ETWrites - Interviews

People With Disabilities Have Stories To Tell
By Christopher Quinn
Atlanta Journal Constitution
August, 2008

When Empish Thomas most needed spiritual support, she found herself shut out at church. Thomas understands that it is not entirely the fault of the house of worship when someone who suffers from a disability feels out of place or unwelcome. Neither is it the fault of the person who has a mental 6r physical problem, such the blindness from the rare disease that stole her sight 13 years ago. It is a little of both, rising from a sometimes insoluble mix of physical limitations and social and psychic discomfort on both sides. The divide is one faith leaders are learning to bridge. Thomas and others with disabilities will tell their stories Sunday to an interfaith gathering organized by the Bobby Dodd Institute. The institute helps the disabled become self-sufficient.
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Mosaic Magazine Article

Imagine reading your most beloved book. You have almost reached the denouement and then suddenly, everything around you goes black. This is the experience for many who have gone blind. Those who were avid readers as children or adults no longer have the ability to see the images they once connected with through sight. So how does a lover of books reconnect with the written word? Empish Thomas, a blind reader and freelance writer, has been blind for more than six years. "I started losing my vision in November of 1995 at twenty· five years old," she shares. "My sight was destroyed due to an autoimmune disease. My vision went pretty quickly." She eventually learned Braille, which allows sightless readers to enjoy literature that may not be available in audio. In addition to Braille, books on tape are invaluable for blind readers who long for books that are sometimes not available in Braille. According to the American Foundation for the Blind, there are approximately 10 million blind and visually impaired people in the United States. Of that, approximately 55,200 of them are children and 5.5 million are elderly (65 years or older). Among the 10 million, 18% percent are African American. With numbers like these, it is not surprising that books on tape have become more pervasive in mainstream society.
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Breaking Down The Last Barriers Too often the vision of an inclusive workplace starts and ends with gender and race. Advocates for the disabled say many obstacles to their employment are surprisingly easy to fix. It’s the attitudes that are harder to change.
By Michele Cohen Marill
Georgia Trend Magazine
July, 2007

“Wake up,” Randy Evatt tells his computer, his Southern drawl shifting from its usual amiable lilt to a mechanical-sounding order. “Start Dragon Pad.”

The program comes to life. A blinking cursor awaits his next command.

“Click enter. Reply to mail. Reply to mail. Hi, Dorie … ”

Without so much as a touch of the keyboard, words appear on the screen and he responds to email from a colleague. Voice recognition software spares Evatt from having to peck at the keys with the metal hooks on his two prosthetic arms. And it has transformed his world at Lockheed Martin in Marietta, where he is parking coordinator for the sprawling campus.

Perhaps it’s a surprise to some visitors or new employees to encounter Evatt, 59, as they arrange for their parking privileges. After all, people with disabilities are almost invisible in corporate America despite the Americans with Disabilities Act, which requires companies to provide reasonable accommodations.

Businesses tout their diversity, but too often their vision of an inclusive workplace begins and ends with race and gender. Disability is the last bastion of bias in the workplace, where barriers can be as simple as the curb at the front door. A hearing-impaired applicant gives up in frustration when she’s told she must have her first interview over the phone. A visually-impaired worker turns away when told she must fill out the application by hand; no assistance or online version is available. (Sure, they could argue and cite the ADA, but many people are reluctant to turn a job search into a legal battle.)
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The Book Lovers Haven

1.    How did you get started in the writing industry?
In 1995, I originally worked in public relations for a short while after receiving my journalism degree from Florida A&M University .   After dealing with some personal and professional challenges, I got back into writing in 2003. I decided I had worked to hard to get my degree to not use it and besides I really love the written word.

2.    You support authors and books as well as create journalistic pieces. How do you balance the two and which do you see yourself moving toward fulfilling on a full-time basis?
I recently lucked out with a newspaper editor that I had been freelancing for when she approached me to work on the literary page of the paper. This was an exciting opportunity for me because I got a chance to merge two great loves – reading and writing.   So the balancing became very easy for me. I get to attend literary functions not only as personal enjoyment but professional fulfillment. I see myself as working full-time as a journalist. I prefer to read great works of fiction and nonfiction rather than write them myself. It takes a certain type of gumption   to be a published author which is not my strength.   I prefer to write short pieces on a variety of topics rather than a lengthy book on one subject matter.

3.    Writing is hard work. Writing is easy. Which rings true for you and why?
Generally speaking, I find writing easy and enjoyable. Once my creativity starts to flow and I get into my “zone”, the words fly off the tips of my fingers on the keyboard to my computer screen. Now, the challenging part is writing the lead paragraph and doing the research.

4.    Technology is changing the literary landscape. Authors are able to get their stories before the reading public via self-publishing, print on demand, and mainstream publishers. What advantages have you seen this bring the book industry?
The advantages are that we are seeing more literary works by African-American authors. More choices of books to read. More access to information to educate, inform and entertain the general public.
What disadvantages?
Books are put out to hastily, leaving room for errors in editing and grammar. Almost anyone can put out a book whether they can really write or have a story worth telling. Sometimes these options can be seen as invalid ways to be an author because no major house is backing you up, but I think this will change more and more in the future.

5.    Press for advertising dollars, subscribers or/and ratings at times, perhaps more than not, place undue burden on journalists (TV, radio and print) to create a story quickly (be first to break the story). Some say this weakens a story's impact and leaves much room for error, misguided information, etc. How does a journalist balance a publisher/editor's consistent demand for a riveting story in a short turnaround with the obligation to check factsthoroughly, deliver a balanced story, etc.? (My heart goes out to journalist these days!!!)
It is truly a difficult task as a journalist to get the story out quickly and at the same time be completely accurate. After my time in pr I seriously thought about this issue and that is why I decided to become a freelancer for magazines and newspapers. Freelancing alleviates this type of stress because I have enough lead time to get the story in and check my facts before submitting to my editor. For magazines the editor will double check my facts before publishing. My community newspaper I freelance for is bimonthly so I have several days to get the story to my editor which gives me the time to produce an accurate, well-written piece. For my colleagues on the daily news beat, I know that this is even more challenging; but accuracy is much more important than speed. If you get the story out first but it is wrong what good is that?   It is embarrassing and you will begin to lose creditability with your audience.

6.    Who has more influence on the news we receive -- owners of publishing houses (book, newspaper, magazine) or the public? Why?
I think the publishing houses do because books are published annually that don’t always grab the pulse of the people. They put out what they think we want to read and call it literature.   I am finding it harder and harder to find well-written books to read. I don’t see much by the way of the African-American classics of Alice Walker, Toni Morrison and James Baldwin. Also, in the newsrooms the media controls what gets out and what does not. Many stories that should be told are not. Why do we read so much negativity when there are just as many positive and uplifting pieces out there? I know this to be true because mostly all of my stories are positive pieces and I have a laundry list of story ideas to choose from.

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7.    Who are some of your favorite journalists and what is it about their work you admire?
Carl Rowan immediately comes to mind. Even though I learned about him later in life and did not get a good chance to read his newspaper column before he died, I did read his books. I found them intriguing and informative. They were well research with strong and confident views on society and politics. As a freelancer, I don’t get the opportunity to focus on particular writers because the nature of this business is very isolated. There are few opportunities to converse and learn about other writers.

8.        What would you like to see happen in the fiction book industry in the next 3-5years?
I would love to see a toning down of the sex and violence in books. I would also love to see more historical fiction like The Known World by Edward P. Jones and the Black Rose (story of Madame CJ Walker) by Tananarive Due.

How do you think these changes will affect the industry?
I think the changes will have a positive affect. We are bombarded with some much negative images, too much sex and violence, especially with our youth. Also, learning history will help build awareness, pride and help remove self-hatred in the black community.

9.    Have you ever thought about writing a book? Why or why not?
Yes, for a while now. In the past I would just get overwhelmed thinking about the essentials needed to write one, but as I learn more and more about the publishing industry that feeling is decreasing. Knowledge is power.

10.    In your life pursuits, how important and valuable have you found literacy to be?
Absolutely important. I could not function on a day to day bases without it. I am amazed at the numbers of people in this country that can’t read or have no interest in reading. I have learned so much just through a book or a trip to the local library. People always ask me how I know so much and I tell them I read. I also feel as an African-American that it is ridiculous to not read considering that our ancestors were killed, beaten and harassed for even thinking about picking up a book.

11.    What can each of us do to encourage literacy in the global community?
I stress this because the United Nations notes that more than 700 million people in our global community cannot read or/and write. The numbers are staggering. We need to act now to alleviate this pressing condition. Several things. Volunteer at a literacy program. Read to your family and children. Give books as gifts instead of other things. Join a book club. Volunteer at the local library or bookmobile. Write a book.

12.    Let's set the scene. You can have whatever you want. That thought in mind, what is Empish doing this same time next year? Five years from now?
Working as a staff writer at a major magazine and traveling around the world with no debt and secure retirement investments.

13.        What last words of encouragement or advice would you like to leave with our subscribers at The Book Lover's Haven?
Keep reading and writing. Do all you can to encourage reading in your family and community. Read positive things to help uplift yourself, society and family.

Empish JeAnne Thomas is a freelance writer, avid book reader and disability advocate. She combines all three of her passions by writing interesting and compelling stories on disability-related issues and literary topics. Her most recent work was a story that detailed a book club for the blind featured in her community newspaper. When she is not engaged in writing, Empish is active in the disabled community by mentoring writers with visual impairments and attending literary events. She currently lives in Atlanta , Georgia and can be reached at etwrites@bellsouth.net.

The Book Lovers Haven - On-Line Newsletter for Readers and Writers
www.chistell.com
March, 2006

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