I am looking for support and an open discussion on disabilities in the workplace. I (27F) have been discriminated against for having learning disabilities in both math and reading. Learning Disabilities (LD) have a lot of misconceptions that the person who may have them is “dumb” or “slow.” Admittedly, my process of reading and doing math is slower; however, I feel like my LD doesn't affect my job performance because my strengths are design. Yet I still had academics throughout college tell me, “your disability isn't how it works in the field,” due to my accommodations. I proved all those motherfuckers wrong by graduating top of my class, being a leader and mentor in various professional organizations, winning design awards, and getting into a top-tier firm after graduating.
One year later, I feel destroyed inside. Antiwork is genuinely helping me cope with the reality of the workforce because I wasn't expecting how fucked the work system is. At first, it started great, but then we became understaffed, with fewer people to help me train and working overtime on projects I wasn't getting paid. What sucked the most was that I thought my boss understood our team's difficulty since 7 people had left. She admitted many personal details about her life to me. She revealed she had ADHD and how that was tough for her, and my biggest regret is disclosing my learning disability. Since then, she has used my disability against me and disclosed it to coworkers behind my back. My coworker told me how messed up the situation was and how she called me “slow.” I felt dehumanized and blamed for the mistakes the firm made. When it got to the point where I felt like my disability didn't belong anywhere, I quit my job. I thought I escaped discrimination by working as hard as I could.
My bosses gaslit me once, and I never felt comfortable talking to them again since they didn't have HR. I had excellent reviews from all my coworkers, and many people were shocked when I left. Months later, I am still struggling with how workplaces handle disabilities. I don't want this to sound like a sob story because I did a lot of healing during my time off; I am just scared to go back. Discrimination will always exist, and I am curious about how others have handled their disabilities in the workplace without others noticing or accommodating you.
I know some of you will say I could sue, but I have no money for a lawyer, and since my field is so tiny, I had others recommend it wasn't a good idea for my future career. Oh, America…