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Necessity is the mother of invention

You do not need to sit in a wheelchair to understand the challenge for someone trying to gain access to the second floor of an unfamiliar building, but you might need to sit in that chair to develop the understanding required to find a solution for that challenge. As the saying goes, ‘necessity is the mother of invention’.

Sheree experienced trauma to her brain several years ago that left multiple permanent changes to the way she was able to process things, and her vision became severely impaired.

Having accepted and adapted to many of these limitations, Sheree was able to find meaningful employment at Kmart and has been there for over ten years. However, it has come with its challenges. Due to having limited peripheral vision, as a Check Out Operator she frequently missed scanning items that were out of her sight range causing some frustration with customers waiting for her to scan items, or Sheree having to run after them to give them their purchases.

She became very familiar with the HR team at her workplace because she was frequently completing incident reports of minor accidents that were directly related to being unable to see and avoid hazards that were not issues for people with full vision.

One of these incidents was the catalyst for change. Sheree came up with the idea to make a pair of glasses to help show others exactly what she was experiencing, as the ‘low vision’ badge she was wearing, was not communicating enough understanding.

Sheree and Edge Job Coach Kellie worked together to create a pair of customised glasses and shared these with her Manager and colleagues. This allowed them to gain a better understanding into Sheree’s world.

Sheree and Amelia smilingIt gave her the encouragement and affirmation to speak more openly about her vision and fostered a more accepting and understanding work environment. We are thankful to employers like Kmart Midland who help our clients work through challenges and give them the opportunity to thrive at work.

At Edge we are building an inclusive and accepting society through the power of employment, so it’s exciting when we get the opportunity to see such a practical example of this happening in the workplace.

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