Featured Article
Returning to Work with a Non-Visible, Recently Acquired Disability
August 20, 2004
Returning to work after a break of over 4 years with the addition of
a traumatic brain injury can be a challenge. JD, a recent grad, talks about
the process.
CC: What steps do you think are important to take in re-entering the
workforce with a non-visible, recently-acquired disability?
I need to just
accept myself, work with who I am now, and focus on achieving
my current goals.
JD: Well, first of all, it's important to remember that there are
a lot of people re-entering the workforce these days, or transitioning into
different jobs over the course of their lives. It's not a challenge that only
people with disabilities face.
It's a scary place to be and it's scary to go back to work after being away
for so long, but it's very important to try.
- Know
your own strengths: what you are really good at and what
you are not as good at.
-
Get support
from others: tell people what is going on - your friends, family, networks.
It is really helpful to receive their encouragement.
-
Stay positive and remember
to take care of yourself: continue to do the things that you know you
need to stay healthy and focused. Remember that it's okay to try new things;
it's okay to be scared, but it's crucial to stay positive. Keep a positive
attitude and an open mind about your situation. It's also important to interpret
the happenings in your life in a positive way.
-
This is really relevant to my disability:
I am not the same person that I was before my accident. My brain literally
functions differently than it did before. I need to maintain a lot of acceptance
for myself, and I can't have the same expectations that I used to about
myself. I can't compare the me of 5 years ago to the me of today.
CC: What role does networking play in looking for work?
I like networking because I meet new people,
I make contacts, I gain information, and I also have an opportunity to view
my competition up close. I can see what they are doing and what is working for
them. This is really useful to me.
JD: Networking is very important to me. I look at it with "6
degrees of separation" in mind: I am always 6 degrees away from
someone who is going to hire me. Someone that I talk to is going to know someone
who knows someone who is hiring.
The more that I tell people that I am looking for work, the more comfortable
I am in actually saying the words, and the more real it actually becomes to
me. It's like when I was buying a car before, the more that I talked about
it with those around me, the more of a reality it became and the more advice
about buying a car I received.
I actually didn't like networking before. A big reason was probably the fact
that I was in a male-dominated field (I am female) and most conversations
at networking events revolved around sports or things that cost a lot of money
(I didn't have much) or that I had no interest in. I've since realized that
networking conversations are a two-way street: I am offering something
too, and I can direct the conversation away from topics that I'm not interested
in.
CC: What advice do you have regarding conducting informational interviews?
JD: Have lunch if you possibly can. People are usually more
willing to really talk to you outside of the office; i.e., their boss is not
lurking around the corner. Events or coffee after work are also fine, but
are sometimes more difficult to arrange given people's other commitments.
But lunch - that's easier - people need to eat anyway.
CC: What advice regarding disclosing your disability do you have to offer?
JD: It really does depend on the situation -- on the structure of the
organization, the disability, the person, and the work place.
I personally would not disclose if I did not absolutely have to, and I don't
think I would really recommend that anyone else do so unless you require
accommodations during the interview. I say that because I have had some really
negative reactions about my disability.
CC: Thank you.
JD: You are welcome!
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