[blindlaw] Not getting certain assignments on account of disability

[Nightingale, Noel]

When I practiced at a mid-size law firm, there were a few partners who would not give me work.  Another partner told me that those partners had expressly stated in a partner meeting that it was because I am blind.  I had enough work from others so didn't do anything about it.

Noel

-----Original Message-----
From: BlindLaw [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Rahul Bajaj via BlindLaw
Sent: Wednesday, July 11, 2018 6:23 AM
To: blindlaw at nfbnet.org
Cc: Rahul Bajaj
Subject: [blindlaw] Not getting certain assignments on account of disability

Hi Everyone,

I am wondering if any of you have ever confronted a situation, in a law firm or elsewhere, in which you were not given a particular work assignment, ostensibly because of your disability. While it may not have been articulated in as many words, the surrounding circumstances unequivocally indicate that that was the reason. More specifically, if the work requires you to travel outside the confines of your office/ chambers and there's some effort involved in making documents accessible for you and the work gets given to someone who has not had as long an association with the employer concerned as you have had.

The decision may be premised on some assumptions about your capabilities as a blind lawyer - some mistaken and some correct. The mistaken assumptions being that you may not be able to do the job within the stipulated time-frame and that you would be better equipped to do other work. The correct assumptions being that it will take you longer to finish individual components of the work (even though you are in a position to deliver the finished product in time) and there will undeniably be some extra effort involved.

It may also be the case that the decision of the employer has nothing to do with your disability at all - no one can state with certitude what is the animating force driving their decision.

I am wondering what others think about how a situation like this can be dealt with in a constructive and productive way, such that one doesn't get left out in this fashion. Thank you for reading this and for your considered opinion.

Best,
Rahul

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