You are a college graduate on to new challenges! Or not.

As some of you may know I am a recent college grad.  I have a degree in English Language and Lirerature and a minor in psychology. It had always bothered me that I didn’t finish school though if I was to be totally honest about it the only reason I went to college after high school was because I didn’t know what else I could do. I enjoyed the experience but it became clear pretty quickly that it wasn’t the right  path. As the years went by I often wondered what my life would be like if I had finished college and I decided it was time to restart my college career.
       Going to college full time in  my forties when I had an entire life going on and responsibilities to attend to, was a totally different type of experience and being the student I had always wanted to be was a lot more work than I had anticipated . The classes were excelarated each of them being 9 weeks long. In my ignorance of how these programs worked I thought that meant less material was covered.  I quickly learned that all the material gets squeezed into those nine weeks and for the love all things related to my sanity I better not get behind.  I had the support of amazing friends and my family who cheered me on. In the case of my family they all called and texted and sent me funny pictures  to make sure I was still alive. Because all I did was write papers and do homework and study for two years.  I pretty much had no social life and very rarely came up for air.  There were weekends on end when all I did was obsess about dead writers, ask my friend who was my chief support and editor at that time.  She sat there with me while I cried, stressed, and thought about quitting every weekend.  It was so much harder than I could have imagined. I share all this so you have some context for what came next
      I graduated around this time last year.  I took a short breather and then I began that process of looking for a job with my shiny new degree all set to show off.  This is not to say that I expected this to be an easy task.  I am a new college graduate at the age that I am, with a fractured work history due mostly to issues related to my disability. Everyone I spoke with about this warned me about the economy and how long it can take any new graduate to find employment. I worried that my disability would be a problem.  But I know a lot about the Americans with Disabilities Act and assumed companies and thier staff doing the hiring in 2018 would too.   Not so much my friends, so this is my top 7 list of things I have heard as a person with a disability looking for a job in the year plus since I’ve graduated from college in no particular order.  Well okay, the first one is right at the end of college a few weeks before graduation

1. I was told that it would be impossible for me to manage or teach in any kind of classroom with a disability because I wouldn’t project the right authority if I couldn’t stand up.  (I didn’t think about how discriminatory this was because I was hyper focused on finals at the time.  Then I told  my sister the story and she  responded with “They said what to you?!?!”)

2 I was asked for a driver’s license at an interview and when I said I had a state ID card I was told it had to be a driver’s license but when I asked why I got no answer. (I don’t apply for jobs that require  driving as an essential function. Obviously.)

3. I was told that if I didn’t tell the interviewer what my disability was, there was no need to continue.  ( I said maybe you aren’t aware but legally you cannot ask that.  They told me in essence it would be my word against theirs if I told anyone they’d asked.)

4. “ Oh it’s so great to see you at out looking for a job.  You are so inspiring. I wish you luck.”  (Okay you’re not going to hire me but I’ll make a great story at the next meeting huh. Some version of this has happened a few times)

5. “If we decide to interview you will you need any accommodations for the interview?”  Well perhaps, I have a physical disability.  “ Ohhh  ummm well I don’t ... ummm .. someone will get back to you.” (Spoiler alert I never heard back I have changed the language I use when answering this question.)

6. “We don’t hire people with disabilities. (I hear various reasons from expense to flat out one person saying they do not follow the ADA There are some companies that based on size and or number of employees are not required to follow the law, but don’t say that on the phone.)

7. “ Will you need  accomidations for a possible interview?  Before I could respond the person on the phone said “ I don’t know why I have to ask that handicapped people don’t apply for jobs.”

In fairness not everything I hear violates the ADA . Some of it is just inappropriate.  Some of it is the result of what I can only assume is poor training that would make an HR department cringe. I have learned the fine art of finesse. Sometimes I have to answer questions differently. All of it is  emotionally draining. It’s just that I thought I wouldn’t have to be educating businesses about the basics of  the ADA twenty-five plus years  down the road.  I expected to have to do some advocacy and education about how cp affects me but not the wider laws.   But then I also thought 9 week semesters would somehow be less work then a full 18.   That wasn’t what I expected either. 💚😊