[nfbcs] Fake Cover Letters Expose Discrimination Against Disabled

[Gary Wunder]

My comments echo those of Brian. I was hired before the Americans With
Disabilities Act was law and before my employer was told in seminars that
there were certain questions he could not ask during the interview. I was
hired after an internship, and had it not been for that internship, I doubt
that the hiring would've taken place. My former boss said that he had no
question about the fact that I could do the job, that my technical
competence was assumed, and that when he learned I would be coming with all
of the equipment I needed, any job related issues were addressed. What he
feared was that he would be unable to help me get to and from my desk and,
indeed, to get to and from the bathroom. The fact that I showed up for an
interview on a windy and rainy day, did not ask the location of his office,
and did not ask for help exiting the building made a big difference.

On my resume I have never made a point of being blind, but one would
certainly wonder why I have spent so much time serving as the president of
the National Federation of the Blind of Missouri or on advisory boards
dealing with the blind. I think that I lean toward disclosure at the time of
interview. While I respect the intent of the law that people not be allowed
to ask questions about blindness, I know that those unasked questions can
certainly put me lower on the list than for those candidates for which those
questions will not be asked. Therefore, having some control of the
interview, I will make sure that they get asked and answered. I will tell
people about my long white cane, about how I get to and from work, about the
BrailleNote that I hold on my lap, about the screen reading software that I
use, and, if I can work it in, how blindness sometimes helps me think
outside the box. I will not be talking with them about the Model White Cane
Law, Section 504, or the Americans With Disabilities Act. I'm not saying
that I won't exercise those things later if it becomes apparent to me that
discrimination has occurred, but I don't want to try to convince them that
they should hire or avoid hiring me based on these laws. Remember that if my
obligation is to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,
nine out of ten employment discrimination cases brought under the Americans
With Disabilities Act are decided in favor of the employer. Proving
discrimination is a tough nut to crack; working where they don't want you is
uncomfortable, and changing their attitudes is a real challenge.

Am I glad we have the law? You bet. Do I think it should be used? Most
certainly. But I have more faith in our ability to sell ourselves than I do
in any piece of legislation that demands we be let in.



-----Original Message-----
From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Brian Buhrow via
nfbcs
Sent: Saturday, March 12, 2016 1:15 PM
To: NFB in Computer Science Mailing List
Cc: Brian Buhrow
Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Fake Cover Letters Expose Discrimination Against
Disabled

	hello.  I've been following this discussion with interest and not
contributing.  I don't have a lot of time to say much now, but I will offer
that my policy has been not to disclose until I get to the interview.  Like
someone said upthread, I don't go out of my way to hide my blindness, but I
also don't advertise either.  My rationale for my policy is that I can
manage people in person much better than I can control them from affar.
That is, if I meet you and you learn that I'm blind when we meet, I can
address your fears, concerns and discomfort in the moment.  If you know in
advance, I don't know what you're thinking and can't help calm those fears
that come to you in the night.  Those fears are normal, and if they grow too
big, by the time you meet me, there's nothing I can do.
	I've now ben continuously employed for over 20 years and I've gotten
my jobs in various ways, mostly through personal contacts.  As a result,
I've not had to worry about the disclosure question too much.  However, one
job I landed was through a head hunter, and by not disclosing until I got to
the interview, I was able to address the employer's very real concerns.
I'll note that while that job didn't last very long, I made my employer a
heap of money while I was there and they were extremely happy with me and my
work.  I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have been willing to interview me if
they'd known I was blind in advance.  In fact, they almost told me that one
day.

-Brian


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