By: Zainab Salam, Editor-in-Chief and Michelle Young, Copy Editor
Journalism is becoming increasingly precarious in Canada. For years, The Peak has tried to create a workplace environment where student journalists can learn and thrive, especially by creating an accessible workplace. However, as chronically ill editors come closer to graduation, they reflect on whether journalism could be a viable career, despite journalistic experience.
Zainab: As I near my graduation date, I am finding myself growing increasingly nervous about how I will navigate the professional world. As a person with chronic illness and frequent flare- ups, I have faced an array of discrimination in the workplace that placed me at a disadvantage. I have been overlooked for promotions, even when I was the most well-suited person for the job. I have also had to call in sick to managers who had only curt and rude replies; which does wonders to my stress levels. All while the overwhelming fatigue makes me struggle to lift my head off the pillow to take my medications on an empty stomach. In the past, I’ve been told to “try to not call in sick” because it ruins the way shifts are scheduled. As if I had the option to opt-out of a flare-up? As if I chose to be in pain? As if I like having my body ache so badly that I can’t sleep properly? It’s hard to speak up when I am in this situation, because managers have HR on their side. They can find a way to target me, and make it seem like I was at fault. Even with legal protections, the workplace is still a hostile terrain for myself, as I’m sure it is the same for other people with disabilities.
Michelle: There is a wide array of possible accommodations when it comes to disability. For someone in a wheelchair, this might include a wheelchair-accessible space. Disability journalist Bailey Martens spoke about how she “couldn’t get in the door” at her student publication. Instead, she was told to “sit in the hallway and listen to meetings from there.” Martens was later offered a different job but was denied a “remote start,” despite the need to “find wheelchair-accessible housing.” Martens noted everyone was working from home at the time. This is beyond ridiculous. If someone with such a straightforward accommodation request, and an obvious need for it, is being denied this way, it’s terrifying to think about what other accommodations could be denied. Physical disabilities undoubtedly come with discrimination from employers, but chronic illness has such a fluid nature that it can be hard to predict. Remote work is one way to accommodate this, however there’s a push towards in-person work to “boost real estate demand.” A few years ago, I was on the waitlist for ovarian cyst removal. I waited months for surgery, and it was painful to walk around. After the surgery and subsequent endometriosis diagnosis, I still had months of chronic pain trying to find a treatment plan that worked for me. I would have never been able to work at The Peak if it wasn’t for our ability to work from home. COVID-19 has created an influx of people with disabilities and chronic illnesses — new conditions and disabilities can crop up at any time. Accommodations are helpful to all of us.
Zainab: From my experience, disclosure of my disability, especially when I’m new at a job, is what I struggle with the most. It’s true that legally I don’t have to disclose the details of my chronic illness to my employer. However, at my current state I’m guaranteed to have to call in sick due to flare-ups, which means my health issues will make themselves known quickly. During the probationary period, it takes time and effort to be in a more stable position in the role. Frequent sick calls when I’m flaring up don’t make me seem reliable enough to keep. It looks like I’m not alone in my worry, and it doesn’t stop after the probationary period. A fellow journalist, Emily Fagan, has communicated how difficult it is to advocate for herself with her invisible disability. In an interview with CanCulture, Fagan said, “I typically don’t mention when I’m in pain or having issues with my Crohn’s to coworkers, out of fear that it might make me seem unreliable.” I understand there is some legal protection with a doctor’s note. You can get your so-called “absence” excused, and could get some accommodations met if the workplace allows. However, it is difficult to see the doctor. I have to beg to get an appointment squeezed in every few weeks. Also, it’s expensive to pay for those doctor notes, which currently cost $50 a note at my family doctor clinic.
Michelle: Being disabled is expensive: doctors’ notes or medications may not be covered by insurance. Though BC mandates five days of paid sick leave, this doesn’t cover all types of employees and it feels wasteful to use paid leave for the appointment they booked you in for six months in advance. For many, five days isn’t enough. A stable income is deeply important to me, because I need to be able to cover medical costs. The ability to access medication is a necessity. The rates of houselessness among disabled people is high due to a number of factors and disability assistance doesn’t cover the cost of living. Getting a degree and breaking into the workforce is a challenge for anyone right now, but being chronically ill adds another barrier.
Zainab: That’s what makes this situation so frustrating. Years of hard work don’t seem to guarantee stability. Which is true for even the able-bodied graduates, but it does seem to feel and be more pronounced for people with disabilities. In the world of journalism, it’s hard enough to have to compete with more well-known journalists for a spot in a newsroom. For a person with a disability, it’ll be difficult to compete with new able-bodied journalists. According to the Canadian Journalism Foundation, geographical mobility would greatly help in career advancement. Being able to move from one location to another could help polish a resume, and in some cases it might be the only way to land a more stable role in a newsroom. For a chronically ill person, this is difficult to do.
Ableism is rampant in society, and hiring people with lived experience and chronic illness is valuable — not for the DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) statistics, but because we understand how to navigate these stories.
Michelle: The thing is, we do need people with disabilities in newsrooms. Ableism is rampant in society, and hiring people with lived experience and chronic illness is valuable — not for the DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) statistics, but because we understand how to navigate these stories. It’s not lost on me how many people are scared of using the word “disability” for its negative connotations. We aren’t going to go away. Space for disabled journalists needs to be made now. This could include flexibility around remote work, better paid sick leave for all, and a general increase in understanding from management that being a good employee and being disabled or chronically ill are not mutually exclusive.
