I often wonder what my life would be like if I was born 40-50 years ago as a person with a disability. Would I have my Master's Degree? Would I even have had the opportunity to go to college? Although pondering life's what-if's can take us down a dangerous path, a dose of healthy perspective can do us all good.
Words cannot adequately express my frustrations, both as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor and as a person with a disability. I have been working on this post for a couple days, and even right now I worry that the wrong message will be conveyed.
My goal in the work I do has always been to give people with disabilities the opportunity to try to work and realize their goals of employment, despite limitations they may have. I strive to advocate, to encourage, to hold my customers to high expectations, to help and support them in whatever way I can in the sometimes scary world of work.
It is incredibly frustrating to me that today, in the year 2019, there are employers, coworkers, support systems, etc. who have a hard time wrapping their minds around working with anybody who may not fit their mold of what a typical employee looks like. It is difficult for me to comprehend how coworkers sometimes are close-minded in being willing to offer assistance and guidance to someone who has never before had a job out in the community, or has had a difficult time working because of the challenges they have. It saddens me that we as a society are quick to critique what others may be doing incorrectly, but we ourselves have a hard time taking that to the next step to demonstrate how things should be done or how a behavior can be corrected. How in the world are employees with disabilities, who already have enough challenges, supposed to make a change if a simple conversation cannot be had? Further, it terrifies me that in today's world we may have employers who may be implicitly making the choice to not hire individuals with disabilities because they may not have the ability to climb the ranks. By making such a decision, we are closing the door to a large group of people, it seems, simply because they may not rise to our level of expectation. As disappointing as these things may be, perhaps it is even more so when said things may happen with employers who make it their mission to help individuals with disabilities.
If it weren't for the obvious frustrations these types of instances caused, I could sob for how disheartened I feel, both as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, but maybe more so as a person with a disability. Before I was the professional I am today, I was the girl with a disability who struggled to obtain her first job, I was that girl who didn't get a job until the summer before my junior year in college. Today, I am still the girl with a disability who struggles at work with certain tasks, I am that girl who sometimes needs to ask questions repeatedly because of my disability.
But, here's the thing, don't we all struggle at some point, don't we all need help most days? Life is hard enough- do we really live in a society that continues to bring attention to the struggles? We can do better, we have an obligation to do better, to be better.
My goal in the work I do has always been to give people with disabilities the opportunity to try to work and realize their goals of employment, despite limitations they may have. I strive to advocate, to encourage, to hold my customers to high expectations, to help and support them in whatever way I can in the sometimes scary world of work.
It is incredibly frustrating to me that today, in the year 2019, there are employers, coworkers, support systems, etc. who have a hard time wrapping their minds around working with anybody who may not fit their mold of what a typical employee looks like. It is difficult for me to comprehend how coworkers sometimes are close-minded in being willing to offer assistance and guidance to someone who has never before had a job out in the community, or has had a difficult time working because of the challenges they have. It saddens me that we as a society are quick to critique what others may be doing incorrectly, but we ourselves have a hard time taking that to the next step to demonstrate how things should be done or how a behavior can be corrected. How in the world are employees with disabilities, who already have enough challenges, supposed to make a change if a simple conversation cannot be had? Further, it terrifies me that in today's world we may have employers who may be implicitly making the choice to not hire individuals with disabilities because they may not have the ability to climb the ranks. By making such a decision, we are closing the door to a large group of people, it seems, simply because they may not rise to our level of expectation. As disappointing as these things may be, perhaps it is even more so when said things may happen with employers who make it their mission to help individuals with disabilities.
If it weren't for the obvious frustrations these types of instances caused, I could sob for how disheartened I feel, both as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, but maybe more so as a person with a disability. Before I was the professional I am today, I was the girl with a disability who struggled to obtain her first job, I was that girl who didn't get a job until the summer before my junior year in college. Today, I am still the girl with a disability who struggles at work with certain tasks, I am that girl who sometimes needs to ask questions repeatedly because of my disability.
But, here's the thing, don't we all struggle at some point, don't we all need help most days? Life is hard enough- do we really live in a society that continues to bring attention to the struggles? We can do better, we have an obligation to do better, to be better.
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