Accessibility and Archives: Being recruited while disabled - Part One

In this, the first of two blogposts about how the recruitment process impacts disabled workers in our sector, Philip Milnes-Smith from the Accessibility working group of ARA’s Diversity and Inclusion Allies curates testimony from anonymised contributors.  These are presented without additional commentary or analysis beyond noting that there seems to be room for sectoral improvement. The Accessibility working group would like to take this opportunity to thank all the contributors.

It is important to state at the start that disabled people are not all alike.  It is certainly not true that the experience of one represents the experience of all. But it would also be wrong to suggest that any one experience is an outlier anomaly from which nothing can be learned. 

Recruitment Witness 1:

Somewhere along the route to becoming a qualified archivist, I began to come to terms with the fact that I might be on the ASD [Autism spectrum disorder] spectrum. At first, I thought my ‘quirks’ or oddities in social situations were due to depression and anxiety, having been diagnosed with this during my undergrad days. Depression itself, is an unseen disability, unless it interferes with your working life.

After a few years out of work due to recession and family situation, I retrained in Archives, as a mature student. When I found myself back in the work fray, my social awkwardness more than ever before, was at odds with adapting to new people, and new situations. After some research, I started to recognise my ‘symptoms’ or ‘habits’ were very consistent with being on the ASD spectrum. I am still undiagnosed, but I identify strongly with the ‘label.’

How then to tell employers? The effect of an undiagnosed condition, along with the diagnoses of depression and anxiety has hindered my progress in the archives field. Here are the reasons why;

Telling a prospective employer is a worry, if you don’t have the ASD diagnosis to prove it, (and then what?). ‘Mental well-being in the workplace’ is often just a tick-box exercise, and not a priority.

The Archive sector relies on budgets, funding etc., and needs ‘go-getters’ and ‘trend-setters’ to achieve high goals. There is just no place for undiagnosed hidden disabilities, in a competitive world when seeking employment.  

Recruitment Witness 2:

To declare or not to declare is the perpetual question that I ask myself when living with a chronic condition and job hunting.

Reflecting on my job application history, I can honestly say that I have tried most strategies and borne many war wounds as a result. By nature, I like to be an honest and up-front person. There is nothing shameful about being disabled – my condition is part of who I am, but I don’t feel it should define me.

However in the past I have found myself trying to fit a square shaped peg into a round hole. I have taken employers at their word when they proudly proclaim that they are a ‘disability confident employer’ or ‘open to flexible working’. They wear it as a badge of honour that they are a progressive and modern employer. Yet, in my experience, behind the shiny glittery exterior, is a more rough-edged, rusty and inflexible interior.

If I could go back and give my younger self some advice, I would tell them that honesty isn’t always the best policy and the only person that you can rely on to advocate for my interests and needs is myself. Through many awful and at times downright illegal discriminatory practices from employers, I now wear a cloak of invisibility until I am in a position of accepting a job offer, before clearly outlining my required workplace adjustments. Any resistance is rebuffed with an unashamed recital of the Equality Act 2010 and employers’ obligations under the law. It’s shocking how many employers out there are still blithely unaware of this act, let alone what they must do to comply with it.

The Equality Act is your friend, get to know it intimately and understand what it can and can’t do to help you secure work. It probably will feel uncomfortable to come across so combative when accessing employment, but if you don’t stand up for your rights then no one else will. Employers should be made accountable for the shiny image that they present using the lives of under-represented communities to make them look/feel good. Words are meaningless without meaningful action and willingness to listen and learn from lived experience.

Contributions to this series are welcomed, particularly if you have experience of applying for jobs in the sector as a disabled person.  If you are interested in contributing to a similar anonymised post, in the first instance, please email diversityandinclusion@archives.org.uk .