El Teletrabajo es una de las más innnovadoras alternativas laborales, basada en uso de Tecnología y además se visualiza en el mundo como una solución sostenible, teniendo en cuenta que según el Banco Mundial, en el año 2030 el 60% de la población mundial vivirá en áreas urbanas.

1. It takes 2 to Tango
Jan Bloem
July 25, 2014
TeleWork International Fair
Bogota, Colombia

2. Overview
• Personal background
• Work experience
• Office organisation
• Office tasks
• Expectations and opportunities
• Statistics
• Dutch situation
• Summary for success

3. Personal background
Family status
• 47 years old, living in the Netherlands
• Married with Chantal and have 2 kids, Tycho and Rosalie
Education
• Agricultural Management, specialization: Informatics
Professional status
• Since 2006 International Sales Manager for Freedom Scientific
(home office)

4. Personal background
Handicap
• Progressive RP and MD
• Low vision at the age of 18
End of my dream to become a dairy farmer
• Legally blind at the age of 25
Rehabilitation
• At the age of 25 acquired braille, mobility, orientation and daily
living skills

5. Work experience
Before rehabilitation
• Software System developer in the agricultural sector
• Big struggle with loosing sight (no knowledge about assistive
technology)
After Rehabilitation
• Big relieve, work is still possible with assistive technology
• Computer with a screen reader (speech and braille output) and
screen magnification
• CCTV devices for desktop and handheld, OCR technology and
braille embossers
• From MS DOS to Windows 8

6. Work Experience
Employment from 1993 till 2001
• Manager Support at ALVA bv, Dutch manufacturer of braille displays
• Training, helpdesk and after sales
Volunteer work
• 7 months in Nepal and Tibet
• Project for the blind, Braille without Boarders
• 3 years in Nigeria, West Africa
• VSO, Sharing skills, changing lives
• Teacher for the blind at a school for the handicapped in the north
of Nigeria
• Setting up computer training for the blind in Nigeria

7. Work Experience
Today
• International Sales Manager Freedom Scientific, the leading
company in the assistive technology sector
• Operating out of my own house via teleworking
• Travelling world wide for attending exhibitions, conferences and
presentations
• Training dealers on our products

8. Office organisation
MS Windows Desktop computer
• Software: JAWS, MAGic, Openbook
• Hardware: Focus 80 braille display, Scan printer combination,
Topaz XL HD camera only, SARA CE
MS Windows Laptop
• Software: JAWS, MAGic, Openbook
• Hardware: Focus 40 Blue braille display, Pearl camera for OCR,
Ruby XL HD handheld camera

9. Office organisation
Smartphone and tablets
• NEXUS 7
• with TalkBack and BrailleBack
• Iphone
• with VoiceOver
• Windows 8 Tablet
• with JAWS, MAGic, Focus 40 Blue, Openbook and Pearl camera

10. Office tasks
Requirements
• Reliable internet for telework
• Skype for meetings and discussions
• E-mail, Internet and social media for information exchange
• Dropbox for effective file exchange
Note taking
• Office on Windows 8 tablet
• Nebulous notes on smartphone
• Voice memos on PlexTalk
Light weighted solutions with Focus Blue braille display

11. Office tasks
Special apps on smartphone
• Whatsapp
• IBlinkradio
• Daisy book reader
• Moneyreader
• Air carrier apps
• Ariadne GPS

12. Expectations and opportunities
To perform in my job, I need:
• Reliable tools
The best assistive hard- and software
• Up to date knowledge
Good training on your assistive technology is a must
Job opportunities
• In a digital world you can compete with a sighted
colleague

13. Statistics
Data from a project of the University in Maastricht, the
Netherlands.
• Factors Related to the Employment of visually Impaired
Persons: A Systematic Literature Review, by Yvonne H.
H. Goertz, Brigitte A. G. van Lierop, Inge Houkes and
Frans J. N. Nijhuis
• Global Employment rate between 33 and 42%
• Netherlands 36.8%
• Minimum 12 hours work week

14. Statistics
Blind and Visually Impaired Adult Rehabilitation and
Employment Survey: Final Results
• By Edward C. Bell, Ph.D. and Natalia M. Mino
• Edward C. Bell, Ph.D., serves as director of the
Professional Development and Research Institute on
Blindness, Louisiana Tech University.
• 37 % of the visually impaired population is achieving
competitive employment

15. Dutch situation
Funding
• Government funding for study and work
• Health ensurance funding for private situation
Job re-integration policy
• No risk policy, Government will pay for the salary in case the
employee won’t be able to perform his/her job due to the disability
• Salary subsidy, what will add the salary to the national minimum, if
the employer can not
• Mobility policy, to fund special actions necessary for the job. For
example a job coach or special software custimizations
• New law with minimum number of staff, employers have to pay a
penalty if they fail to employ a fixed number of people with
disabilities

16. Summary for success
• Skills of blindness
• Orientation and mobility skills
• Braille and assistive technology skills
• Personal attitude
• Quality of assistive and technical tools
• Technical support and service
• Family support

17. THANK YOU
FOR YOUR
ATTENTION!
QUESTIONS?