[nabs-l] Job seekers- disclosing disability

Sat Apr 18 03:56:12 UTC 2009

Hi.

The article provided regards Brittish laws surrounding disability which 
are a little different from American laws. The ADA does specify that 
employers cannot ask you about your disabilities at any point in the 
process. or rather, that they should not. Unfortunately, they often do. 
Here's my philosophy on disclosure.

There are some of us whose blindness will be more obvious depending on 
the job we're asking to fill, our past experience, and any schools we 
attended. for example, if you worked at Random City Society for the 
Blind, and your job experience at RCSB makes you qualified for the job 
you're applying for, it makes sense to mention it. If you attended 
Random State School for the Blind and it's relevant to your resume, 
then mention it. I often add my participation at the Louisiana Center 
for the Blind for two reasons. first, it points to my educational 
experiences. Second, it offers a perfect shoe-in to discuss how I'll do 
the job as a blind person. All this said, it's certainly not a good 
idea to make blindness the central focus of your resume unless it makes 
sense to do so such as in cases where you might be applying to fill the 
post at Random City Society for the Blind.

At the interview. I personally don't find it helpful when employers ask 
how much I can see. I find that the focus moves in a negative direction 
when this happens. They may be curious, but they're also subconsciously 
equating sight with ability. I also don't want them to expect me to act 
as a sighted person when I'm not. I want to make it clear that I am 
indeed a blind person with some residual vision who uses blindness 
techniques, not visual ones. i also want to make it clear that my use 
of blindness techniques will not hamper me. I also personally feel that 
first meetings are not the appropriate time and place to discuss the 
inner workings of a medical condition. so, when an employer asks me, 
"How much can you see?" I  have a few responses ready. If the vibe is 
good, I may ask why they're interested in knowing. Then, I can figure 
out what their real questions are. A lot of the time, the question is, 
"How are you going to do X?" so, I tell them how i'll do X. If the vibe 
is bad, it's probably not going to work out anyway. But, if I'm stuck 
having to educate, I'll simply say something like "just enough to get 
me into trouble, but not enough to get me out." Then, I'll launch into 
a brief explanation about how I'll do the job as a blind person.

I have a strong preference for self acommodation where possible. For 
those of us who use Braille note takers, it's a good idea to pack it 
along in case you're required to do a writing test. If an internet 
connection is available, use it to e-mail the perspective boss the 
writing sample while you're still there. Hopefully, the boss will smile 
upon this arrangement. This is also a great way to show how you will 
solve accessibility problems. Also, for those with reading machines, 
particularly the KNFB Reader Mobile, bring it along since it has 
internet capability that will let you e-mail word attachments uploaded 
from your note taker and since it can read print and help you convert 
anything you may have to read out loud into Braille. If you're good 
with your technology, this process can be really efficient. If you 
don't have said technology, then it may prompt you to disclose your 
disability sooner so you can get appropriate acommodations. Otherwise, 
it may be useful to list your acommodations in your cover letter in 
case the employer wants you to do something at the interview.

A word on blindness skills. I personally think it's a great idea to 
know braille in case one has to read out loud (which can happen). I 
also recommend being comfortable with a cane or guide dog because 
confident travelers look good to employers. My next bit of advice may 
be controversial, but I would not recommend taking paratransit to an 
interview. This arrangement may be just fine when you get the job, but 
I'd start out with a cab or driver to avoid stereotypes. If weather is 
poor, I would also recommend a cab or driver if you ordinarily take the 
bus. That way, you look fresh and nice at the interview. Taking cabs 
may also reduce personal stress. I don't know about you, but I'm a poor 
traveler when I experience anxiety (I get distracted), and I'd hate to 
be late for getting lost. By the way, I also recommend you feel 
comfortable with cooking and serving if you're getting a job in food 
service. again, travel skills are helpful.

A word on appearances. I would highly recommend brushing your dog well 
before an interview and/or making sure your cane doesn't look like hell 
when you show up. Battle scars on canes are great for convention 
stories, but not for job interviews. Wear the best you have provided 
that it's appropriate. I personally don't have a problem with piercings 
and hair dye or tatoos. Unfortunately, others might. It's not a bad 
idea to scope out the place before sending in an application to see if 
your personal style is or isn't going to be a problem. I personally 
think it would suck if you like to wear piercings but can't.

I did some research on job applications and interview practices 
regarding people with disabilities. here are some signs that might 
reduce your chances of discrimination. first, don't set your heart on 
jobs that ask about disabilities or health conditions on their 
applications. Chances are, they're looking at possible insurance 
issues, and they may mistakingly think that you're a liability. Second, 
go for small businesses run by people you have some network with; based 
on my research, don't go for small business owners you don't know or 
haven't got a network with since they're likely to discriminate and 
there isn't much you can do about it. The better bet in general is to 
go for large corperations and institutions with plenty of public 
accountability. They're less likely to discriminate and will receive 
public pressure if they do.

Naturally, much of this is my own opinion. Feel free to agree or 
disagree. This has been a product of my experiences thus far. Any 
additional info would be most welcome.
Original message:
> I was under the impression that employers were required to provide
> 'reasonable' accomidations.  This article seems to imply that they are not
> obligated if they did not know about your disability when they hired you.
> the law does not allow for employers to use your disibility at all in their
> selection process.  In OR i believe that employers aren't even allowed to
> ask about disabilities.  I imagine that one can extend the law to not allow
> for preference to be given to disabled applicants either since you would be
> choosing on non-relevant baseies.  Unfortunatly those of us with physical
> disabilities have less choice about disclosure then other potentionally
> disabled applicants.  Joseph has said to me that employers will be more
> likely to hire you if they can see how you would be able to forfill the
> position.  Convincing the employer of this can be hard.  It would seem that
> an interview would be a good place to discuss this, but you would much
> prefer that the interview focused on your own skills and not details that
> should not effect their desision.
> Just my two cents,
> Bill VP
> Oregon Association of Blind Students
> 503-768-8982
> cassonw at gmail.com

> On Wed, Apr 15, 2009 at 1:24 PM, Jim Reed <jim275_2 at yahoo.com> wrote:

>> Hey all,

>> As the summer-job seeking season is upon us, and as the economy forces
>> others out of work, I thought the following would be useful to some of
>> you. It deals with how/when to disclose your blindness to an employer.

>> http://www.rnib.org.uk/xpedio/groups/public/documents/PublicWebsite/public_jsdisc.hcsp

>> I Hope some find it useful. I have an interview tomarrow with Montana Fish,
>> Wildlife, and Parks. I guess I will see how it works then.

>> Thanks,

>> Jim

>> "Ignorance killed the cat; curiosity was framed."

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-- 
REspectfully,
Jedi

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