Our guest content writer, Leo Aces, discusses his experience of job hunting with Cerebral Palsy, and the benefits of employing disabled candidates.
I have 12 GCSEs and five A-Levels, I read Psychology and Sociology at university; have qualified as a Transactional Life Coach, studied Counselling, Self Development and completed numerous business courses. I volunteer with a number of charities and opened my own company.
I look pretty good on paper, don’t I? I’m 31 and never been employed…
I have Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy and I’m a queer person. My intersectionality should be irrelevant in the world of work and employment, or to go one further, it should be welcomed.
It is, on paper. The initial application process and email correspondences and if you’re lucky, the interview process. Reasonable Adjustments literature is always proudly presented at the bottom of job descriptions. However, how much is this disclaimer tailored by the employer or company and how much is copied and pasted as a box ticking exercise? For me, alarm bells begin to ring when recruiters are resistant to entertain adjustments in the interview. Timed exercises… do they need to be timed when the role being applied for does not require these constraints?
The rise of remote employment has definitely helped pave the way for a more accessible and inclusive workforce. Individuals with disabilities like myself have more of a physical equal playing field to participate and showcase our skills and talents. However, attitudes still need to catch up! Unfortunately, there is still some societal stigma and discrimination towards us. This can lead to biases and misconceptions among employers. Limited awareness, knowledge and understanding of how to effectively support and integrate individuals with severe disabilities into the workforce also contributes to the reluctance to hire and accommodate us. Networking plays a crucial role in job searching, but when you have a severe disability you often face challenges in building professional networks due to limited social interactions or opportunities for engagement.
We may require a plethora of adjustments to be able to access an employed role; specialist equipment, one to one assistance, extended deadlines, regular longer breaks, flexibility, time off (just to name a handful). Are these reasonable for employers and companies to accommodate, and does the candidate have to be exceptional and in some capacity go way beyond the expected, in order to be considered a worthy recruit?
This is how it feels in the job market when you have a severe disability; you want to work, contribute and earn. Most of us are unlikely to be the next Stephen Hawking, Helen Keller or Nick Vujicic, we may not aspire to change the world but just have pride in our position in it.
I started applying for jobs later than most, in my late 20s. Growing up, I hardly saw any representation of adults with my level of disability and care needs occupying every day jobs. At college when I met with the career advisor, I was encouraged to think about heavily academic occupations which were dependent on me attaining a degree. My physical abilities and the fact that I was more of a practical learner wasn’t really indulged. I feel that sometimes it can be assumed that a person with severe physical disabilities who do not obviously display mental, learning or emotional disabilities, must be truly gifted academically and aspire to be a genius.
I would really like to see employers personalise their reasonable adjustment statement in job descriptions to be in line with the organisation, rather than the generic information they are obliged to include. The best employers are those willing to learn about the needs of each individual and how that person is affected by their disability. It’s important to realise that everybody has different experiences and needs, even if their disabilities have similarities. For example, Cerebral Palsy covers a wide array of differences, and my colleague’s needs with the condition could be completely different to mine. One of my personal biggest challenges has been my communication due to my speech impediment. It would feel so empowering if employers had the desire to make the time to make sure they understood me and allowed me to explain what kind of situations made me nervous and therefore harder to understand.
Leo Aces
Speaker & Coach
Leoaces.co.uk
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