I am sorry to hear about your shitty HR experience, but can't say I am surprised. I have long-held trust issues when it comes to HR. I think they are incredibly ableist, with intent. My department ran remotely for nearly 18 months during the height of COVID-19, but I still had to fight tooth and nail to get work-from-home accommodations approved for some of my staff.
I'm such a naive idealist, I once hoped that all the things being revealed by Covid would change the way we do things. So many messages from admin about taking care of ourselves. So much understanding of the limitations we were all working under. That lasted about 15 minutes. Then, it felt like they doubled-down on the worst parts of how things had been before Covid.
I am cynical as hell, but I thought that with such a long period of success, there would be a cultural epiphany regarding working from home. Especially with the advent of tools like zoom to enable meetings, both big and small.
Great post, Teri. Clear definitions and good (sobering) examples. Now that I’m disabled, I see ableism in places and situations I never used to. I’m going to share this post in my own post next week. Brava!
Thank you, Amy! This post is the first one of this type, so I was a little nervous about it. I am glad you found it to be clear —I really care about that. I wonder if I will get much blowback from people who disagree. It will be interesting. Thank you again! ❤️
I do think that language as a whole is somewhat subjective, so there may be parts of this that don’t resonate for everyone, but my impression is that the vast majority of people are disability-ignorant and you’ll find that even your disabled readers are going to take away many things from this glossary project of yours. It is a brave and serious undertaking, and aside from the actual concepts, I’m gaining inspiration from what you’re doing here with your newsletter. Thank you for being part of my learning!
Wow. Teri, this is clear, forceful, and compelling. It’s a real lesson in how easy it is to look away from a complex issue because it’s uncomfortable. The examples from your lived experience leave me stunned. You’ve probably heard “I had no idea,” about a million times, but now you’ll have to add one more. Thank you for being an educator and an advocate. You’re writing the book here that should show up on everyone’s reading list, not just in HR departments.
I really appreciate your robust definitions. This is not all new to me, but I know enough to know that there's more I need to know. I could really relate to your experiences with HR. I once tried to get some minor accommodations for my migraine issues. I wanted to be able to work from home sometimes (this was pre-Covid) when dealing with my headaches. Most of the time, my meds allow me to function, especially if I can control my environment and take breaks from activity. Being away from florescent lights and the noise/visual stimulation of a school environment would have done wonders for me. But like you said, it was like I had to be totally incapacitated to qualify for any relief. I think my request just reinforced an idea that some people have that migraines aren't all that bad. It's only bad enough to justify accommodations if I can't do anything at all. The end result: I took sick days more often, when I did no work at all. (I refused to use my sick leave to get my job done.) It was a lose-lose solution.
I am sorry to hear about your shitty HR experience, but can't say I am surprised. I have long-held trust issues when it comes to HR. I think they are incredibly ableist, with intent. My department ran remotely for nearly 18 months during the height of COVID-19, but I still had to fight tooth and nail to get work-from-home accommodations approved for some of my staff.
I'm such a naive idealist, I once hoped that all the things being revealed by Covid would change the way we do things. So many messages from admin about taking care of ourselves. So much understanding of the limitations we were all working under. That lasted about 15 minutes. Then, it felt like they doubled-down on the worst parts of how things had been before Covid.
I am cynical as hell, but I thought that with such a long period of success, there would be a cultural epiphany regarding working from home. Especially with the advent of tools like zoom to enable meetings, both big and small.
Great post, Teri. Clear definitions and good (sobering) examples. Now that I’m disabled, I see ableism in places and situations I never used to. I’m going to share this post in my own post next week. Brava!
Thank you, Amy! This post is the first one of this type, so I was a little nervous about it. I am glad you found it to be clear —I really care about that. I wonder if I will get much blowback from people who disagree. It will be interesting. Thank you again! ❤️
I do think that language as a whole is somewhat subjective, so there may be parts of this that don’t resonate for everyone, but my impression is that the vast majority of people are disability-ignorant and you’ll find that even your disabled readers are going to take away many things from this glossary project of yours. It is a brave and serious undertaking, and aside from the actual concepts, I’m gaining inspiration from what you’re doing here with your newsletter. Thank you for being part of my learning!
Wow. Teri, this is clear, forceful, and compelling. It’s a real lesson in how easy it is to look away from a complex issue because it’s uncomfortable. The examples from your lived experience leave me stunned. You’ve probably heard “I had no idea,” about a million times, but now you’ll have to add one more. Thank you for being an educator and an advocate. You’re writing the book here that should show up on everyone’s reading list, not just in HR departments.
Looking forward to the next chapter.
Thanks, Mary. I am hoping that if I stick with this, I might make a dent or at least amplify the conversation. I always appreciate your support. ❤️
I really appreciate your robust definitions. This is not all new to me, but I know enough to know that there's more I need to know. I could really relate to your experiences with HR. I once tried to get some minor accommodations for my migraine issues. I wanted to be able to work from home sometimes (this was pre-Covid) when dealing with my headaches. Most of the time, my meds allow me to function, especially if I can control my environment and take breaks from activity. Being away from florescent lights and the noise/visual stimulation of a school environment would have done wonders for me. But like you said, it was like I had to be totally incapacitated to qualify for any relief. I think my request just reinforced an idea that some people have that migraines aren't all that bad. It's only bad enough to justify accommodations if I can't do anything at all. The end result: I took sick days more often, when I did no work at all. (I refused to use my sick leave to get my job done.) It was a lose-lose solution.