When Perseverance & Determination leads to Full-Time Job (Part 2)

After the contract position ended I was on a bit of a high, feeling confident that it would take me no time to find another job. Without any delay I started applying for other positions with the same employer at one of there other call-centre locations. It didn't take too long before I was called in for an interview. Unfortunately things didn't go as planned when I wasn't hired for the job. Though I was a little disappointed I didn't let this get me down. 

Thankfully about a month later another position became available with the same employer, this time at a location much closer to where I lived. So I applied for the position, again I was called in for an interview but this time ended up failing their mandatory typing test. So for the second time I didn't get the job. Yet another set back but I wasn't ready to just give up. So at this point I simply went out and bought a typing program for my computer to focus on improving my skills. So for the third time only a few months later I applied for the same position again. This time I aced their typing test resulting in me securing my very first full-time job. The next thing I know just a few weeks later I find myself starting training. Thankfully my training turned out to be a lot of fun. Unfortunately though the fun times spent in training just flew by. It took just four weeks before I found myself working a full-time job. Sure there were days filled with challenging moments especially when it came to dealing with irate customers, but to my surprise I handle this pretty well. I am proud to say that I never let the challenges get me down. I was simply happy to have a job which I fought very hard for. 

When life throws you a curveball you were never expecting  

At this point I was truly benefiting from having this full-time job. I started feeling like a real success story, as it felt good no longer having to rely on income support from the Ontario Disability Supports Program. Best of all things were going very well for me financially. I was really enjoying my new life as I was truly benefiting financially. I felt like a contributing member of society. Unfortunately, this didn't last long as in my second year of employment I found myself suffering from a work-related injury. It started one day when I left work due to the pain I was feeling in both arms. The next day I went to see my doctor and after an ultrasound I was diagnosed with Tendinitis. A debilitating condition that affects the tendons and muscles that help move the shoulder joint. It was discovered that I suffered a repetitive strain injury. Which left me in excruciating pain. 

So for the next two years I had to be put on modified duties while seeing a physiotherapist twice a week. Eventually my work-related injury was blamed on the fact that I have Becker's Muscular Dystrophy. It was at that point I was cut off from receiving workers compensation from the WSIB, that also meant no more physiotherapy. So my condition only continued to worsen leaving me to make the tough decision of ending my call centre career. Eventually I found myself re-applying to receive income support the Ontario Disability Supports Program. Only five years after pursuing a career. I guess you can say things really didn't go as planned when it came to me working, but one thing I am proud of is that having a disability never kept me from pursuing a career. That is why even today after all I have been through I still encourage those with disabilities who can to pursue finding some form of suitable employment.

Sure at times you may face discrimination by some employers, but I encourage you to never give up. Thankfully we do live in a time when employers attitudes towards workers with disabilities are changing. That means the possibility of you finding a job are getting better every day. Just remember a little perseverance and determination goes a long way. 

  Continue Reading My Becker's Story!