And On It Goes...

This past Tuesday, I had my long-awaited appointment with a counselor at the California Department of Rehabilitation (DOR). My purpose was to get advice on how to handle my dual disability (Meniere's) - sporadic vertigo and hard of hearing (HOH).

I'm happy to report a good experience with a very professional and knowledgeable counselor (L). L was very thorough in conducting our interview, and asking all the right questions about my disabilities - and also in figuring out which boxes to check on the standardized forms to shoehorn me into a good fit for the DOR services. To my slight surprise, she also categorized my alcoholism as a disability - honoring the "disease" model of alcoholism, which I hadn't really expected from a public agency. That being said, I still don't personally press that point in my own view of my limitations and needed accommodations - since my ongoing experiences of the promises from working the 12 steps of AA seem more like an empowerment to me than any sort of disability.

At the end of our interview, L informed me that I very likely qualify to receive DOR services, which could include things like transit passes, and certainly assistance in placement with an employer who will accommodate me - though, of course, my application is still being processed. To my question "How should I address my disabilities to prospective employers?", L gave a clear and firm answer - "YOU DON'T! - you'll just get yourself written off before you can even apply." Better, she told me, to apply and interview on my professional merits only, and deal with disability issues as they crop up once I'm hired.

One thing L did do for me that flies slightly in the face of that advice was to hook me up with a web-based staffing agency for the disabled called AbiliCorp. L even went so far as to e-mail me a job-posting list for my area of experience she'd recently gotten from them. I was then able to log into the AbiliCorp site, post my resume, and apply for several positions in the San Francisco Bay Area (where I am at present). As an addendum, today I visited the office of the Employment Development Department, who, among other services, are providing me with a message phone number (written message posted on the EDD bulletin board) to use on my resume/application. After only two days, I saw today a message posted for me from an AbiliCorp representative who'd found and spoken with a prospective employer who was impressed by my resume. Though I haven't got an interview yet, the representative says he's pressing for that - all good news.

In addition to that, I still have many other "irons in the fire" - and am consistently submitting applications as I almost daily receive relevant job listings through Monster and elsewhere. I'm still living (post graduate extension) at the Salvation Army ARC - my last day here will be Nov 17th. Though my housing situation after that is still uncertain, I've got leads I'm working there also.

As always, my thanks to all of you who have sent words of encouragement and good advice.

Paul S

PS: I now have a blog strictly dedicated to my resume and job search: Paul L Schneider - feel free to visit, and pass it along!