I'm thrilled to report that I've just graduated my 6 month training program! Business travel is something I love. Last Thursday, sitting in a hotel in San Francisco, the best meals you can get, and being in so much pain I was unable to leave the room or even eat dinner got me to the point where I have to admit it. I can't travel for business until my health has improved and my pain is under better control.

It's been really bad lately, and that got me to thinking, why would anyone hire a person with disabilities? Here are my reasons why you should, and how to work with such a person, although each person is different. First off, I am a person with a disability, not a disabled person. I have nerve damage in my right leg which causes significant pain. It is not something that is currently curable, so for right now, keeping the pain under control to live the most excellent life possible is the strategy. I believe it will be cured in our lifetime, but until then, it is simply something to live with.

-Hire a person WITH disability, not a disabled person. Know the difference. Does everything "happen to them"? Is it an all day pity party every day? Are they actually doing their part to get excellent care? Do they have a victim attitude? Does the health challenge they have define everything about who they are? If so, it's useless to try. Don't hire. The disability isn't physical.

-I really want to be working. My health problems are severe enough that it is quite possible I could fight to not work and get benefits. I don't want to. I want to be here. Not just to pay the bills. That's HUGE. Having a job helps give me a reason to keep a regular schedule. To get up every day. To keep my personality. So many people with the problems I have just get lost. They lose who they are. They take more and more narcotics and before you know it, they aren't themselves anymore. I don't want to be that person. I'll fight as hard as I can to avoid it.

-I'm more loyal than most employees because I need my health insurance. I can't function without it. Please understand this and never needlessly make me worry about the stability of my employment. If there is a stability problem, please give me as much notice as possible so that I can get this covered. A gap in health care really could knock me out of the workforce long term. It really could change the course of my life in a negative way. I'm a planner, so I have savings to make sure I'm reasonably able to take care of myself in this regard, but I can't be productive if threatened and it just isn't cool to do.

-Give me feedback about my performance just like you would anyone else. I don't want to know if I'm doing good "for a person with my challenges". I expect to kick butt. If I'm not, tell me why not. Don't baby me. A mediocre performance will never be acceptable to me. Throw me to the wolves and when I come out scratched up expect me to be holding wolf pelts.

-Do not measure me in too short of increments. I need to be measured in what I accomplish over a month, not what I did in 2 days. I sometimes have a terrible week because I'm in so much pain it's hard to see. I can't work a long day if the pain is too draining. I'll make up for it just as soon as I can. I need more flexibility around schedule, around how to meet deadlines, and around working from home. You may see me show up at 9am, but you didn't see me get up at 6am, have to sit on the couch waiting for my medication to work to even move enough to get into the shower.

-I can cope with change and uncertainty better than most people because I have daily practice. I don't know if I can make plans, keep plans, or do certain things in advance because of my body. It isn't going to phase me at work if things change. For this reason, having a person that is dealing with disability can be a huge team advantage. Count on me to help other people cope and get them to a place of accepting and working with changes.

-Try to be somewhat sensitive and perceptive. If you stop by my office and my eyes are red, face is pale, and when I'm walking around you can tell I'm limping really badly, most likely it isn't the best day to have a "difficult discussion" with me because it's really hard to hear over the screaming pain. If you do have to have a serious talk, give me 20 minutes warning if possible and at least let's do it sitting down and in private. If I have to stand on said uncooperative leg while having the conversation, it's even harder to focus.

-Never laugh at me or ridicule me or mock me because I'm in pain. Do not assume that if I'm a mess it is because of drugs. Nothing is more insulting to me. I tolerate more pain because of my refusal to be overly medicated so that I can think. It is absolutely cruel and a slap in the face to start rumors continuing this undeserved stigma. If you worry about me and drugs, it should be concern about my lack of them. I can't think straight if pain is out of control.

-If possible, and you have an employee with physical disabilities or chronic illness who isn't doing well, let them know that going part time or having a medical leave of absence so that you can keep them long term is an option, but don't make them feel forced out.

-Employees with disabilities still need opportunity just like everyone else. In fact, they may be more qualified because they are used to prioritizing what really "needs" to be done versus what is optional as they have to cut activities out of the day sometimes.