I was half paying attention during the training course when I heard Michelle ask, “Who hasn’t used the job management interface before?”

Without thinking, I put my hand up. That’s why I was here, right? I had to get with the program.

“Joan! You can come down to the front and drive the mouse.” Michelle waved me down to the front of the room. I hesitated then put my pen down and walked to the front.

Michelle handed me the wireless keyboard and mouse. I spent the rest of the one hour training course responding to Michelle’s cues: “And if we click on the ‘New Claim’ button… Let’s choose ‘lump sum’… Joan, pick any job manager in the second drop down menu…”

They must have been wondering why I appeared clumsy with the mouse and keyboard. I was just that little bit too slow…

Well, the reason I was unsteady was that I couldn’t see! I had forgotten to bring my glasses and could only make out vague shapes on the projector screen.

“Joan, fill in the job description in the main box.”

I waved the mouse around, nervously looking for any screen movement that would show me where the mouse pointer had gotten to. I finally found it and clicked on the largest white space I could see on the screen. I typed, “New airport in Afghanistan. It was made of gold.” I didn’t know how many spelling mistakes I had made. When they all started laughing, I figured it was all right.

“Thanks for driving, Joan,” Michelle said to me at the end of the session.

I had made it through the hour without revealing my disability. Needless to say, I had concentrated so hard during it all that I hadn’t learned a single thing.