don't shy away from it," he says.
When asked about self-advocacy in the work environment, Mr. Stainton indicated that it was just like any other environment. People have to indicate clearly what they can and cannot do as a result of their disability. Stainton believes that one of the biggest coping mechanisms is confidence. In addition, people have to be willing to learn. "For a work environment, [it's] the same as a home environment or school environment. You've got to be confident, and demonstrate that you [are capable]. Probably most important is that you're willing to try new things", he said. "If you're not confident, you're not going to cope. You're going to regress and and [feel like] 'I don't think I can do this, so I'm going to give it a [mediocre] effort… I'll try it, and if it doesn't work, I'm not going to try again – [I will expect you to] come and do it for me'. There are definitely blind people and people with other disabilities that do [this]," he said.
When asked how he has been accommodated in the workplace, Mr. Stainton indicated that there were not a lot of accommodations that were necessary, although when he was at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), he had a safety technician present. In addition, he indicated that challenges would often come up, and he would have to deal with them efficiently. He commended his employer and co-workers for pushing him to try new things.
"For instance, when we glue material, we have to write down the time when we glue it up. I said to my boss, 'My writing's not very legible', and he said 'Ok, come over here and try [it with me].' He said, 'Write your name, James Stainton', and I did it on a scrap piece of paper, and he said "Write the time, 1:34 pm'. I did it, and he [said]"No, no, the four goes like this', and he did it with me three times. He's like, 'Write me three fours', and I did, and he's like, 'Ok, here's the piece, write your name and the time.' I did, and he said 'I expect that on every single piece. You're just like everybody else. You're blind, but you've touched letters before, you've touched numbers'," Stainton recalled.
Mr. Stainton indicated that his experience has been very positive. He also pointed out that his current position is his first full-time job. "I've been doing woodworking for around fifteen years now. When I was hired for this job, I brought in my picture portfolio on my laptop. I went to show my boss, and he took my hand and stopped me and said 'No, I don't want to see pictures. I want to see actions'". I went in there the first day, and I thought I was going to be on a trial period for a couple of weeks. I went to my boss at the first break and I said 'So how many weeks is my trial period going to be?' He took my hand, and he shook my hand and he said 'James, your trial period was about forty-five minutes'. This has been a prime example of [what] an incredible experience [this has been for me]," Stainton said.
Mr. Stainton's biggest challenges relative to work are with regard to the necessity for increased travel-time, and the concern over theft of equipment. "We start work at 7:00 in the morning. I've got to be up at 4:30 to catch the bus. We don't finish work till 5:00, 5:30, so I don't get home till at least 6:30 to 7:00 at night. It can be pretty wearing, but you just simply have to make time for it." He added, "The biggest challenge for me at work would be if anything of mine was ever stolen. You bring in a lot of your own equipment, and woodworking equipment is not cheap. I've probably got two or three thousand dollars worth of equipment there now, so if somebody stole a piece of equipment that was worth $500, you're blind, how do you prove it? You can't. I lock my stuff up. It's going to vary from person to person, and job to job. You've just got to somewhat play these things by ear, and work them out as you go, and if you have an issue, you deal with it," he said.
For people with disabilities who are considering a career in the skilled trades, Stainton suggests that they sit down and carefully consider their options. "You've got to consider the logistics of it, and think, 'Can I do this trade, and can I do it well?'. If you [don't think you can] do it well, don't even get into it in the first place. You don't want to go through all the schooling, and go through one job, and [have your boss say to you],'You know what, your work just does not meet our standards, and you're not going to be able to get into another job'. Or he fires you, and you go get another job with a different company in the same trade, and then they fire you; pretty soon you're going to get the reputation of, 'Don't hire this guy. He's blind, and he thinks he can do it, and he can't, and he won't take 'no' for an answer.' That's really disheartening for those who are really striving to be confident and be independent. If there are two or three trades that you know you can do, sit down with people in the trades, with different companies, with different institutions like NAIT or Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. Ask them, 'What do you teach? What [do your courses] cover?'. If it's doable, grab the bull by the horns and don't look back. Do it."
