Wayne Brasch Posted September 28, 2007 Report Share Posted September 28, 2007 This fact came out yesterday on Accountant'sWorld.com and probably other places, but that's where I saw it. That's really going to make our lives a lot more fun! Dealing with blind IRS personnel is going to be a treat. What do you think? Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack from Ohio Posted September 28, 2007 Report Share Posted September 28, 2007 This fact came out yesterday on Accountant'sWorld.com and probably other places, but that's where I saw it. That's really going to make our lives a lot more fun! Dealing with blind IRS personnel is going to be a treat. What do you think? Wayne How is that any different than the audit experiences we have now?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pacun Posted September 28, 2007 Report Share Posted September 28, 2007 That's good that they are giving a chance to challenged people. It is a stressfull job. Both IRS and Army are having problems recruiting people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxxcpa Posted September 28, 2007 Report Share Posted September 28, 2007 This fact came out yesterday on Accountant'sWorld.com and probably other places, but that's where I saw it. That's really going to make our lives a lot more fun! Dealing with blind IRS personnel is going to be a treat. What do you think? Wayne Visually impared? What's next, mentally impared IRS employees? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jainen Posted September 28, 2007 Report Share Posted September 28, 2007 >>Dealing with blind IRS personnel is going to be a treat. What do you think?<< The quiet accountant with thick lenses is almost a cultural stereotype, so I don't think this deserves sarcasm. I have always found the blind to be among the most careful and conscientious of workers. They don't seem to have the kind of self-pity that disabilities sometimes generate, and are usually very sympathetic to other persons' troubles. They are enthusiastic about using new technology and other aids to support their successful functioning. I'm pleased to see the IRS committing to this in such a big way, and I'm glad the EEOC brought it to our attention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pacun Posted September 28, 2007 Report Share Posted September 28, 2007 Visually impared? What's next, mentally impared IRS employees? I thought they already fullfiled the second requirement? Not 100% but for sure some nice percentage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Brasch Posted October 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 >>Dealing with blind IRS personnel is going to be a treat. What do you think?<< The quiet accountant with thick lenses is almost a cultural stereotype, so I don't think this deserves sarcasm. I have always found the blind to be among the most careful and conscientious of workers. They don't seem to have the kind of self-pity that disabilities sometimes generate, and are usually very sympathetic to other persons' troubles. They are enthusiastic about using new technology and other aids to support their successful functioning. I'm pleased to see the IRS committing to this in such a big way, and I'm glad the EEOC brought it to our attention. jainen, No sarcasm on my part was intended, if that's what you mean. I admire people with disabilities who want to and do work instead of sitting back and relying on handouts from whomever or wherever they may come. I realize technology is a great help for people with macular degeneration, but will they be able to function in the stress-filled job that it must be working for IRS? Will they deal with taxpayers directly? Will their disability be a distraction to them and others trying to handle the job they've been given to do? IRS presently has enough problems, as it seems from GAO reports dealing with the present able-bodied employees they now have. I just am thinking this is going to stress out IRS management even more. This may cause some of their supposedly more gentle nature to evaporate. We'll have to see how it plays out over time. I truly hope it works well for these people who want to work in this situation. Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jainen Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 >>will they be able to function in the stress-filled job.... Will their disability be a distraction to them and others.... this is going to stress out IRS management even more<< I'm sorry Wayne, but these are just like the arguments used against gender and ethnic minorities. Completely unfounded. Through established organizations (the Lions Club in this case), the blind community has already proven their abilities. IRS work is dominated by data management, which is primarily electronic with mechanical input and output, and personal contact, which is primarily verbal. Carefully structured, both should be something a blind person could handle well. In fact, this is not only a good idea for motivated disabled workers. It should give a positive boost to IRS productivity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Brasch Posted October 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 >>will they be able to function in the stress-filled job.... Will their disability be a distraction to them and others.... this is going to stress out IRS management even more<< I'm sorry Wayne, but these are just like the arguments used against gender and ethnic minorities. Completely unfounded. Through established organizations (the Lions Club in this case), the blind community has already proven their abilities. IRS work is dominated by data management, which is primarily electronic with mechanical input and output, and personal contact, which is primarily verbal. Carefully structured, both should be something a blind person could handle well. In fact, this is not only a good idea for motivated disabled workers. It should give a positive boost to IRS productivity. jainen, I truly hope you are right about this! I admire these blind and visually impaired people trying to be productive in the workplace. Maybe they can get IRS caught up with their backlog of work and maybe they can take care of internally some of the correspondence that IRS sends out to our clients with which we have to deal. Many problems within IRS could be solved if more IRS employees were a little more conscienctious with and about their job. Maybe these people can help in that respect. Time will tell. I wish them much luck! Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marlowe Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 LEE GUIRLANDA Operations Manager, Accounts Management, IRS's Office of Wage and Investment. "I have assisted more than 150 graduates from Lions World find jobs with the Internal Revenue Service." "I'm Lee Guirlanda, Operations Manager for the IRS's Accounts Management Organization and I'm totally blind. In the call site I manage, we have 270 employees, 8 of whom are visually impaired. Lions World Services for the Blind provided me with the opportunity, for not just a job but for a career." "I graduated from LWSB in 1973 and began my career as a Taxpayer Service Representative in San Diego. In 1975, I was selected as one of the first Taxpayer Service Representatives to participate in a nationwide program designed to establish the newly created Taxpayer Service Specialist position. I was responsible for handling complex tax law issues, instructing tax law classes, performing customer outreach and conducting small business seminars." "I've spent nearly 25 years in management, the last 14 at the top level. One of my principle duties is to coordinate three IRS programs at LWSB, for the Compliance and the Accounts Management organizations. Over the past several years, I've assisted more than 150 persons with disabilities begin their careers with the IRS. We continually look for additional positions that may be adapted for the blind or visually impaired. If you have questions or want additional information about LWSB and employment at the IRS, you may contact me at [email protected]." http://www.jobs.irs.gov/dis_lionsworld.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joanmcq Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 One of my new clients this year is a woman who became totally blind as an adult. She is the most calm, centered person I've ever met. Even the nasty divorce she was going through did not raise her ire (although she did have a lot of questions because she couldn't actually read the divorce papers). When reading these posts I immediately thought of how she would make the perfect customer service agent; even the most irate practitioner or taxpayer couldn't make her mad, and she is the kind of caring person that would make sure the cases were taken care of. Unlike the lump of flesh I talked to in Chamblee last week that couldn't understand that taking two months to record a faxed in response to a CP2000 could be a problem at her end, and not the fault of the taxpayer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldJack Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 If a handicap person can do the job, any handicap they may have should be immaterial. Taxpayers should not have to pay for special jobs created just for special persons. If they can't do the job effectively the same as any other employee they should be fired the same as would be any other person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BulldogTom Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 Unlike the lump of flesh I talked to in Chamblee last week that couldn't understand that taking two months to record a faxed in response to a CP2000 could be a problem at her end, and not the fault of the taxpayer. I hear you. I have spent the last 2 days trying to track down my client's tax return so we can finish the audit. We used to get very good service from the Practitioner Helpline, but that seems to be invaded by the "lumps of flesh" that normally exist on the taxpayer phone lines. I had a very simple question - "Where is my client's tax return? I received a letter 7 weeks ago that said it was going to the local office. Where is it?" Then I got to take a telephone tour of the United States from Atlanta, to Philadelphia, to Ogden, back to the practioner (no)helpline which is somewhere, to Fresno, only to be told that Fresno does not know for sure where the return is, but that they would send a request to some office to call either me or the taxpayer at some point, but that there is no deadline or timeline for them to respond. Tom Lodi, CA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.