How My Social Media Followers Helped Me Disclose My Disability in a Job Interview

A few weeks ago, I asked my followers with disabilities on Instagram when they disclose their disability to possible employers. I had an interview the following Monday for a job that held significant importance in my life and I wanted to feel as though I could be confident in presenting my best self.

Although I ended up not getting the job, I appreciate every response I got. I decided to answer the interview questions based on life with a disability and how I believe it makes me who I am, and who I hope to be for myself and the company, as I have more experience with a disability than I do work experience.

My identities have always weighed heavily on me. I spoke to my therapist a few days after the interview because I wanted to make sure I handled the interview correctly. She said some pretty profound things: I have many things that make up who I am, but my identities such as my disability or sexual orientation are only a piece. But they are what society makes us feel is all of us because they become the easiest to judge.

Now when I wonder if I’m speaking of my identities too much or not enough; I look at them as my way of telling my purposeful story piece by piece in a way that makes me feel myself; all I could really ask for. The right people and I will eventually come to understand and appreciate who I am as a whole.

If it wasn’t clear, I’m in no way saying that this job loss was or wasn’t because of my disability (although it has happened more often than not). I will never know with this one. More so, I’m hoping to relate the idea of the power of being comfortable with my identities, no matter what society says or doesn’t say about them. I hope you understand this for yourself as well.