Excuse me while I have a rant!!!

I applied for a part time Job a Jewish Orthodox special needs young adults with a wide range abilities college run by Gentile staff. I deliberately disclosed my dyspraxia in a positive way so that if this was a problem to my interviewees, they could find an excuse not to employ me. To avoid history from repeating itself and that I would be told that I was ‘a nice Girl but just not suitable’ and be back to square one with low self esteem and back on Incapacity Benefit. I had my suspicions when I asked for the application form in electronic format. I did not get it for 3 days so could not fill it in on my days off work and only had the weekend to do it before the Monday deadline, then email it to them. I was not allowed an extra day to fill in the form as getting the form late was a disadvantage. However I managed without getting anyone to proof read it or give me feedback to get short listed for an interview.

Part of the interview was to give a 20 min Micro teach on how to iron for entry level 1-3 in independent living skills which after an internet search I found was a BTEC Edexcel qualification. I found that this qualification involved other life skills tasks such as folding up clothes neatly etc, which in my opinion are not essential for a disabled persons independence and the course is merely another form of oppression to make disabled people conform to what the Government assumes is societies norm. Maybe if disabled people pass this it will save on direct payments and social services input if they pass this course it will prove that they are independent and save the labour government millions of pounds.

I am really appalled at the way I have been treated. Firstly although I differentiated my lesson plan to account for individual need and was not briefed until the last minute what my students needs were; it is ironic that by asking a dyspraxic person to teach other disabled people how to iron they did not differentiate the interview for me and set me up for failure when there were other tasks I could have taught them. When I got feedback from my interviewers, I was told that I was not selected because they had to stop my micro teach because a student had touched the hotplate. I did not realise this was why I had been stopped and though I was running over time. I had set the iron to medium to be on the safe side and as far as I could see the student did not touch the hotplate causing me to relive past experiences of being bullied at work and doubting my own judgement.

. I would have also had to conform to teaching in a Jewish Orthodox environment, which as a non practicing Jewess would have been against my nature as it would also be making them conform to something else that I find oppressive.

How dare they oppress me like that, when I have come so far!
They also told me that I had not shown that I had taught a wide range of needs and disabilities which is absolutely preposterous. I got no constructive criticism or positive feedback at all. They could have offered me more suitable work as they were looking for teacher in subjects such as personal development, self advocacy which would have suited my needs much better. So I’m glad I told them that I disclosed my dyspraxia to avoid any further oppression. I realise now that I have nothing to blame myself for and that the college’s disabling attitude set me up to fail.