*bump*
Did you hear back from them? What did they say?
Blimey - long time ago.
I ended up taking the route where the head agreed to retrain the bloke involved.
Whether this happened or not I have no idea.
I found it all too upsetting at the time. They kept asking me to come into the school to meet the three people who interviewed me plus the head plus some bloke who has something to do with schools in Lancashire. So, not intimidating at all huh.
My husband has been told he's good-looking....for a blind bloke
I've also been told I'm wonderful for marrying him
I usually counter the latter with, "Well, he speaks four languages, is a good provider for the family, funny, a talented musician and a great shag." That usually leaves them speechless. I then compound their embarrassment by pointing out I'm also visiually impaired...I don't look it
FFS - people 'eh.
My mum's response to this comment because of her CFS/ME (last time she got it was when she got to skip the immigration queue at the airport because she can't stand for all that time) is thus: 'Well why don't swap bodies and then you can judge if I'm disabled or not'
I might use that myself in future (should I encounter any eejits)
As I understand it, employment law states that you have a disablity if it prevents you from doing "everyday activities". This is too flimsy for me, because whilst I have epilepsy, the only thing it really prevents me doing is driving. Is driving an "everyday activity"? In the past I have put that I am disabled, in the hope of positive discrimination, but now I don't bother. I consider it ambiguous, because I lead a very active and full life without being able to drive, but then I have a disabled bus pass and a disabled train card.
Well, I know what you mean Stavros. I feel pretty much the same about the definition, that definition is a little flimsy. I have other issues now as well as my CFS that are also disabilities in their own right, so I suppose I'm thrice disabled. Or disabled 3.0, or something.
This thread got bumped on the back of me linking to it on another thread where I mentioned I have an interview tomorrow (Mon 15th). I ticked the 'I consider myself blah' box. It isn't clear from the Sainsbury's website whether they have a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants in place or not. I don't really care. I just want the job as it is pretty much ideal (Part Time and very close to home-new store being built ½ a mile away so I can walk there or use my disabled bus pass).
After the event that this thread is about occurred, I didn't tick yes/no on some subsequent applications - got some interviews and got passed over on others - was beaten by better applicants in all cases I was told in those phone calls interviewers make last thing on a friday so they can cut them short ASAP.
What fucks me off is the assumption on the part of the HR people that they have to have this information.
Just so you all know, you have 'an absolute right' in relation to NOT declaring you disability status - and that includes both the disabled and the perfectly well. I rang some place after that interview with questions about this. It was a helpline number I found online that I can't recall now, anyway, they had been subsumed into the ECHR and I was speaking to them.
So I got into the habit of just leaving that blank if it was a yes no option. If it is a form that asks you to tick this box if you consider yourself disabled, well, not ticking it suggests you are fit and well and could be misconstrued as lying I suppose, so I cross through it.
I've been meaning for a while now to clarify the legality of the asking of these questions and want to make it so they have to give you a 'rather not say' option.
I'm sure it makes a difference at the interview stage. And I am not entirely sure whether the people interviewing you are supposed to know whether you've ticked that box or not. Surely, in equality terms, they shouldn't. Especially if that question/box is in the section of where they ask all the questions about your religion, race, colour etc etc.
Does anyone know about that last point?
