Hello all-

Last week I told you that I might have some good news for you come this week. Well, I had my first interview on Monday of this week, and it went relatively well until the discussion about entering people’s homes.  In the original job posting it did not list this as a requirement for the job. If it had, I would have never applied because of the general inaccessibility of most people’s homes. 

Some good did come of it though—first of all, I got through my first interview! I was sweating bullets all day up until the interview, but it went well. They told me that with my qualifications I would have gotten hired if it weren’t for the accessibility issues. I am relieved to hear this because of my lack of experience in the field. Secondly, I learned to not always trust what you read in a job posting.  Rather, you should inquire about the specific job itself because the interviewer may not have written the post themselves so there is the potential for miscommunication. Thirdly, even though I did not tell the employer of my disability prior to the interview, they did not seem shocked or put off at all and went through the interview with me professionally. They also gave me the opportunity to determine whether or not I felt I was capable of the job, rather than just assuming I couldn’t do it. 

I have a second interview today with the Rehabilitation Services Commission, but I won’t be able to share any details about that until later because they have a more complex interview process—it is working for the government after all. This job will let me work in the field that most interested me anyways, since I’ve always had a soft-spot in my heart for transition services.  This is because I have had experience in transition myself, and see things that could be improved. While this is only a temporary position for 1,000 hours I feel more comfortable with this job because their expressed goal is to hire someone with a disability for the position in order to increase staff diversity. Essentially this job will allow me to do the same things that my BVR counselors does for me and for other people.

Through my career counseling I have learned about a “Facebook for professionals” called LinkedIn, which I recommend to anybody who is searching for a job. This social network links you to employers and other professionals that have the same interests as you do, or the same goals. If you link to them, much like a friend request, your network increases, allowing their connections to see your profile, thereby expanding your visibility in the job marketplace. Even though it is for professionals and those entering the job market, I highly recommend you getting familiar with it as soon as possible. It’s free to join, so check it out at www.linkedin.com.  

For those of you who may not have been following me from the beginning of The Wheel World, I can’t believe the summer has flown by so quickly, and things may be winding down.  I never realized that this job search could turn out to be a lot like a job all by itself.   It’s certainly been a growth experience and I know, it may be just getting started.  

Editor’s Note: Sorry for the interruption folks, but it has come to my attention that, in trying to make my blog as readily available on the internet as possible via search engines such as Google,  the availability has invited a plethora of site-spamming bots that have begun to leave hundreds of inappropriate comments and advertisements on my earlier blogs. Neither myself nor the Achievement Center’s for Children endorse these ads, so please do not click on them if you can avoid it!

Also, a quick retraction from my last blog; I recently was under the impression that Microsoft’s new motion-controller for the XBOX360 game console would be capable of reading sign-language. Unfortunately my sources were inaccurate in saying so, and I just wanted to clarify any confusion! 

Thanks!

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Hello everybody—welcome to week 10!

This week I am in the process of waiting for a callback from the Rehabilitation Services Commission, where I have submitted an application for a position. My counselor told me I was very qualified for this position and she thought I’d score an interview easily, but then I found out there were 95 other applicants as well, but only 38 positions to give out! I have never really been in this situation before, and let me tell you—the waiting game stinks!

While I am in the middle of the job-seeking process, this experience is kind of strange for me because I am so used to having control over my own life. In school, you are able to complete the assignments you are given and get feedback in a quick and timely fashion. When it comes to job-seeking, however, you do not necessarily know what the employer is looking for from you. All you can do is submit your resume and pray, basically. One variable that, regardless of how well-qualified you are, you cannot account for is how qualified the other applicants may be. Since you don’t necessarily get to meet these people, it adds to the curiosity of the situation.  

One way that I am dealing with the stress of waiting is searching continually for new job opportunities, thus allowing me to focus on possibilities rather than focusing on getting one specific job.  

Here’s one thing I learned this week- being a person with a disability or being an able bodied person is no different when it comes to waiting to find out if you are going to get an interview- it’s hard! Hopefully I’ll have lots of news (good news, fingers crossed) for you all next week…so in the meantime, why don’t you all share with me how you pass the time in situations like this!

Hi everyone, and welcome to week 3!

This week I started preparing for job interviews at my designated job training center that BVR helped me choose. We talked about things such as the importance of appearance when it comes to interviewing, as well as skills and other attributes that employers ask for when they are interviewing an applicant. Right now, I’m taking a week long course which will end with a mock interview- I’m nervous but pumped to get the process started.

When I was going over the information on how importance appearance and eye contact and a firm handshake is in making a good impression, I remembered all of the therapists who told me that the therapy that I really didn’t want to have would some day make a difference in my life. As a child with a disability, I received a lot of different kinds of therapy. Despite how I used to protest because I thought it was boring (and honestly, what 6 year old wouldn’t?), this therapy would eventually unlock many of the skills I can use today to succeed in a job interview. It also helped me learn how to maximize my abilities so that I could have the best possible life.

Therapy cannot only teach movement, it also can give a person with a disability a sense of confidence that they are able to manipulate their body in ways that might not have been possible at other times. Without therapy I couldn’t even imagine doing things I can today like play video games or, more importantly, be able to keep my head upright during conversation so as to maintain eye contact.

I received my very first therapy at The Achievement Centers for Children when I began their Early Intervention program as a little kid. I received occupational and physical therapy, as well as speech therapy. Therapies sometimes, at that young of an age, consisted of things as simple as just trying to move my arms and legs independently by reaching for a toy or bumping a ball with my foot. This may not sound like much, but, in the long run, it definitely helped me learn how to move my body the best that I could. I believe it is important to start learning how to adapt your movement at a young age because when you’re young your brain is still developing and can therefore be impacted in ways that can’t be achieved later in life. There’s a window of opportunity and as much as you might not like going to therapy, you need to put up with it and go, so that you can live up to your potential later in life.

When I got a little bit older, therapy began to involve more complicated tasks, such as tracking a pen where the therapist would move a pen that I would then have to follow with my head- a difficult thing for me to do. Again, while seemingly simplistic, in the long run learning this as a child has given me the ability as an adult to confidently hold my head up and maintain eye contact with a potential employer during a job interview or in class with a professor, which can go a long way in making an impression.

I would encourage any family with a young child who has a disability to seek out some kind of therapy, or, at the least, begin researching what therapeutic approaches would best benefit your child. Remember, we might protest and throw a few tantrums (I know I did) because we don’t like them, but years later we’ll thank you when we’re able to accomplish things no one ever thought we would.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th of July, and I'll see you all next week!