Disability Discrimination and Employment

Although I believe we are making huge strides to gaining equal opportunities for diverse populations when it comes to employment, I know we are no where near the overall goal.

I recently graduated college and have now found myself on the quest for an occupation. After 5 months, I've gone on 6 interviews and have found that some of the employers were uncomfortable by my disability. Now I know they knew I was disabled because if they took a glance at my resume, they saw how involved I was with disability awareness, disability-related speeches, and disability-related clubs while in college. But if they took an even closer look at my resume, they will see that I wrote "talked to an audience of educators about my disability," etc. I am fully comfortable addressing it on my resume because it will get the question out of their heads before I walk in the door. However, they still don't know exactly what kind of disability I have. Here lies the problem. Once I get to the interview stage and actually meet with the employer(s), sometimes it can be awkward. I'm used to people staring and sometimes even gawking at me because they've never seen someone so different, but in the workplace, you can't do that. So often I'll walk in and they'll glance at my crutches. Right then I know I'm going to have to work a little harder to prove that I would be a valuable employee. More than skills and qualifications, employers are looking for someone that will fit in with their culture and workplace environment, and if I make them uncomfortable, it's not going to leave a good taste in their mouths, so to speak.

So how does one overcome this huge obstacle, when there is nothing he/she can do to hide his/her disability? Well, for starters, I've come to realize that it is important to remember that if an employer or company doesn't want to hire me because I am different, I shouldn't want to work for them. This is something I discussed with my mentors while an undergraduate student. But we can't just accept that logic, because it'll never change those companies and employers. So I've been wondering how we can adjust their mind frames to make it a little easier for people with disabilities trying to enter the workforce. One thing that immediately comes to mind is being persistent. Call the company, send them thank yous after an interview, and do all the things that career counselors would advise you to do. Don't accept that they might not have liked you and give up. Another tip: don't get discouraged. Keep applying to jobs and sending out resumes. This is something I struggled with and still do from time to time. It is very easy to get upset when you can't find a job, especially if you have suspicions that the reason could be your uniqueness. As I've discovered in every aspect of life, though, it is always better to be an optimist than a pessimist. Optimism will help the doors of opportunity open sooner. I'll write more on this later, since I'm still experiencing the occupational process. Thanks for any comments.