Disability preventing me from employment?

Question

I like to think of myself as successful academically. I've earned my journalism degree magna *** laude, but left the field because of the money. I earned a paralegal certificate with honors, but it's been a year since I've been able to use it. I never thought I'd feel this way, but my disability (I stutter) I feel is preventing me from getting employment.

I respect that attorneys want to make money, but I'm also seeing why people don't like them either. I know it's a business like anything else. I have continually been turned down for entry-level paralegal positions. I'm a fighter, and refuse to back down. I really don't want to make another career change, because I'm 29, and feel worthless. There's times I want to get loaded and drink myself to oblivion.

It's funny, people who have asked have said I should sue. As much as I'd love to, it doesn't help me. I want to work and earn a living like everyone else does. Sometimes I wish I was born deaf or paralyzed instead.

Any views?

Answer 1

I come from a family of stutterers and have learned that each one of them had to have perseverance to overcome their stuttering as well as to convince employers that they were the right person for the job.

You can ask interviewers why you didn't get a job that you applied for. Let them know that you need to know so you can better yourself in order to be the best for the company that does hire you. Sometimes this has ended up gaining a person employment just because that shows determination, willingness to change, and a desire to form yourself into the person the company wants rather than try to change the company to accept you.

All of my uncles and cousins who used to stutter got help through The Stuttering Foundation as they got the book "Self Therapy for the Stutterer" and one found his speech therapist who specialized in treating stuttering through the Foundation.

Their web site www.stutteringhelp.org has loads of information, brochures with tips (including one written for employers that you could take with you on an interview), online videos, referral lists of speech therapists all over the country, an e-store where you can buy the book my uncles and cousins used, a list of libraries that shelve their materials, and more.

One uncle told me that the more he tried not to stutter, the more he did and after working through the steps in the book "Self Therapy for the Stutterer" he was able to concentrate on what was really important in life. All of the relatives who used that book said that it wasn't something to just read through one time. In order for it to really help, they had to work through it step by step and go back through it again and again until it became part of them.

Be persistant and your reward will come!

Answer 2

How do you know your stutter is what's preventing you from getting a job? I have friends who stutter and haven't had much difficulty in finding work and their job(s) involve constant phone work and/or public interaction...point is you can find work. Regardless, if you'd like help with the stuttering you may consider seeking speech therapy and/or seeing a doctor specializing in this area. There have been many advances in the treatment of stuttering and you may be surprised at what's out there for you. Just keep doing what you're doing, have a bit more confidence in your abilities and soon you'll have a new job in no time. I know it's hard, I've been there. But things happen for a reason and it may just be you've been turned down jobs because you lack the experience (entry level or not) they are seeking.

BTW, you can always turn your stutter into a topic of conversation during interviews, especially if you're asked "What's something you've had to overcome and how did you do it?" or "What's your weakness?" Obviously you've had to overcome stuttering but to explain how you did so is a HUGE plus and shows tons of your character and strength.

Answer 3

A stutter is a very difficult disability to live with, esp. because it doesn't merit the same sympathy that a wheelchair does. It sounds like you are doing everything you can to overcome it and you should be proud that you haven't given up. I would just keep interviewing for positions until you land one. Getting a job is hard for anyone so don't assume that you don't get a job because of your stutter. It may turn off some people but those would not be people that you'd want to work for anyway. Just keep trying and I know that something good will come your way soon. Good luck!

Answer 4

A speech coach can do wonders for your speech problem. James Earl Jones stuttered. He has one of the most recognized voices in America. The spokes person for Verizon and the voice of DAR Vader in star wars. As a lawyer the ability to speak fluently is part of the job. Turn your disability into an ability. While you are taking those classes maybe you could work on research in the legal field.

Answer 5

I'm sorry. No other barrier is as tacitly enforced as physical difficulties. The terms disability and handicap actually refer to management's inability to view employees objectively. Unfortunately, most decision makers do not select individuals who will promote their mission statement. They hire and promote people like themselves. THIS is the real reason for departmental outsourcing (I'll gladly expand on this as another question).

From a situation similar to yours, I have obtain two offers due to nothing more than discipline and perseverance. One was from a classified ad on my birthday and the other was from canvassing door-to-door during the Super Bowl. It is always easier to make an excuse not to do something instead of a reason to do it.

I was extremely disappointed when so many people, including Warner Brothers, saw mockery instead of the motivational value of Porky the Pig. Not once, in all those years, did he betray the physically impaired by giving up (i.e. the "son of a gun" streaming audio) and he did it without pants. I just heard that 18,000 amputees have come out of the Iraq war. We civilians can only hope to emulate their strength and resolve. It hasn't been easy. Don't let them shut you down. I hope I helped a little.

Answer 6

What would you be consulting with an attorney about? You can't force someone to give you a job, and if having a driver's license is a requirement, then you don't meet the requirements for the position. It doesn't mean they are discriminating against you because of your cerebral palsy, it's because you don't have a license, and they would treat anyone without a license the same way. If you had gotten your license pulled because of traffic tickets, they wouldn't hire you for the job, and it isn't discriminatory.

Answer 7

Yeah here is something which might help. Try getting a speech coach to help you over come your stuttering problem. Had a friend who stuttered so bad no one could understand him. That is what he did and it worked. It took a while but with the help of his speech coach he managed to stop stuttering almost altogether. .

Answer 8

It sounds like that it is your disability that is preventing you from finding work. Maybe you should seek work where you don't have to talk much. You have a degree in journalism. Maybe you could be a professional blogger online and make money that way.

Answer 9

Work for the government. Get The Chief if you live in the NY area. Also, check you r local town's employment ads at city hall or borough hall, and also, your state's website for employment, and the feds also for employment. They do NOT discriminate in this manner.