By Annie Streit, Grassroots Advocacy Manager, United Spinal Association
52.
No, it is not my age.
No, it is not how many years my parents have been married.
No, it is not my lucky number.
Yes, it is the number of job applications I have filled out over a period of two months.
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), and I wanted to share some of my employment journey experiences in order to raise awareness and help others see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel for those of us with a disability to find employment. I just recently started my position at the United Spinal Association as the Grassroots Advocacy Manager. It is a perfect fit for me. It is something I am passionate about. I get to work from my fully accessible home office, and I feel like I am truly helping others and making a difference. I strongly believe that this opportunity was presented to me due to the culmination of many factors.
Working at United Spinal was not even in my radar a year ago as I was clicking my way through multiple job sites, writing cover letters, tweaking my resume, and doing everything I could to get it past that first step and actually into the hands of an employer. I used career counseling, job placement companies, networking, and career services through my college. I was struggling with finding employment not because I did not have the proper education, work ethic, or skills. I was struggling because I am a C5 quadriplegic and at the time of my search for employment, working from home was considered to be a burden for many companies.
I know it is a difficult task for anyone to find and get hired into his or her desired career, because I have experienced the process pre- and post-wheelchair. Both are challenging, stressful, frustrating, but in the end hopefully rewarding. I quickly learned that as a C5 quadriplegic, I had a few more hurdles to jump over despite the fact that my education and work experience qualifications did not change. Besides finding a career that was a good fit, I had to now consider transportation, nursing for any of my needs throughout the day, accessibility in regards to equipment for work, assistance with typical duties, avoiding health issues such as pressure sores from sitting in one position for an entire work day, all the way down to who would help me eat my lunch! The best option for me was part-time remote work from my home office.
After starting my work at United Spinal Association, I quickly found out about all of the incredible resources that are available for those with disabilities who are seeking employment. United Spinal’s Pathways to Employment (PTE) offers webinars, podcasts, various resources specific to people with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D), and a video series that covers various aspects of finding and landing a job that is a great fit for you. The Pathways to Employment program also provides guidance for employers in order to ensure that people with disabilities are properly represented in their workforce.
Another key resource is the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) where you can find employment assistance and resources. There you can also find the link to the Campaign for Disability Employment titled What can YOU do? This initiative highlights what people with disabilities can do if they are simply given the opportunity. The “Working Works” PSA Campaign is part of this initiative, and United Spinal Association is represented in that PSA by one of our own members, Chanelle Wimbish of Maryland.
The United Spinal family is a community that is truly passionate about helping those with disabilities find employment or return to work after an injury or illness. This is a community that has given me the opportunity to work in a field that I am truly passionate about. This is a community that I am extremely proud to have joined. I want those with a disability to know that there are opportunities out there for you to meaningfully use your talents and skills. I was offered my position at United Spinal by sticking to what I am passionate about… writing, speaking, and being a voice for those who do not have one. If you continue to use all the resources available to you, continue networking, continue working hard, and continue believing in yourself and everything you are capable of, you will find those opportunities. This world is starting to understand the importance of hiring people with disabilities, the skills we bring to the table, and the unique insight we can provide to improve outreach and accessibility to the working world.
That is the light at the end of the tunnel for me, and as we all keep pushing forward that light will continue to get brighter.
