Work & Employment Forum Discussion
Disability has a bit of an dIsability And work event going on for the month , so heres my forum discussion this time. We will go back to my regular ones after the event , welcome to join in anytime. When someone new joins us ill tag you in the next question, so you know a new one was posted.
Lets begin with an Icebreaker
Icebreaker
What is the first thing you thought about when you woke up today?
@creativeOak9590 @purpleHeart16 @RaspberryCup8692 @TheLifeOfKelli @finnthewaffle @1Marg1 @sympatheticNorth2026 @Leeshalyn @GusteeMoon123 @Emily1256 @warmheartedSoul77
What is the first thing you thought about when you woke up today?
"Eek, I need to get up!"
@kindSoul10 lol ik that feeling some mornings what did you feel in rush for today
@CaringBrit morning routine 😊
@kindSoul10 aww
I just want to stay home
@Emily1256 aww
@CaringBrit
The person I care about...then whether or not my cat was on the bed, lol
@RaspberryCup8692 aww cute about the cat and love that response
new Question then everyone anyone new is welcome to still join and respond to previous questions if you do then please put the question your answering before response
Our discussion today focuses on work and employment for disabled people.
So the first question is do you have a job?
If you do what is your Job?
if not what sort of Job do you want or are seeking for?
@creativeOak9590 @purpleHeart16 @RaspberryCup8692 @TheLifeOfKelli @finnthewaffle @1Marg1 @sympatheticNorth2026 @Leeshalyn @GusteeMoon123 @Emily1256 @warmheartedSoul77 @kindSoul10
@CaringBrit
While I am not currently employed, I usually have a summer job with my state's university's college of agriculture. It's not my ideal job after I get a degree, but it does pay well compared to other nearby jobs. I'm currently a student so I'm not actively job searching right now, but I'm considering applying for a cashier job after school to earn some money to put toward tuition. After college is finished, I'd love to either work in mental health or secondary education
@Emily619 awesome that it pays well lots of great goals in there too
@CaringBrit
Yes, Business Analyst/Pin Cushion
@Darkseed oh nice job the first one that is
@CaringBrit
Currently I'm on Long Term Disability...I've been on sick leave for about a year after being diagnosed with Lupus and Sjogren's, plus other autoimmune stuff.
Before I got sick I was a detailer/draftsperson for structural steel joists and roof decking, mostly using AutoCAD.
I'm hoping to eventually get well enough to go back to work, or find something I can do from home.
@RaspberryCup8692 I wish you all the best for your recovery!
@kindSoul10 Thank you, I appreciate your kind words :)
@RaspberryCup8692 aww no wish you a speedy as you can get recovery
@CaringBrit
Our discussion today focuses on work and employment for disabled people.
So the first question is do you have a job?
Yes :D <3
If you do what is your Job?
I am a Tech Lead :D Which means I program websites and manage people :) Which I find super fun hehe.
Yes, I have an auto shop w/my husband. I am an auto tech assistant, but I am also responsible for the paperwork/invoices.
@TransAm85 nice how are you enjoying it
@CaringBrit I'm sick of it! lol I have epilepsy, just partial seizures but I call them black outs. Stress and time of the month triggers them. I wish I could just go on a vacation for a month or something ..
@TransAm85 aww
@TransAm85 keeping my fingers crossed for you to find time to go on vacation!
@kindSoul10 Aw thanks. Maybe if we save enough money, we could go somewhere for Christmas.
The first thing I thought of was getting my braces off! Super glad to finally feel my teeth after lots of years 
@Emily619 yayy
@CaringBrit
Death
@Darkseed oh no everything ok
@Darkseed
Hope you are doing okay Darkseed!
What is the first thing you thought about when you woke up today?
SNOOZE 
And then all the things I needed to do before work
@Jill7cups snooze , I have a love and hate relationship with it XD
@Jill7cups lol i know the feeling in reguards to wanting to just snooze
@CaringBrit @kindsoul10
Snooze is both the best and the worst thing. I wish I was a morning person, my whole family is. They wake up so happy and refreshed. And I feel like the crypt keeper.
@Jill7cups aww ik the feeling i hate mornings
@Jill7cups hahaha. Well then I guess both of us are crypt keepers.
@kindSoul10 lol
our next question sorry this is late im going to post 2 questions 1 for wednesday 1 for today its thursday here. New people always welcome to join in but please if you respond to older questions post the question your answering too within your post
Peoples of all abilities must have access to good, safe jobs: do you feel like you have this opportunity where you live?
Have you ever felt that co-workers or anyone else at work has treated you with discrimination?
@creativeOak9590 @purpleHeart16 @RaspberryCup8692 @TheLifeOfKelli @finnthewaffle @1Marg1 @sympatheticNorth2026 @Leeshalyn @GusteeMoon123 @Emily1256 @warmheartedSoul77 @kindSoul10 @TransAm85 @Darkseed @Emily619
@CaringBrit
From what I've seen, and from living in the United States, most people thankfully tend to have equality in the work place thanks to the Americans with Disability Act and Social Security. I've thankfully never been discriminated either, and I'm happy to say that I don't see it occur very often to others!
@Emily619 yayy thats awesome Emily glad to hear you havent felt discriminated against nor seen it happen very often
@CaringBrit in 2017 26,838 cases about disability and workplace discrimination has been reported to the The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
That's 31.9 percent of charges filed in 2017. So out of roughly 32 of 100 discriminations happen because of a disability.
@kindSoul10 thats a huge number
@kindSoul10 @caringbrit
Wow really is a large number. Seems like employers need to better understand how to accomodate.
@Jill7cups i agree they definetly do
@Emily619 I think in North America what we often see in the workplace is something like this where equality is being achieved:
It's not equity though, people with disabilities are often working harder for the same as others or else they aren't being compensated the same. For example, if 2 people are getting paid the same amount for producing a widget, but one has a disability where it slows them down, the person with the disability doesn't have the same earning potential as the one without. So there is equality, but not equity. Some of this is extremely direct, but some of it is not. For example, you could compare my hourly wage to someone else's where they are capable of working full time, and I am not. We might make the same hourly rate, but I will not be able to make as much as they are. On top of that, they are able to get benefits, which do have a monetary value. So their rate of pay when that is factored in is them actually more than mine on top of them being able to earn more.
I do have a pretty good job, but I feel like this type of job is extremely limited. I also do not think it would be possible to obtain a job at this point where I could meet all of my needs from what I would be able to earn.
I haven't felt like individual people have treated me with discrimation at my current job, but I have had issues in the past. Policies do have some legal discrimination within them. For example, I get no benefits because I am unable to work enough hours. Some of the drug policies also clearly discriminate, but I don't think all discrimation is bad, and there is a reason why some of ti is legal.
@AffyAvo aww wether legal or not still must be tough being limited from benefits
@AffyAvo great posting affy!
@CaringBrit
Peoples of all abilities must have access to good, safe jobs: do you feel like you have this opportunity where you live?
I think it is definitely acheiveable where I am, however I am very lucky in the fact that I am in a high demand, low supply industry where employeers are willing to put up with more because they need good people. I have found other people especially in less skilled jobs really struggle to be accessable and safe. I have found bosses will often pray on disabled people as well at work as they are easy targets that can find it harder to fight back which makes me angry. Also attendance often becomes everything and with my migraines/PTSD I don't think I could keep a job that doesn't let me work from home regularly.
Have you ever felt that co-workers or anyone else at work has treated you with discrimination?
Its not been obvious. But yes. People talk to me about burn out like I am over stressed or treat me as though I can't cope in certain situations when the reality is that my migraines are not something I have control over, and do not seem to be linked to stress at all as far as I have been able to tell. It makes me feel... idk... people judge me as less? Because I have to work from home etc. Though saying that I had a big review today and none of that was communicated to me at all, so it could just be feeling sensitive to it because its something I feel vunerable about!! People do talk about me being unhealthy as though its something I could fix if I ate right or something... its like... you think I haven't tried that mate? xD
Oh this is so hard. I had a job a few years ago that didn't have a computer or work space for me, so they put me in the breakroom. They were clamoring for work to be done, and couldn't do it efficientily or in a timely manner. My boss was abusive. My primary care provider helped me with an ADA reasonable accomodation request. The boss was outraged and treated me even worse than before. Worse than they she paraded me around a room to people in the room and said 'so where do you want to sit where you would feel comfortable enough to do your job!?' I was shocked. I filed an internal complaint against her, and a week later, they tried to fire me. Things got ugly when i said it was retailiation based on a disability, and they forced me to put in a post dated resignation. Fortunately, i had been looking for another job,
Now, I'm in a simliar situation. I'm in offices where the computer equipment is inadequate to do the job, and I have no designated place to sit. It's causing extreme mental distress, and I'm going through the process again for a reasonable accomodation with my primary care provider. Will this again disintegrate my relationship with my boss? Will they again try to fire me? I SWEAR this time, I will sue this place if they try that. I don't have the energy remaining to continue fighting like this when people so frequently break employment laws and get away with it. :(
@Darkseed oh wow id have sued the first place for breaking the law i really hope 2nd place aint like that dark
@CaringBrit
I was scared the first time and under the influence of a lot of lithium.
@Darkseed oh no being scared cant of been easy
@Darkseed
I was TOO scared the first time under the lithium and was crying when they were forcing me to put in a resignation notice. I wish I had of been stronger and walked out and went directly to talk to a lawyer.
@Darkseed you didn't feel well, it's normal to react this way. 
