Last night I delivered a speech on the 'Future of Opticianry' to the Optician's Association of Washington. As you know, I had asked you all to answer seven questions on this topic.
I presented a summary of your answers as well as my views on the same questions. I wish I could say that that the speech was a resounding success, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. While some people expressed appreciation and support for my words, there were some who reacted very negatively to what I said. In retrospect this should not have come as a surprise. The information I presented suggested a future for Opticianry that is troubled and not altogether positive. While I stand by my views, I now wish I had spent more time on the opportunities for Opticians to reverse these trends and improve prospects for the future.
One thing we all share is a great respect for the profession of Opticianry. None of us wants to be anything but supportive of the goals of this industry. But we all know there are some problems within the industry. If they are evaluated honestly and dealt with in a straightforward manner, there is an opportunity to create some very positive outcomes. My hope was to generate the kind of debate and action that could lead to a revitalizing of the industry and new respect for Opticianry as a profession.
For anyone attending the event who felt the speech was too negative, please know that I did not intend to offend anyone, and I apologize if you felt that was the case. I also encourage you to post your cooments on OptiBoard so they can be shared with the whole community. Let us know what you disagree with and why.
I'd like to express my heartfelt thanks to Pam Oquist of the OAW who invited me to speak at their meeting. I'd also like to point out that the speech was mine alone and no one, including Pam, knew its content prior to my delivering it.
For those of you who care to read this speech, please click on the following link. And as always, let the commenting begin!
http://optiboard.com/files/OAW_Futur...pticianry.html
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OptiBoard Administrator
[This message has been edited by Steve Machol (edited 04-08-2001).]
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