April 02, 2007
When Key Players in Your Field Hold False Assumptions About You
Today we welcome Deb Cotter, guest facilitator.
I think my experience is a little different than some in our "Online Networking as a Job Search Tool" class because there are times I can "pass" as a non-disabled person.
However, since I know many of the players in the disability advocacy community in Washington, DC, whenever I am interviewed for a position, I am not usually asked about what accommodations I would need. Everyone knows I am a stroke survivor and they assume that my only disability is hemiplegia. I guess I do not disclose my other disabilities to colleagues unless I absolutely have to do so (on a need-to-know basis).
What I find discouraging in job interviews is the assumptions interviewers make about my disability. They only see my physical limitations -- not my multiple hidden disabilities. Indeed, upon being offered jobs, when asked what accommodations I need, my employer soon learns that my vision and hearing loss and chronic pain affect my work/work style more than my physical disability. Fortunately, there are inexpensive ways to help me adapt.
About two months ago (right after I began taking this course), I started a new job and, although I had told my new boss about my hidden disabilities, I had not disclosed to my colleagues (again I was operating under a "need-to-know" policy). After a few days on the job, several incidents (ranging from bumping into people/things to a colleague not being able to get my attention although she had been standing right next to me, tugging on my affected side) spurred me to disclose my disabilities to my colleagues to improve our interactions at work. Hell, I am working for a disability organization, why am I hiding and what am I afraid of?
My question concerns aging with disability and the older worker with a disability. We all know that aging affects us differently and we may develop additional disabilities as we age (secondary conditions etc.). Once you are established in your field and know most of the senior-level people in your field, how do you deal with looking for a job with your peers who may already know of or have assumptions about your disability/disabilities?
It's similar (but with more nuances) to that of the total stranger interviewing you. I have been successful at navigating this terrain in the same manner Alicia and many of you suggested by relating my experience (e.g., doing a lot of reading and using analytical skills while in school) to the functions required in the open job.
During job interviews with total strangers, I can easily refer to advocacy efforts or issues I have addressed in which I have participated. For example, I can say this: "I was able to pull off a Congressional briefing because of my strong interpersonal skills and key contacts... You remember the briefing about Lifespan Respite?"
But, once I find myself vying for a job in which most of the key players -- disabled or not -- already know (or think they know) me, I face a whole different set of circumstances in which people think they know what I can do when actually they may hold false assumptions about what I can really do and can't do. Such barriers are often just as tough to break as the ones I face when I deal with total strangers.
So, this is the discussion question I have for you this week:
What false perceptions do you, an established job seeker with a disability, find yourself confronting when you know all "the other fish in the pond?"
Posted by Deb Cotter at 11:10 AM | Comments (7)