Connecting the Disabled to the Job Market
Yesterday, I was strolling through my news feed on Facebook. I stumbled upon an article regarding RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology) in the Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY based newspaper). It is titled "RIT Job Fair Embraces All" . As I read through the article I wanted to highlight a few things about what it's like for college students who do have a disability but got the same amount of talents and skills, if not better than, some to most of their non-disabled peers. Yet, they end up being out of work due to fear on the employers part of "How much it would cost them to accommodate?" So, let's break it down.
Now everyone knows in Western, NY and across the state that RIT is known for having D/deaf and hard of hearing students in attendance due to its close association with NTID (National Technical Institute for the Deaf). I have visited this campus a few times and man I wished I choose this school instead of the state schools. Any who, the accommodations they provide is without barriers or all the paper work needed vs. other schools you have to go through this whole process just to secure accommodations to verify your disability is "hindering" your ability to learn. To say, it can be a pain. RIT/NTID have created a strong relationship with many companies, some even in the Fortune 500 market, which is a big deal. However, there was a point stated in the article, "But, despite increased awareness and acceptance of the disabled in
American society, joblessness is a troubling problem among them and
other disabled people. According to a recent Harris Survey, 60 percent
of college graduates with disabilities are not working, a percentage
much higher than that for graduates in general. Part of the problem lies with the colleges, many of which do not
adequately communicate with disabled students about employment
opportunities." Let me say, even in my experience, not even my Alumni school where I graduated understood how to help me find a job with a disability friendly employer. Now, don't get me wrong, my Alumni school with my associate degree was and still is an real world education and is similar to RIT/NTID real world experience approach. The only thing was they are not the only school that I attended to help gain potential employment after graduation. After I completed my associates, I went to two state schools, and while one was popular for it's Arts and Music programs and Audiology, they still didn't get it. The other school, which I loved but had to take a medical leave, was trying to find out which local companies were disability friendly. It's not very easy to get a job these days with a disability. So no, not everyone with a disability is using their disability as an excuse for not working. If you read over the article, which I included in a link form, you'll read about an experience or two of the realities many with a disability have to face in the interview process.
So what is it that is holding these college students who are graduating either soon or have already graduated? Fear seems to play a role on behalf of the employers. According to the Democrat and Chronicle "It's the fear factor," Alan Muir, founding executive director of Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities. "Some employers are leery of the costs they think are associated with the hiring of the disabled." Hence, it goes back into the article where it paint's the picture about the why. "Glazer said that the attitude of employers about hiring people with disabilities hasn't improved much. "There are a lot of false perceptions out there," she said." <-----This statement is so true. Even though there has been awareness made about all forms of disabilities, employers still believe in the false perception of hiring a disabled individual or individuals will bring unnecessary cost to them. The question then to be asked is what can be done to educate employers and human resources personnel about the benefits of hiring disabled individuals who have already gone through college and/or training to gain financial independence and stability of their own? Too many times, I have read how non-disabled individuals jump to conclusion about how "lazy" many who are disabled but yes, can work. They forget that employers and hiring managers do not want to take a risk with someone who has any kind of disability that may require some form of accommodation and worry about how it will affect their productivity overall and finances if there are costs involved to help individuals perform their jobs on the same level as their non-disabled peers. So really, if no one wants those who are able to work but do have a disability living off SSI or SSD, seriously, get educated about resources available for employers and companies alike. It is discrimination when someone gets overlooked due to their disability and that individual will have to deal with set backs and picking themselves right back up again to go to another interview in hopes that they can put their talents and skills to work. So there is a need to know which company or local businesses are disability friendly to a certain degree. I say this because as a hard of hearing individual with the assistance of a hearing aid and cochlear implant, it would cut down on time invested in companies who tend to overlook those who do have the skill sets and talents but come with a disability. It would be less of a headache to deal with companies or businesses who are known for just not hiring disabled individuals who show interest to work for them. Plus, it would take the stress of worrying about having to rely on family or even government for financial support.
Now, "among the topics at the press conference were the new federal regulations requiring companies with federal contracts to strive to have a workplace where at least 7 percent of the employees are disabled. Nationally, nearly 50,000 companies are federal contractors, including many of those at the RIT job fair." You know its kinda sad that we have to have federal regulations to tell companies with federal contracts to hire disabled employees. I mean really, is it that necessary to have that pushed onto companies who should naturally go off of the skill sets gained, talents developed, achievements and personality rather then worry about how the individual(s) disability will affect them? I mean it just seems to me that not many are familiar with what state or federal programs are out there to help companies become more accessible. It just bothers me. "The message we hear from corporate America is that, while colleges and universities are doing many things well, most fall short in building a pipeline of talent with disabilities," Destler said. "Their inability to hire new graduates is not due to a lack of qualified candidates but rather a lack of access."
"It's sad when someone gifted in this area is held back because of his or her disability," Sisson said." It is indeed sad and it pains me because there are talented disabled folks out there, its just the lack of accessibility in the job market. So what do you think? I think even if the best intention of those who are helping those with a disability trying to find a job and gain their independence, it's really a tough job market out there. I know first hand and even though my associate degree did not get put to use, I'm left pissed about how much I have in student loans especially for taking classes to gain credits towards my Bachelors. But no guarantee for a job. They say to be aggressive, to paint your best qualities and to not focus on the disability so much but what you can do for the company or business. It takes a lot of research to know what a company or business is looking for. You want to know who you are being interviewed by, understanding what kind of talent(s) are they looking for, the skill sets required to complete the job and the ability to help the company or business reach their monthly or quarterly or yearly goals. All this I have learnt over the years and I have applied it to the best of my ability and yet I still get ask, "Is your hearing loss going to be an issue in communicating?" And yes, I am aware that is a question that is illegal to asked. As it is a way to vet you out of a potential job that you are qualified for.
I encourage all of you to really think about this. What can you do to bring awareness to your employer about this? What steps would you take? If you have been working for years with no form of disability but suddenly became disabled, did your employer let you go or keep you or did you resign, why and/or why not? For those who have been lucky to gain a job with a disability, how was the process and what advice worked for you? What would you tell your disabled peers who are seeking a job but having a difficult time? It would be nice to get some feed back.
**DISCLAIMER: The BOLD statements are statements taken from the article. You will find the link to the article above. Just click on "RIT job fair embraces all".**
So what is it that is holding these college students who are graduating either soon or have already graduated? Fear seems to play a role on behalf of the employers. According to the Democrat and Chronicle "It's the fear factor," Alan Muir, founding executive director of Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities. "Some employers are leery of the costs they think are associated with the hiring of the disabled." Hence, it goes back into the article where it paint's the picture about the why. "Glazer said that the attitude of employers about hiring people with disabilities hasn't improved much. "There are a lot of false perceptions out there," she said." <-----This statement is so true. Even though there has been awareness made about all forms of disabilities, employers still believe in the false perception of hiring a disabled individual or individuals will bring unnecessary cost to them. The question then to be asked is what can be done to educate employers and human resources personnel about the benefits of hiring disabled individuals who have already gone through college and/or training to gain financial independence and stability of their own? Too many times, I have read how non-disabled individuals jump to conclusion about how "lazy" many who are disabled but yes, can work. They forget that employers and hiring managers do not want to take a risk with someone who has any kind of disability that may require some form of accommodation and worry about how it will affect their productivity overall and finances if there are costs involved to help individuals perform their jobs on the same level as their non-disabled peers. So really, if no one wants those who are able to work but do have a disability living off SSI or SSD, seriously, get educated about resources available for employers and companies alike. It is discrimination when someone gets overlooked due to their disability and that individual will have to deal with set backs and picking themselves right back up again to go to another interview in hopes that they can put their talents and skills to work. So there is a need to know which company or local businesses are disability friendly to a certain degree. I say this because as a hard of hearing individual with the assistance of a hearing aid and cochlear implant, it would cut down on time invested in companies who tend to overlook those who do have the skill sets and talents but come with a disability. It would be less of a headache to deal with companies or businesses who are known for just not hiring disabled individuals who show interest to work for them. Plus, it would take the stress of worrying about having to rely on family or even government for financial support.
Now, "among the topics at the press conference were the new federal regulations requiring companies with federal contracts to strive to have a workplace where at least 7 percent of the employees are disabled. Nationally, nearly 50,000 companies are federal contractors, including many of those at the RIT job fair." You know its kinda sad that we have to have federal regulations to tell companies with federal contracts to hire disabled employees. I mean really, is it that necessary to have that pushed onto companies who should naturally go off of the skill sets gained, talents developed, achievements and personality rather then worry about how the individual(s) disability will affect them? I mean it just seems to me that not many are familiar with what state or federal programs are out there to help companies become more accessible. It just bothers me. "The message we hear from corporate America is that, while colleges and universities are doing many things well, most fall short in building a pipeline of talent with disabilities," Destler said. "Their inability to hire new graduates is not due to a lack of qualified candidates but rather a lack of access."
"It's sad when someone gifted in this area is held back because of his or her disability," Sisson said." It is indeed sad and it pains me because there are talented disabled folks out there, its just the lack of accessibility in the job market. So what do you think? I think even if the best intention of those who are helping those with a disability trying to find a job and gain their independence, it's really a tough job market out there. I know first hand and even though my associate degree did not get put to use, I'm left pissed about how much I have in student loans especially for taking classes to gain credits towards my Bachelors. But no guarantee for a job. They say to be aggressive, to paint your best qualities and to not focus on the disability so much but what you can do for the company or business. It takes a lot of research to know what a company or business is looking for. You want to know who you are being interviewed by, understanding what kind of talent(s) are they looking for, the skill sets required to complete the job and the ability to help the company or business reach their monthly or quarterly or yearly goals. All this I have learnt over the years and I have applied it to the best of my ability and yet I still get ask, "Is your hearing loss going to be an issue in communicating?" And yes, I am aware that is a question that is illegal to asked. As it is a way to vet you out of a potential job that you are qualified for.
I encourage all of you to really think about this. What can you do to bring awareness to your employer about this? What steps would you take? If you have been working for years with no form of disability but suddenly became disabled, did your employer let you go or keep you or did you resign, why and/or why not? For those who have been lucky to gain a job with a disability, how was the process and what advice worked for you? What would you tell your disabled peers who are seeking a job but having a difficult time? It would be nice to get some feed back.
**DISCLAIMER: The BOLD statements are statements taken from the article. You will find the link to the article above. Just click on "RIT job fair embraces all".**
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