For Oskar Betschart (39) from Mühlau AG, it was a severe blow when he was fired last October. This after eight years, a lot of passion and commitment in the human resources department of a company in the canton of Lucerne.
Betschart’s handicap: He is blind. His eyesight has been declining steadily since childhood due to the hereditary disease retinitis pigmentosa. Today he can only distinguish between light and dark.
Needs a little more time for his work
«I was always very proud to work for this company despite my handicap. And I would have liked to have remained part of it,” he says. But: “Due to my disability, I can’t do the same work that sighted people can, and that’s why I always need a little longer for my work,” says Betschart. That ultimately cost him his job. The man, in other words, for whom almost 200 people who once worked in the company or still do so, were interviewed.
When asked by Blick, the company that fired Oskar Betschart said: “We hired Mr Betschart eight years ago, but not because he was handicapped. But as a full team member. That was very important for him as well as for us. » Those responsible at the company also say that a lot is changing in their environment – and that at breakneck speed. “Through digitization, everything is becoming more and more demanding. This is a major challenge for all employees.” The fact that Oskar Betschart is no longer with you in the company also has something to do with his “reluctant willingness to change”. They looked for alternatives in human resources, but ultimately couldn’t find one. “Personally and emotionally, this is a loss for everyone,” it says.
Commercial apprenticeship, further training, 18 years of professional experience
The buzzwords of the modern world were fatal to the visually impaired man: digitization, speed, performance. Oskar Betschart therefore cannot understand why those in charge of a company with over 400 employees could not find another job for him.
However, the father of two is a fighter – he always was. He never wanted to be seen as something special, completed a commercial apprenticeship at commercial school, has 18 years of professional experience in human resources and a backpack full of further training. And: He looked for all the jobs himself.
In fact, at first glance there is nothing to suggest that Betschart has a handicap. When he sits in front of the computer, he hits the keys with touch typing. The only difference is the Braille line below his keyboard. A tool that enables blind people to read electronic data.
Now he wants to move on and look for a new job. Preferably near his home in Mühlau. He wants a way to work that he can manage himself with his cane. Because he lives according to the motto: If you are blind, you have learned not to give up. “My parents never spoiled me. They are farmers, so even as a child I had to help out on the farm: haymaking, harvesting potatoes – I never drove a special train.”
He now also relies on the Schwyzerörgeli
Betschart has also started to establish a second mainstay. Together with his sister Edith – who is also almost blind – Oskar Betschart has formed a coveted Schwyzerörgeli duo for years. The two perform at an event almost every weekend. In the future, he wants to teach more people how to play the Schwyzerörgeli as a teacher.
For him there were always only two options: “Either you crawl away and cry. Or you get up and do something.” Betschart belongs to the second category. Also because of his two children – four and six years old. “After all, I want to be a role model for them.”