Revenge On My Feet Chapter 24
Yvonne asked,
“Interested?”
“Yes.”
I set down my fork.
“But I have conditions.”
She smiled.
“I knew you would.”
“No using my hospital video in the promotional materials, and no phrases like ‘overcoming disability.'”
“The internship isn’t a charity tour. Participants get formal pay, and they’re evaluated for full-time conversion.”
“And the fund needs to set money aside for prosthetic maintenance and commuting subsidies.”
I knew all too well where a loose connector bolt could lead.
It could cost someone an interview.
It could also send them tumbling down a flight of stairs in front of everyone.
Yvonne wrote down every point.
“Anything else?”
I thought for a moment.
“Don’t make anyone use their physical condition to prove they deserve an opportunity.”
Yvonne closed her notebook.
“Alright.”
“This time, you set the rules.”
Putting the career program together was harder than I’d imagined.
The foundation wanted to help as many people as it could, WU needed to keep the budget in check, and the Renwick Group wanted quick results.
The first meeting ran three hours, and we still hadn’t settled the applicant list.
Someone proposed that we start with the applicants whose physical conditions were the most stable.
“Alright.”
“This time, you set the rules.”
Putting the career program together was harder than I’d imagined.
The foundation wanted to help as many people as it could, WU needed to keep the budget in check, and the Renwick Group wanted quick results.
The first meeting ran three hours, and we still hadn’t settled the applicant list.
Someone proposed that we start with the applicants whose physical conditions were the most stable.
“That way the program’s success rate is higher, and it’s easier to promote externally.”
I flipped to the page with the application criteria.
“If we only choose the people who need the least help, then why are we building this program at all?”
The person who’d spoken tried to explain.
“We’re just worried the participating companies won’t be able to absorb the risk.”
“All hiring carries risk.”
I put WU’s existing assessment standards up on the screen.
“Screen by ability, assess by position.”
“If someone needs a ramp, captioning software, or a flexible commute, we write those into the cost.”
“A disability isn’t a reason to be exempt from assessment, and it shouldn’t be a reason for extra tests, either.”
The conference room went quiet for a moment.