Promising Directions - National

The "Fitting In" Factor for Employment

by Nancy Duncan

Last autumn, the Disability Resource Group conducted three informal focus groups made up of employers asking about hiring standards. These employers included small business owners, metro county managers, and high level corporate Human Resource representatives. The standard that everyone agreed on was the need for the applicant to fit in with the office culture. We asked the participants to specifically define “fit in.” “Fitting in” is a subtle distinction that means the applicant is: flexible; in the middle of the road in most aspects – religion, politics, other social issues; similar to the other people in the office, or if not, able to go along with the group; willing to help others in the group; generally pleasant; not a show off but a team player; dresses like everyone else in the office; has the same work ethic as the managers; etc. Qualifications are important according to these employers, but being able to fit in is the most important qualification.

As I listened to the discussions and mulled them over, I concluded that this “fitting in” qualification is often the thing that keeps people with disabilities from getting jobs for which they are highly qualified. People with disabilities have often been more isolated and less involved in a variety of social settings. We have seldom played on a team and are all too often the recipient of help rather than a helper. Many of us have to be very goal oriented in order to succeed in school or work and so don’t develop many social contacts. For those of us who are visually impaired or have mental impairments, we are at a disadvantage in reading facial expressions or body language. By definition people with disabilities are different. It requires imagination and faith in one’s co-workers to envision people with disabilities fitting in. In a 30-minute interview for a job for which 100 people have applied, the employer may not take time to analyze if his/her employees can assimilate a person with a disability.

So what can be done? I have identified several practical steps that might improve employment chances for individuals with disabilities. Share your ideas via email at adaexchange@bellsouth.net. The information will be posted on the Disability Resource Group website at www.disabilityresourcegroup.org.

1. Social experiences with non-disabled peers

   Employment placement organizations, disability organizations, and schools should make concerted efforts to help everyone with a disability to have a variety of social experiences with non-disabled peers. Individualized Education Plans, 504 Accommodation Plans, ISP’s transition plans, and treatment plans should include concrete steps and the required supports such as transportation, that help people with disabilities be involved in their communities.

2. Volunteer experience

   People with disabilities should have volunteer experience in a variety of settings. Support groups and job coaches should help the individual process what goes on in the volunteer setting, especially in terms of personal interactions. These volunteer experiences should start in middle school. Everyone has gifts to offer their community and the community is richer for knowing all its members. I want to be clear here that I am talking about people with all types of disabilities, both developmental and otherwise. Students who have disabilities, but are not in special education, often have less experience in the community than students who have at least participated in community-based education.

   My first volunteer job was during the summer before my junior year in college. I found my first paying job during the summer before my senior year. A wonderful creative educator hired me, a blind college student with no real work experience, to teach reading to ten sighted fourth graders who were significantly behind in language arts. I, of course, had no job coach or any job support. I paid my nine year old sister to help me translate the materials into Braille and help me with visual aids. The job lasted only eight weeks but it was great for my self-confidence and my resume.

3. Research company or organization to which we are applying

   Before we apply for a job or go to an interview, we must do research on the culture of the company or organization to which we are applying. Asking questions of someone who already works for the employer could be helpful. For example: “What are the general dress standards? Do people stay a long time in each job or move around a lot? Do people eat lunch together or bring their lunch? Are most of the people single, married, older, etc.? Is there are serious atmosphere or lots of conversation? What level of education have most of the people achieved? What are the main topics of conversation in the break room - football, grandkids, mortgage rates, etc.? The answers to these types of questions may help the applicant know how to present himself/herself so that the fit seems more likely.

4. Support person on new job

   I think almost everyone with a disability needs some support person on any new job for about a month. This may cut down on the high rate of job failure among people with disabilities. The support person can help the new employee set up his/her work station to accommodate the particular disability. The support person can also observe office politics, complicated cliques and alliances in the work place, and help strategize on the means of fitting in better.

There are many groups who are not open to people with any differences. Most of us have run into our fair share of people who just wanted to avoid us. Books such as "How to Win Friends and Influence People" and "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People"that help you learn to get along with a variety of people may help. Support groups of people with disabilities and of people without are vital in that they help us figure out if our difficulties are a result of our disability or the inflexibility of others.

If you are still confused about the “fitting in” thing, this true story may illustrate the problem best. M is a very bright woman in her thirties. She has advanced degrees and ten years of experience in her field. She is working in a disability organization in which the majority of employees are not disabled. She is witty, friendly, and very hard working. She has been very successful in her job for the past two years. Each day she goes out for lunch alone or eats at her desk. She is never invited out by fellow employees. In the break room, she is often ignored and left out of the conversations. She is certain that her manager is working very hard to find a reason to fire her. The manager’s only real complaint is that M just does not “fit in.” So far, no one has been able to help M figure out how to turn the situation around. M is worried, lonely, angry, and feels very helpless. She has no clue as to why she does not “fit in.”

Until all of the players in the disability employment arena address the “fitting in” factor, I don’t believe that we will successfully budge that 70% unemployment rate among people with disabilities.

Note: Nancy Duncan is the Executive Director of Disability Resource Group in Georgia. She serves on the Southeast ADA State Affiliate Network and helps promote voluntary compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) across Georgia. These Employer Focus Groups were funded by the Southeast ADA Center (formerly known as Southeast DBTAC).