![]() ![]() I had only worked at this startup for 5 full months before being let go. ![]() In April 2020 shortly after the Covid19 stay at home order was put in place, I was let go from my job at a data analytics startup. Or, I won’t proceed to the next steps of an interview once I’ve mentioned that I have APD. I have noticed that if I include my disability in a job application, I typically won’t get an interview. I did not mention this in my application or before my internship began because I didn’t want it to sway my chances of becoming employed by this organization at the conclusion of my internship. I later explained to my supervisor that I had a hearing condition called Auditory Processing Disorder which most likely was impacting my ability to follow verbal instructions. I was rated on five different categories receiving a 3 out of 10 score for following verbal instructions. During a fundraising internship my senior year at American University, I received feedback from my supervisor midway through the internship. Certain managers don’t like to send instructions by email, this is a big problem for those diagnosed with APD. Looking back at some of the corporate jobs I’ve held, it’s easy to see all the areas of friction, however I have developed strategies to reduce this Auditory Processing Disorder-induced hindrance. Many of the drink orders would be a long complex series of words often verbalized by those who lack patience or adept annunciation abilities. This was even more challenging when I briefly worked as a Starbucks barista. This was also increasingly difficult when I would write down the takeout orders as people called in over the phone with the competing sounds of restaurant patron conversations, chefs shouting instructions, the collision of cutlery, and the city traffic from a few feet away. I had trouble hearing the customers give their orders and would always find myself asking them to repeat what they had said and would attempt to recite back their order to them. The first time I noticed this challenge in the professional context was when I briefly worked at a restaurant as a college student. While Auditory Processing Disorder presents challenges within the lecture style of teaching commonly used within the academic setting, it can present a series of challenges within the professional setting as well. Depending on a person’s pattern of speech, it may be easier for me to process their words, especially if they speak at a predictable moderate pace. Sometimes I might say “I beg your pardon, I believe I may have misheard you”. It’s common for me to misinterpret people during conversations, one of the things I do to mitigate this is to repeat back what was said to the best of my abilities in an attempt to clarify any potential misinterpretations. For instance, a person with Auditory Processing Disorder might hear two or three completely different words in a sentence than are being verbalized by the speaker. People with auditory processing disorder often struggle to hear the slight sound differences of certain words. This can cause misinterpretations of specific words or a slower processing speed of verbal communications. As I became older, I realized that my need for additional time was not due to a lack of intelligence, but rather a reflection of my delayed ability to process verbal information.Īuditory Processing Disorder is a type of learning disability impacting the auditory perceptions of vowel sounds. I always felt a sense of shame for needing extra help to complete my work, especially when I ended up getting help from my mother who worked multiple jobs in addition to raising me. It took me longer to complete assignments than others in my grade. I would end up calling a friend after school asking if we were assigned any work. Sometimes I didn’t realize work was being assigned at all. I recall not being able to remember what homework was assigned during class since it was typically assigned verbally. During parent teacher conferences, I remember being told that I was not grasping the curriculum at the same rate of other students in my grade. My inability to perform at the level of my peers made me feel as if I was both unintelligent and unlikely to pursue academia. Early on in our lives we are told that our ability to succeed academically will determine our future. Having this hearing disorder made my academic journey a challenging one and negatively impacted my self-confidence throughout my childhood years. I was diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder at age 12. ![]()
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