I have an acquired disability and have had the double experience of trying to find employment with an invisible disability and a visible disability. I have arthritis which began to attack my hands, wrists, and fingers when I was seventeen. Soon after it began to spread through my body and my knees in particular were affected. I looked healthy but dealt with the reality of needing adaptions to make it through each day. After a few years of holding out I realized the reality was that I required a wheelchair.
The main barrier that I experienced while trying to find employment was attitudinal accessibility. When I had an invisible disability I had potential employers think that I was making excuses or trying to be difficult when I mentioned that I would need to do the work in a way that was different from the other staff. I was told time and time again that I looked fine. It was an odd experience to have people doubt me when I was trying my best to be as up front as possible about my situation. I also had several people tell me that it sounded as if it would take too much effort to hire me, whereas had they continued our interview they would have learned that the majority of adaptions necessary for me to work would have been my responsibility.
As soon as I mentioned that I had a disability I could see in the interviewer’s eyes that we were done. When I tried to find employment as a person who uses a wheelchair, I found that I couldn’t even get to the interview stage.
As I look back on my many frustrating experiences the one thought that keeps going through my mind is that if I had been given a fair chance to not only get to the interview but to get through the interview I think I could have satisfied many of the interviewers who dismissed me at hand because I had a disability. Had these people been more open minded and allowed me to explain my situation and how I knew I could work with adaptions than I think they would have realized that I, like the others they were considering, should be considered on my merits, experience, and education, and not on my health. My health should have been a side-note. I would encourage people who are doing the hiring to not assume whether a person can perform tasks needed for the job but rather ask the candidate to explain how they would be able to perform the tasks at hand.
Allow for the opportunity to have a conversation with a potential employee about what may need to be done. I was not given the opportunity to explain that the majority of adaptions necessary are adaptions that I have already worked into my life and will bring to the table, as opposed to adaptions needing to be made by the employer. This is not to say that adaptions made the employer may not be the case but allow for a discussion and if, after speaking openly and honestly with the potential employee, you feel that it is too onerous to make those adaptions then choose another candidate, but at least give candidates with disabilities the opportunity to make their pitch and explain the situation.