Pros
VisAbility (formerly Blind & Vision Rehabilitation Services) has a dedicated frontline staff who genuinely care about serving blind and low-vision clients. The staff is able to provide meaningful work that can have a real impact on people's independence and quality of life. In addition, they are often supportive of one another and work hard to help clients succeed.
Cons
There is a significant disconnect between the organization's stated mission and how it actually operates. While every nonprofit needs revenue to keep the doors open, the focus often seems to be on bringing in money rather than improving services or supporting the people providing those services.
Compensation for frontline staff is substantially below industry standards, despite the specialized skills and responsibilities required. To give an idea, some full-time salaried positions pay little enough that employees may still qualify for public assistance. Many positions pay roughly half of what similar jobs pay nationally. At the same time, executive compensation continues to increase while staff are told there isn't enough money available for anything beyond a basic cost-of-living adjustment. If resources are limited, that philosophy should apply across the organization, not only to frontline employees.
Training is minimal. New hires are often given a quick tour, shown their desk, and expected to figure things out as they go.
The culture within administration is, to put it politely, difficult. The level of conflict among leadership is excessive and often visible—and audible—to the rest of the staff. Yelling between administrators is not uncommon. It creates a stressful work environment and sends a message that disagreement is treated as a problem rather than an opportunity for discussion. There is a noticeable level of disdain toward anyone who questions decisions or offers a different perspective.
One of the strangest aspects of the culture is that collaboration between staff is not encouraged. In fact, it often feels actively discouraged. While employees naturally try to build supportive working relationships with one another, management seems uncomfortable when departments become too connected or when staff develop strong professional relationships outside of their immediate teams.
Many employees feel there is little point in bringing concerns to HR because they do not believe the process is truly independent. One of the executives is married to the head of HR, and while that arrangement may be permissible, it creates the appearance of a conflict of interest. As a result, employees often feel that complaints involving management are unlikely to receive impartial consideration.
Morale suffers from a lack of transparency, limited opportunities for advancement, and a general feeling that frontline employees are viewed as an expense rather than the people carrying out the organization's mission. Employee turnover is a constant issue. Near the end of my time there I knew of multiple employees who were either actively looking for other jobs or already planning their exit.
The unfortunate reality is that there are many talented and dedicated people here who genuinely care about serving blind and low-vision clients. The service staff work hard, support one another, and do their best for the people they serve. They deserve better support, better compensation, better training, and better leadership than they currently receive.