October is National Disability Employment Awareness month.
This is a month where people who have a disability want others to know about. The irony of this recognition is that many disabled people would rather not be recognized for having a disability. They would much rather be recognized for their personal or academic accomplishments.
I can speak to that first hand. My own kidlet came up against this very situation–to disclose or not to disclose. People with a disability, who are ready and able to work, sometimes cannot secure a job without disclosing their disability. They run the risk of not being hired due to having a disability. It is somewhat of a “catch 22.” The only way to get a job is to announce to the whole company that they have a disability–or keeping it a secret and indirectly announcing to the whole company that they are not good at their job. While that might sound a bit sarcastic it is not far from the truth. There is plenty of workplace gossip and usually everyone knows a little “something” of another employees’ closeted skeletons. If people are not aware of the challenges a person with a disability has, those other employees are more likely to harass and bully the disabled employee. Yes…it happens.
Many people who have a disability do not outwardly show it. Some people have hidden physical disabilities but show signs of lower cognitive abilities. These employees need added support.
People who learn differently just want to be like everyone else. They have very real feelings, wants, needs and worries–but, they are also happy, healthy and ready to make new friends–and are even prepared to do jobs that no one else wants–if we could just give them a chance.
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