Getting A Career With A Disability

One key thing about disability, is that people are always very quick to see your disability first before they notice your abilities or yourself. If you are a person with disability then by now am sure you are sincerely nodding your heard with me. 

This made me think that there is still a long way to go for us in the disability movement. Disability is such a broad definition, and a disability can affect each person in such a variety of ways, but that, in my view, is the more reason for society to continue to broadcast the best things about disability and implement them for our own good.

Applying For Jobs/Carter Seeking

My biggest fear when applying for jobs or graduate roles was that my disability would mean I would be phased out or not considered to be up to standard at all. Its an incredibly difficult position to be in.

I ask myself, how do I accurately, yet positively, portray my disability? When, should I disclose my disability to my potential employer? And, how can I be sure my disability doesn’t affect my ability to do my job, especially once I’ve been hired and I’m in the working environment for real? These, questions linger in my head without rest.

I recall a job interviews I failed in after hiding my disability on my CV or application form. This made me feeling incredibly uncomfortable during the interviews since, my disability then became the interview questinaire as the panel had only just realised my disability.

All discussion and conversation was turned into how it may impact my ability to perform the job. It quickly became apparent that the sooner I was open about my disability, the better  my employer could consider reasonable adjustments and see past my potential disadvantages. 

Later,  I thought I was  better off not gaining that job interview after all. You can imagine the Hola ballo and the brouhaha whilst am at post. The gossip of we told you so but you did not listen Drama, that I will have to live with.

This made me resolved to always from the word go, identify my disability on every application form before I turn up for the interview. So they will know me in "person" before I appear on the interview platform.

Eventually, my opening application always read:

"Dear Employer/MAnager, I am a job seeker with a person with disability. My disability does not defines me but promotes me in different ways. However, I will like you to see me first and my abilities but ignore my disability..."

#Disabilityisnotinability #seemefirstnotmydisability