Ten Most Litigious Comments Made to Me in Job Interviews

Because I am utterly out of the loop on such matters, I again missed the deadline for this month's Disability Blog Carnival. The topic was "Top Ten Lists" and there are many funny ones, and many more sad, yet true, yet funny ones. Anyway, here is my list. In no particular order, these are the top ten most litigious comments made to me in job interviews.* Keep in mind, these are over a twenty odd year period, and many were in the early 90's, in the early years of the ADA. Human Resources folks are much more stealth with their bigotry during interviews these days.

1. "You don't look blind." (Many, many HR folks.)
2. "You know, I've wrestled with this all week. Your transcripts are great, your credentials files and evaluations are solid. Professor XXX speaks highly of you. But when it comes right down to it...well, I have a daughter. And would I feel comfortable if she was in a classroom with a disabled teacher? Sorry, but no." (ECSE teacher, Dole Building, University of Kansas.)
3. "I'm so sorry you flew all the way down here. I know we just talked on the phone yesterday, but we made a mistake and we have a scheduling conflict. We just can't fit you in [to an all day interview] today." [Upon seeing me with a guide dog for the first time when I did not disclose. They made no offer to reschedule.] (Leavenworth, Kansas ESD)
4. [Holds item at the far end of the grocery check out line and asks me to identify it, which I can't] "You just need more vision to be a sacker. You need to be able to identify the products." [Me: "But do I need to know whether it is a can of beans or corn in order to be able to sack it?] "Well, you have to see how heavy it is, don't you?" (Nash Finch's now defunct Econofoods, Lincoln, NE]
5. "Since you didn't even mention your disability on your application, I just don't see how I can trust you." [Omaha Public Schools, Omaha, NE)
6. "I have a cousin who is blind. But she doesn't use that cane like you do. She doesn't want to marginalize herself and force people to feel sorry for her." (Fremont Public Schools in Fremont, NE)
7. "Without my glasses, I can't see a thing. And I know I couldn't teach kids without my glasses. I just don't see how it's possible." (Aurora Public Schools, Aurora, CO)
8. [When interviewing for a job to be the ADA compliance officer at the national headquarters of a childcare franchise] "I'm afraid we don't share the same vision about this position. Quite honestly, what we are looking for, is someone who can help us be compliant with the law without having to accept the really disabled kids. I don't mean to be crass about it, but with the amount of support some of these parents ask for, we just don't turn a profit on them." (Kindercare, Portland, OR)
9. "So, will your dog be teaching the class, or will you? Heh. Heh." (This was at a job fair, I can't remember which district.)
10. "So, you're visually impaired AAAAAND hearing impaired??? You're kidding me, right? [hearty chuckle] Huh. A real Helen Keller right in my office! Oh, you know I'm just joking, right?" [Me: "Sure, It's fine. I get that a lot"]  "Great! Because you just gotta have a sense of humor about these things, you know?" (Oregon Health Science University--different department than my former employer--Portland, OR)

Bonus! I just remembered another good one! (I have lots more!!!):

"I'm concerned that there is just too much reading required on this job for you." [Me: I'm confident I can handle the reading. I just finished a masters program that required a huge amount of reading. I wrote a thesis that required a lot of research in a very short time. And I worked in a research department of the university where keeping up on journals was a requirement of the job. There are a lot of different ways for me to access research materials.] "Hmmmm." [thoughtful pause] "You know, there are just a lot of people with disabilities coming out of the university lately. And I know they get all that help from the Disability Services office. I just wonder how much of a pass you guys get to get through school?" (University of Denver, CO)

Why didn't I sue their asses off? Well, have you ever tried to find a lawyer? I've tried a few times and it is next to impossible if you don't have any money. Also, there were just too many lawsuits to pick from. I think you have to make a decision about how much you are going to spend your time fighting and how much you just want to move on and live your life. Some fight more, some move on more. I'm more of a mover-oner. It is about the 1:100 rule. One person out of a hundred will hire a disabled person. You can either spend your time fighting the ones that never will hire you, or spend your time seeking out that one in one-hundred. BUT! Believe it or not, some of these interviews actually led to employment. Threatening to sue sometimes does wonders. But it is such a fun way to get off on a good start at a new job. Blogging well is the best revenge, as they say. So I'll just go ahead and have fun naming names, here.

*These may not be verbatim quotes, I've paraphrased a bit. But they are accurate to the best of my memory. Some I wrote down when they occured. These kind of comments kind of have a way of getting burned into your brain.

Comments

[cherylc]

There's a new program in WA state that requires people in sheltered workshops to move into "real" employment. I read an article on it, and thought, do they have any idea how hard it is for me to keep a good (in my case, professional) job? And I have full cognitive and motor skills, but am low energy due to RA, and get sick a lot because the drugs suppress my immune system. It sucks. And I have a big advantage, because it's all invisible and I don't have to disclose. There's so little support for anyone who can't function like a robot to be an employee.

I'm sorry people said all those awful things to you. I'm impressed by your resilience.

[Blind Law Student]

Wow. I've heard similar things, unfortunately. At one of my summer jobs, the HR person said to me, "You know, I've been saying for a long time now that we should hire the handicapped. Some of them are really quite trainable." Thanks for blogging about this. You're right--it's a truth that manages to be funny and disheartening at the same time.

[bliss]

Sometime I wish I had a little hidden camera. Just imagine the documentary that is our lives...

[The Domestic Goddess]

Disgusting...

[Kathryn]

Lisa - I am with Bliss. It's just unbelievable. If you had that camera you could be the Michael Moore of disability rights. That is just aweful!

[Lady Bracknell]

"Appalled" doesn't even begin to describe my reaction.

[marmiteboy]

I can't believe what I have just read! That is unreal and one of the most appalling things I have ever read.

[DanF]

The lethal combination of ignorance and authority that these people displayed is disturbing and all to common...