Pictured at right, recent OCB vocational rehabilitation (VR) client Trent Taylor departed Portland last October to return to his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, to take a remote job at Washington DC legal advocacy nonprofit Farmworker Justice. A lawyer, Trent completed his education before his vision was damaged by a treatment for Leukemia. He greatly valued his time at OCB and graciously offered to speak about his experience.
OCB: Trent, your bio says you have ten years of experience in union representation and wage and hour law, often on behalf of low-income Latinx workers. Before that, you were at Bennett Hartman in Portland, specializing in defending and advancing the rights of employees and labor unions. You are clearly drawn to social justice work. Why is that?
I didn’t grow up in a union household but I always had an interest in it. I identified with the cause of working people at a young age. One of my first jobs as a teenager was at a golf course as a greens-keeper, which is a glorified title for grunt work. It was very hard labor, out in the heat of the summer. For me it was a summer job to give me spending money and keep me occupied; I didn’t really need it. But next to me on the same job were two workers from Mexico on seasonal temporary visas working to support their families back home, sending money home. That was an eye opener for me, the disparity of wealth and privileges. I thought I should use my experience and privilege to help people who were less fortunate to achieve an equitable standard of living.
OCB: Speaking of which, tell me more about the Amicus Curiae Brief for the United States Supreme Court that you and your firm are currently working on?
We are working on a draft in collaboration with a couple of other organizations including California Rural Legal Assistance [a non-profit legal and political advocacy group for migrant laborers and the rural poor]. This case involves the access of farmworkers to union organizing and representation. California law grants union organizers limited rights of access to farm property to speak to farmworkers about union issues such as working conditions. Because workers live in housing that is scattered or far away from employer property, or live onsite in employer-provided housing, farmworkers only have opportunity to meet with unions at the worksite. The agricultural employers (the growers) have challenged this law on the basis that it involves the “taking” of property without compensation, in violation of the Fifth Amendment. There is a lot of case law about regulatory takings; if things infringe on the use of your property, even to small degree, it amounts to a “taking.”
OCB: What makes this case so important?
Never has the U.S. Supreme Court recognized a nonpermanent infringement on property as a taking. By nonpermanent, I mean that these union activities are done for a limited time, at a specific time of year, during designated hours. Challenging this is dangerous for several reasons. Unions talk to farmworkers not only about hours and wages, but also about health conditions, which are of paramount importance right now. COVID is disproportionately affecting farmworkers, and they often cannot get information about safety information and precautions. And if the Court rules against the farmworkers now, it will have implications way down the line, not just for union organizing but for government health and safety programs. Health and safety inspectors need access to hospitals, places of work, dining areas, etc. If the growers’ case is successful, those things would be considered a taking and would require compensation from the government to owners of private property.
OCB: Wow. Good luck on the case! Do you think there is a connection between your journey of empowerment as someone with blindness and your social justice work?
These things are all interconnected. I was interested in this type of work long before I experienced vision loss. But the fact that I experienced it and now have a disability has magnified the importance of the work. There’s an interrelation of the rights and opportunities granted to persons with disabilities and the principles of equity supporting the advancement of the rights of people of disadvantaged backgrounds or statuses. It comes down to the fundamental right of all people to have the same opportunity to pursue life, liberty and happiness; the right to pick the career of your choice; the right to pursue a healthy state of being.
OCB: Well said. Were you new to services for the blind when you came to OCB?
I had received limited services before. I moved to Portland in 2019 from Columbus Ohio, and they had a state vocational rehabilitation organization that helped with some things. Right now in Missouri I’m receiving assistance through the Association for the Blind. And not to put either of them down, but it was definitely a completely different experience at OCB. The level of services offered through OCB was much higher. Blindness is a different animal. It takes a different set of knowledge and skills to help someone; just take the simple issue of mobility, people with limited vision have multiple obstacles to the freedom of travel not experienced in a completely different manner than those with other physical disabilities.
OCB: How did OCB help you stay successful in your career?
I know that OCB helped me in a variety of ways, but one that goes under-accounted for is that it gave me the confidence to be able to succeed in my work. As many people who have suffered vision loss have testified to, losing one of your primary senses is quite debilitating in more ways than one. It’s a shock to your confidence in your ability to do the things you used to do before. Working with instructors who are inspiring and encouraging, and seeing other students excel, is by itself a huge benefit. The instructors are all very skilled at what they do, and the vast amount of resources at OCB helped me a lot.
OCB has a holistic approach to vision loss, not just from a physical standpoint but an emotional standpoint. They get you on the path to not just having a job, but to having the career you want to pursue. They do that by helping you regain the skills that you use in work, but also skills to carry on your life as a blind person, with techniques to use at home and emotional psychological support.
OCB: I’ve heard that your favorite OCB class was Living with Blindness [a confidential class where clients discuss the impact of vision loss on their lives, including family dynamics, relationships, self-esteem, recreational and social life, personal autonomy, and navigating systems like healthcare and benefits.] What did you appreciate about that class?
It’s hard to treat the intangible difficulties of being blind. That’s what Living with Blindness class was the best for. Tangible things, you can develop skills for, like using the computer. That’s straightforward. But how to function in the world as a blind person is much harder. Your confidence, your social life. It’s a different experience.
OCB: As part of Living with Blindness class did you do the Challenge Course [a day-long outdoor adventure experience done as a group with Living with Blindness students and OCB staff]?
Yes I did the Challenge Course, and I don’t want to brag, but I think I got the record for climbing the tree the fastest!
OCB: Nice work! Your vocational counselor said you liked Living with Blindness class so much that you took it twice, before and after COVID. How was it different?
Well because of COVID, the first semester was in person, but the following semester was conducted over the telephone. That kind of in-person experience might not be as big of a deal to someone with sight, but there are all kinds of physical presences that you feel in an in-person setting. I missed that. So it was a different experience. But both times were very beneficial, and I still valued both experiences.
OCB: What advice would you give to anyone considering receiving services at OCB?
I would say that just getting involved in any class will help you a tremendous amount. Tasks seem much more challenging before you do them, but it becomes much easier as you go. It’s like how first stepping into the pool is the most terrifying thing, but once you get in there it becomes fun. There’s huge emotional and psychological support at OCB for someone experiencing blindness.
