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June 29, 2005

Not a Sell Out

Some interesting thoughts from you both, Barney and Roger.

I agree with you that socially approaching the world from a "them" and "us" vantage point can be self-defeating. Social integration is a whole separate issue, and, yes, being uptight and always emphasizing our differences is not going to hack it.

But, competing for jobs with other candidates who don't have to explain how they would get things done because they have a disability is another story.

We need to directly address employer concerns stemming from our disabilities with candid, believeable answers about why we can do the job.

It's difficult to change a hiring manager's entire belief system about disability, but, if we can get him to see that one of his myths about disability may not always be true (that we are an "exception to the rule" and can do the job), then we start on an even keel with the other job candidates.

This just means that we've removed that one barrier (which may be an over-riding concern at first) in the hiring manager's mind and can now draw his attention to why we are best qualified for the job.

I don't see this as a sell-out. We're helping to educate that one hiring manager so we can gain access to a mainstream job and an opportunty to change the false perceptions of many other people during our careers.

So I see playing golf (having a good time with the guys or gals) and selling ourselves during the job interview as two different games. But it's not always easy to shift gears between the two.

Jim Hasse

Posted by Jim at 12:02 PM | Comments (3)

June 14, 2005

Using Leverage as a Leveler

People with disabilities have a variety of leverages which can help level the playing field for the job recruitment game. We just have to identify and learn how to effectively use those levers.

Here are three quick examples of leverage we can learn to use.

First, during his guest speaker appearance on May 19's eSight Phone Conference, Olegario "Ollie" D. Cantos VII, Special Assistant to Assistant Attorney General R. Alexander Acosta in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, gave us these important tips about networking:

That's leverage. It's a "self-help" approach within - and outside - the disability community for obtaining your first job or moving up to the next step in your career.

Second, Ollie is also using his leverage within the U.S. Justice Department to fully implement and enforce Management Directive 715 . This directive requires each federal government agency to assess "the full spectrum of employment within the agency" and evaluate the agency's status in relation to employment of people with disabilities at the end of each fiscal year.

Once an agency identifies a barrier to equal opportunities for individuals with disabilities, the management directive says it must decide how to respond. "Each agency must assess the appropriateness of any policy, practice, procedure or condition determined to negatively correlate with disability," it maintains.

By the way, you can now listen to Ollie's May 19 eSight Phone Conference - a feature made possible by a grant from Verizon - at http://www.esight.org/View.cfm?x=1791


Third, in their book, "No One Is Unemployable: Creative Solutions for Overcoming Barriers to Employment," Debra L. Angel and Elisabeth E. Harney write about becoming "an exception to the rule" as another type of leverage to gain access to mainstream jobs.

They maintain that myths about employing individuals with disabilities are not usually malicious but are often damaging and can be more easily changed when challenged by facts.

But, instead of trying to change a hiring manager's entire belief system, focus on challenging his or her belief that the myth is always true, they recommend.

"If the candidate can become the 'exception to the rule' (in the eyes of the hiring manager)," they write, "he can gradually introduce the employer to other exceptions until the rule no longer applies."

That's using, as leverage, the "super crip" image you may have earned in the eyes of others through achievement and savvy marketing of what you can offer an employer. By positioning yourself as an exception to commonly held misconceptions about job candidates with disabilities, you gain access to mainstream employment and to further opportunities to change perceptions.

It's also a new twist to this month's overarching "getting beyond 'special'" theme on this blog.

So, considering the three "leverage" examples I just mentioned, how would you reply to this question:

What have you learned from the preceding three "leverage" examples that you can apply in gaining an equal footing with your non-disabled counterparts?

Posted by Jim at 05:22 PM | Comments (2)

June 07, 2005

Getting Beyond "Special" in the Eyes of Others

Your supervisor says nothing to you, even though you’re consistently 20 to 30 minutes late for work, while your co-workers understand that they have to be at their desks at 8:00 sharp.

The HR vice president smiles at you periodically – in the hallway or in the lunch room – and repeats how well you’re doing on the job, even though you only started working at your new job six months ago. It’s something you notice he doesn’t do in greeting other employees.

Your boss introduces you to business associates with his favorite tagline: "___ is an inspiration to us all."

To say the least, your co-workers in each case are not happy -- precisely because you’re considered "special" due to your disability.

For an account about one instance when I received "special" treatment at a state-wide gathering, see "Troubled Tribute," a true story from my book, "Break Out: Finding Freedom When You Don't Quite Fit the Mold."

That occurred in 1994. I realize there’s a different business climate (perhaps a more jaded era) today and that various regions of the U.S. and globe react differently to people with disabilities who make progress in realizing their career goals.

But I think the need for others to consider us "special" still occurs – and perhaps not always intentionally. We need to recognize condescending behavior disguised as undue praise for what it is and to know what to do about it when it happens.

You can start by replying to this week’s discussion questions on eSight’s "Swimming in the Mainstream" (SiM) blog:

When you have encountered unnecessary "special treatment" at work or in a job hunt that you considered condescending instead of an affirmation? What did you do about it?

Posted by Jim at 03:48 PM | Comments (8)