Three Job Search Tips For Visually Impaired Lawyers

by Beverly Aarons 13. May 2010 08:51

An estimated 13.8 percent of job seekers with a disability are unemployed, nearly 4 points higher than the overall workforce. For a visually impaired attorney looking for a job, the statistics can be discouraging. But a disability doesn’t have to stand in the way of finding your next gig. Here are a few tips that may help you overcome employer discrimination and reservations:

Do not disclose your visual disability before your face-to-face interview. If your disability will not impede your ability to do your job, you don’t need to disclose it. Remember, it is illegal for an employer to ask if you have a disability. On the other hand, if you require the employer to make special accommodations for the interview, you will need to disclose your disability if you want them to accommodate you.
While you are not required to disclose your disability to a potential employer (or recruiter) it may be advisable to discuss your disability with your recruiter. If a recruiter knows about your disability he/she may be able to place you with employers who are less likely to discriminate against you. However, this choice is completely up to you. If you do decide to disclose your visual impairment with a recruiter, it might to be wise to do so after they have approved of your application and are interested in promoting you to employers. If you want to disclose your disability to the recruiter but not to employers, ask your recruiter to not disclose your disability to others.
Bring you tools of the trade with you to all interviews. If you are visually impaired and have tools such as a magnifying glass or monocular to aid you in your work, bring those tools with you to the interview. It will help put the employer at ease knowing that you have the tools necessary to do your job and that they may not need to spend any additional money in accommodations.

Three Job Search Tips For Visually Impaired Lawyers

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