Disabled people often experience discrimination in the hiring process, but meeting an employer that believes in your ability to do the job is only half the battle. Sitting in an office in Midtown Manhattan, I?m breathing heavily from climbing three flights of stairs. Like many buildings in the city, it?s not accessible. But I planned […]

Good Company contributor Imani Barbarin is the founder of Crutches & Spice, a blog that discusses the intersection of disability, race, gender, and media.
Disabled people often experience discrimination in the hiring process, but meeting an employer that believes in your ability to do the job is only half the battle.
Sitting in an office in Midtown Manhattan, I?m breathing heavily from climbing three flights of stairs. Like many buildings in the city, it?s not accessible. But I planned for this; I got here an hour early, just in case this was the case. I scoped out the building as best I could, but this type of information doesn?t exist. Equal opportunity disclosures benefit employers, not applicants. I look around the room and see beautiful girls wearing heels that perfectly complement their outfits. I?m in sneakers that make me stick out. And then there?re the crutches, which gleam like a neon sign in Vegas that says, ?I?m Expensive.?
My interviewer comes to get me and looks shocked to see me. He appears to cover this up, likely quickly making a mental note to fire the staircase that was meant to keep people like me out. He has a...