Today I had two scheduled job interviews and one impromptu interview. The scheduled interviews went well. The other one on the other hand ranks right up there with being fired for having a disability. I found a few job listings for a Palouse Pets in Moscow, ID and decided to drop my resume off. The jobs included a dog bather and a kennel technician. So, considering my background in animal science and having 3 years of experience as, essentially, a kennel tech at the university I thought it would be a fairly easy job to land. Well, that wasn’t so. During the interview we discussed my qualifications and abilities, but soon the conversation started to focus on the fact that I have a disability. Now, I have had this disability for over six and a half years and nothing short of extensive surgery can be done about it*. I have no restrictions other than what I feel is needed. The bitch conducting the interview had a real issue with my disability as it reduces usability in one hand, but does not limit functionality as a whole. The disability is something that hasn’t stopped me from working with animals in the past, including horses. This woman felt that I could not function well enough to handle a bunch of dogs and wants me to get permission from my doctor, whom I haven’t seen in over three years, so as to verify that I can indeed fully use my arm. She felt I would be a liability if I were to be injured. The disability in my right arm makes me no more likely to be injured than anyone else. No other past jobs felt that I was a liability to the company. Continue reading →