Karen Knight
Contact Details
Karen Knight
3 Eisenhower Street
Stretton 4116
Phone (home): (07) 3272 3429
Phone (work): (07) 3000 9105
Email: klknight@ozemail.com.au
Career History
As a blind person, I have been employed as a Counsellor, a Disability Liaison Officer and a Psychologist. One of my jobs as a Psychologist had an education and training focus while the other has had more of a suicide prevention and mental health promotion focus.
The role as a Counsellor was with Victims of Crime Association of Queensland which was a small not-for-profit organisation. The DLO role was with the Australian Catholic University and my Psychologist roles have been with Queensland Health, that is, the public sector.
Key Challenges
They have included getting employed initially. I think that personal contacts are unfortunately a critical part of this process. Other challenges have included access to appropriate adaptive technology, attitudes about what blind people can and can't do, managing the amount of print that comes across my desk.
Overcoming The Challenges
I have overcome these challenges by being a good advocate for myself. in my Victims of Crime role, I used volunteer support a lot to read to me. Once I moved into the public sector, I obtained with much difficulty the technology I needed. In my current role, I have fourteen thousand dollars alocated to me each year for support. I can use this for equipment and currently, I use about half of it for a reader one day a week. Co-workers are usually quite supportive and helpful once you prove that you can make a valuable contribution in the workplace.
Education
My highest educational qualification is a Masters degree in Educational Psychology from the Uni of Queensland in 1996.