Last week on the Balance Living Show, we talked about disabilities and work. Many people don’t like to talk about accommodating others who are in the workplace. At one job I had, the manager complained loudly why she had to go through a program on how to accommodate others with disabilities. Sometimes, I hear that others can do the same thing in less time and effort. Others complain that those with disabilities wouldn’t understand how to do the job or complete the task, so they are not worth the effort or accommodations. However, I see accommodations differently. Yes, it’s frustrating that I need help in many ways. Yes, I would like to be able to do the job in less time and have a quality product. And yes, I would rather not have a disability. But, this is my reality. I need help at work. However, I want to learn and want to work. I’m willing and ready to go. If I get the accommodations, I excel at what I’m doing. When this manager complained loudly about learning about disabilities, I hid my disability and tried working at the same pace as everyone else. I would skip lunch just to work harder. I was ashamed for having the disability. The manager and supervisor would also come up to me and tell me that I had potential, but my work was shoddy. This in the long run hurt me and I couldn’t finish the task. I was eventually let go of the job. I’m now working on my Master’s Degree at Athabasca University and volunteering at both Co-op Radio and CiTR radio. One of my weak points is auditory processing, which is taking the sound and moving it to the language part of my brain to be interpreted. At CiTR, I was put on the task of editing audio interviews, which makes my brain go haywire. I can do it, but it takes me longer. It’s a frustrating process, but the people around me at CiTR have be super accommodating! In the end, the finished product was just as good as if a person without the disability could do. Does it matter that the person has the disability and they need accommodations to work? I don’t think so, as long they can do the job and have the same results.
