October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month

Never in a million years did I think I would be in a situation that centered around disability and employment.  I have been a hard worker all my life. This is how I was raised. This is how my family is.  I never thought I would fear not getting a job because of a disability.

The reality for me didn’t sink in until this past summer. When I was laid off from my job April of 2013, getting a job was not on the top of my priority list.  What was though, was getting my Master’s degree.  I knew I wanted to go after my Master’s because the state of employment in the field that just laid me off, Nuclear Medicine.

My Master’s degree had to be something that could work across many different industries.  I liked this idea because I had worked across many industries. Engineering, Optical, Pharmacy, Retail, Restaurant, just to name a few.  So when I completed my Masters in Training and Performance Improvement, I figured getting a job would be a lot easier because I could pretty much choose a field I wanted to work in.

Although there were plenty of jobs out there, I ended up doing contract work for the International Society for Performance Improvement. It was such a fun job.  I got to work with some amazing people and best of all, I could do it from the comfort of my own home.  All this changed July 2016.

ISPI ended my contract.  I was/am unemployed again.  This time however, fear is slowing me down. My fear is not about whether I could find a job and do it well, the fear is going to the interview and them noticing my limping, or what if they took me on a tour of their facility and I tripped and fell. I know employers are not suppose to deny someone a job because of a disability, but do they? Would they deny me, a smart, educated, extrovert that wants nothing more than to contribute and to help others?

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What Can You Do Campaign