The Challenges of Re-Entering the Workforce as a Disabled Mom
By Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
Two mothers open up about job hunting with a disability—and share the supports they want in place for a smoother transition for all.
Source: Karolina Grabowska
The term “mommy gap,” meant to describe the time parents spend in a career pause for caregiving, doesn’t acknowledge the hard work moms put in while serving in an at-home role. Stay-at-home parents are one of the most productive groups of people–balancing the needs of little ones with the responsibilities of running a household, and so much more. Despite the incredible labor involved in caregiving, we often diminish the value of a stay-at-home mother’s contributions because her productivity happens at home, and not in an office.
But employment gaps are not uncommon, and it is possible for moms to reenter the workforce with confidence when they’re ready. After all, being a caregiver provides real-world experience that should be of value to employers, such as coordinating schedules, budgeting, managing projects, and multitasking. But if we’re led to believe that at-home motherhood can be a barrier to re-entering the workforce, how does the calculus change for disabled moms?
Meet the Experts
Ross Michael: A vocational teacher with the Iowa Department for the Blind.
Greg DeWall: A former center supervisor with the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
The Barriers That Keep Disabled Moms From Returning to the Workforce
Since 2020, employment among working-age disabled people rose from 34.9% to 37.8%.¹ However, among non-disabled working-age people, it has remained steady around 80%.²
“We want disabled people employed, that’s the goal,” says Ross Michael, a vocational teacher with the Iowa Department for the Blind. “We teach the skills, encourage confidence, [and] help create individual plans of employment. But we need employers to get on board too.”
Navigating gaps on resumes is difficult for anyone, but for disabled moms, there can be additional concerns employers might consider. Many disabled parents opt to stay home or work from home due to long or complex commutes. Additionally, when employers don’t assist in accommodating work schedules or providing accessible equipment, such as screen-readers for blind people, or allowing for short breaks for people on the spectrum, it can lead to a person choosing to stay home. But by far, the biggest obstacle for all disabled workers is ableism, a pervasive type of discrimination that devalues individuals based on their physical, intellectual, or psychiatric disabilities. Unfortunately, ableism is very much a part of work culture, and beliefs about what a person can and cannot do keep many disabled moms from returning to work.
When you don’t have access to specialized skills training
Take Lisa Johnson, for instance. Johnson, the director of Trio Student Support Services for Nebraska Methodist Nursing College, was born with congenital glaucoma, a rare condition which causes elevated pressure in the fluid of the eye. Johnson was born totally blind, but at 21, had a cornea transplant that gave limited partial vision in her right eye. She was determined, and worked to become an elementary teacher. However, Johnson experienced resistance on her path towards teaching.
“It was a hard fight all the way through,” said Johnson. “I earned a degree in Language Arts with a 4.0 GPA, but when I was looking for a job, it was assumed all I wanted to do, or all I could do was work with blind students.”
It was during a presentation she gave at a Lion’s Club conference that she found her first job. A superintendent of a local school district encouraged her to apply.
“I joked that if anyone was looking to hire a teacher, I was available,” Johnson said. “Out of 200 applicants, I got the job. That presentation made me feel seen as more than a blind person.”
After four years, she decided to get her masters. And after this, she pursued her doctorate. It was at this time that Johnson felt her career was disrupted.
She had three kids already. Her cornea transplant failed, and she became totally blind again. She had learned some blindness skills, but not enough to compete for professional roles as a totally blind person. Since totally blind people have no sight to use, it requires learning alternative skills, like using screen-readers on computers and smart devices, and navigating the world non-visually, using a white cane or guide dog, in order to compete in the workforce.
“I never did full immersion training,” said Johnson. “It wasn’t provided in my rural community. I knew enough to be a partially sighted person, but not enough to move to being totally blind in the classroom.”
The lack of access to proper non-visual skills training can be a big hindrance to blind and low vision people.
“It’s critical for people losing vision to get blindness skills training as soon as possible, so, they don’t lose valuable years of their lives being frustrated with their loss of vision, and unable to do the things they want to do, whether with their children, in the workforce, or in other areas of their lives.” said Greg DeWall, former center supervisor with the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
More than once, she was asked if she really wanted to work, and if she wanted to stay home with her babies instead.
Johnson took a year off to care for herself and her kids. Part of this self-care included reintroducing herself to the white cane and assisted technology. Non-visual tools and skills gave her more confidence to jump back into school and work, but integrating back was not easy.
“[Vocational rehabilitation ] was involved with the process, to help with accessibility issues, but all this brought attention to my blindness in a way it hadn’t before,” said Johnson. No matter what I did, there was fault to be found.”
She felt a spotlight flicked on, following her every move. It seemed the school she worked for began looking for reasons to let her go. More than once, she was asked if she really wanted to work, and if she wanted to stay home with her babies instead.
Disability employment discrimination is common, despite the passing of the Americans With Disabilities Act more than 30 years ago. The Equal Opportunity Commission consistently finds that disability discrimination is the second leading employment claim filed.³
By 2014, Johnson had five kids and would soon have two more. Her husband accepted a position with the University of Nebraska Omaha, and Johnson took charge of the move, but also wrestled with how to recreate herself. She enjoyed time with her kids and doing all the “mom” things, but she felt ready to return to the paid workforce.
Source: Karolina Grabowska
When commuting is an obstacle
Stacy Cervenka is a vocational rehabilitation and public policy consultant. She was born with optic nerve hypoplasia, which left her with partial vision in one eye. In addition to holding internships and summer programs in college, Cervenka spent five years working for a US senator, serving as an analyst for California’s Department of Rehabilitation, and as Director of Public Policy for a nonprofit in Washington D.C.
While starting her masters in vocational rehabilitation, Cervenka went into labor. She hoped to complete as many hours towards her degree before the baby came. The program required a practicum and year-long internship. The first day of her internship, her water broke.
“I showed up at 8 a.m. and was being shown around the office, and my water just broke on the carpet,” said Cervenka. “Water was just flowing. They put towels on the carpet and on a chair and called my husband. I was six weeks early, and it was a whole public thing.”
She worried about falling behind, and what would happen with her financial aid if she didn’t keep a full-time schedule. So, after four weeks, she went back to the internship full-time. The stress of staying on track with the program and dealing with a newborn added to Cervenka’s postpartum depression. And blindness factored into these decisions.
‘I knew as a blind person, I needed to take any [job] opportunity. If I fell off the merry-go-round, I would lose my career.’
“I knew as a blind person, I needed to take any [job] opportunity,” said Cervenka. “If I fell off the merry-go-round, I would lose my career.”
Statistically, the number of employed disabled people is so low, that once they find a job, many feel the same pressure as Cervenka to hold onto it. She felt the stress of “keeping up” as both a mom and blind woman.
She tried to sneak in as much time with her baby, but it was difficult to not feel guilty. When you live in a bigger city and rely on public transportation, long commutes cut into family time. In addition to using public transit, her job required her to travel periodically.
“As a mom, having a job that requires travel or long commutes [limits] what you can do with your kids,” she added.
The majority of blind and low vision people depend on public transit for transportation. And for blind parents, this includes not just getting to and from work, but transporting to childcare, activities, and school. Ride share provides a more convenient option, but Lyft and Uber aren’t always financially feasible.
Cervenka and her husband moved to an entirely new state shortly after having their second child. She initially did some contract work, but ultimately decided to stay home for a variety of reasons. In the last couple of years, she’s tried reentering the workforce and has found it difficult. Despite her accomplished resume and previous years of work experience, it’s been a challenge to find employment. In the time-being, she’s found contract work.
What Disabled Moms Need for Re-Entry
Cervenka and Johnson agree that providing flexible options helps ease the transition back to the office for blind moms in particular. Offering remote and hybrid opportunities greatly benefits blind parents.
“It’s important for disabled people, especially with transportation, to have flexibility to get kids to childcare or school,” said Cervenka. “We don’t have the same options for transportation as sighted parents.”
Disabled moms deserve to embrace parenthood, and make choices about how to fit parenting and work into their lives.
In addition to flexible schedules for employees, Johnson encourages employers to be aware of disability in the office and the benefits of expanding inclusive hiring practices. If she had learned solid non-visual skills earlier, there would not have been an interruption in her career, but she maintains that her experience shed light on how problematic the education system can be for disabled students. This motivated her to focus on inclusion and disability in education and employment.
“It helps when you don’t have to prove yourself constantly,” said Johnson. “Sighted people are automatically assumed capable. You can’t look at perceived challenges for a blind person, but [instead] what they offer the company.”
Disabled moms deserve to embrace parenthood, and make choices about how to fit parenting and work into their lives. It’s a privilege to be able to choose whether you stay home with your children—and many disabled moms want this option. While it can be challenging for moms to bridge the employment gap, it is even more so for disabled moms. But with supports in place and flexible employers dedicated to equity and inclusion, the transition can be smoother.
References
1, 2. nTIDE March 2022 Jobs Report: Job numbers exceed historic highs for six months for people with disabilities. Kessler Foundation. Accessed 5/28/2023.
3. EEOC Releases Fiscal Year 2020 Enforcement and Litigation Data. U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Accessed 5/28/2023.
Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter is a writer and mom from the American Midwest. Her work appears in Parents.com, Shiblaqbri Magazine, The Insider and elsewhere. When not frantically working on a deadline, or coordinating endless schedules for her family, she can be found on Twitter @bkpollpeter, or Facebook and Instagram at Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter.
