When you are disabled, it is more difficult to find a job because employers often discriminate and think you are less capable of doing the job than a non-disabled applicant. There are some types of jobs that my physical disability will prevent me from being able to do well, but the belief that I am not able to do any as effectively as a non-disabled person is simply not true. There are a lot of jobs that my disability does not prevent me from doing, and I am able to do just as effectively as a non-disabled person. Disabled people sometimes may need more accommodations to be able to do their job, but if we are given reasonable accommodations, we can do them just as easily as a non-disabled person. Inaccessibility is what slows a disabled person down and makes our job harder than it should be. Employers sometimes are hesitant to hire a disabled employee because they think it will be expensive, which it can be, but not all disabled people need expensive accommodations, and sometimes we may only need one or two small things. What accommodations would I need in a job? In this post, I am sharing a few accommodations I would need in a workplace to be able to do my job effectively.
I would need an accessible workplace- A few years ago, I did an on-the-job training at a chiropractor’s office, which didn’t end up working out because my employer refused to make my workplace accessible even after I told her the government would require modification and it was going to cost her anything. Accessibility is not optional for disabled people, and it is necessary for us to be able to do our job effectively because when it’s not accessible, it can be dangerous. If I were to get a job, I would need an employer that was willing to make reasonable accommodations, such as a desk that I could easily wheel my wheelchair in and out of without getting stuck. Non-disabled people sometimes think that disabled people will need all these expensive accommodations and will demand that you make the whole building accessible, but accessibility may be cheaper than you think. As a disabled person, I don’t care if your entire building is accessible because I don’t have to access a certain area; it doesn’t need to be accessible. An accessible workstation is important to me as a disabled person, and if an employer is not willing to do that, it’s not going to work because it doesn’t matter how much you are paying me, I am not going to work a job that causes me to struggle more.
I would need flexible hours– Some disabled people have to go to the doctor a lot and may need more sick but fortunately, I don’t have one of those disabilities that causes frequent illness. I get sick about as often as a non-disabled person would and only have to go to the doctor for yearly appointments. I don’t get the flu often, but I do live with chronic pain that affects my energy levels and sometimes my pain flares, and I am not able to work. I would need an employer who was understanding of my pain and didn’t threaten to fire me when I told them I was not well. Fortunately, I don’t get severe pain that prevents me from working often, but flares are often unpredictable, and I would need an employer who was flexible and didn’t force me to work when I wasn’t well. I started my blog because it was a way to build a career that supported my pain. Disabled and chronically ill people often need understanding employers who are flexible because we have health issues that are often unpredictable.
Ability to work from home– Working from home saves a lot of money on gas and is convenient for non-disabled people, but it is necessary for disabled people. As a disabled person with a physical disability, I am not able to drive to work, and transportation can be an issue for me. There are transportation services that can take me to and from work, but often they are unreliable and get you there hours before you need to be or arrive hours late. Working from home is a convenience for non-disabled people, but is it accessibility for disabled people, because a lot of us can’t drive. I would need the ability to do my job virtually because someone is not always available to take me places, and I don’t always have reliable transportation.
I would need longer bathroom breaks- My previous employer had an issue with my bathroom schedule, even after I told her that in the interview before she hired me. It takes me a few minutes longer to go to the bathroom than it would for a non-disabled person because I use catheters and can only pee as fast as my catheter drains. I have a lot of bladder issues that have required a lot of reconstructive surgeries, and it is so important that I go to the bathroom every couple of hours to prevent and avoidable health issue. I would need an employer that didn’t have an issue with my bathroom schedule and understood that I may need a ten or twenty-minute bathroom break every couple of hours because there is no job work risking a health issue.
Disabled people often need more accommodations to do their job than a non-disabled person, but we may not need as many accommodations as you think. Non-disabled people sometimes think that we need all these expensive accommodations, and all we really need is a larger workspace. Every disabled person has different access needs, because it depends on what disability you have, and some people may not need any accommodations at all. Accessibility in the workplace is not optional for disabled people, but it is necessary to keep your disabled employees. I can’t navigate the world like a non-disabled person can, and am more likely to fall. Don’t judge a disability by its visibility, because a lot of the time we can do jobs that you think we can’t do. I wouldn’t be applying to a job if I didn’t think I was capable of doing that job. Disabled people shouldn’t have to prove their disabilities to employers and people should believe us, but we do and still don’t get hired. What accommodations would you need in the workplace? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.
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