Studying & applying for jobs with a disability by Giulia Peluso

I have no vision in my left eye since I was born. As I grew older, I also developed chronic migraines as well as a condition which, if triggered, makes me go fully (but temporarily) blind.

Education

I completed my academic studies up to law school in Italy, where I had no support for my visual impairment. To give you an example, my school did not allow for any digital devices in the classroom, so I could not rely on assistive tech. Despite the lack of support /reasonable adjustments, I graduated top of my class. This is because I had adopted a learning style which was incredibly efficient and productive in the long-term: I would listen to the lectures carefully in class and make notes by way of mind maps or other structured charts, would go home and research the topic further from multiple sources (including YouTube videos of foreign professors thanks to my language skills) and either record myself with my understanding and learnings or discuss these with classmates in group study sessions. This way, I learnt to absorb and process key information incredibly well by active listening (which is still my preferred learning method) as well as by vocalising my understanding – often going above and beyond what was expected of me – hence the high grades.

I have studied English since I was a kid and, at the age of 15, I spent three months in Sydney where I felt surprisingly comfortable in such a multicultural, inclusive environment. This motivated me to apply to study law in the UK and eventually pursue my LLB in English and European Law at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). During my time at University, I had amazing support from QMUL’s Disability and Dyslexia Centre, such as the provision of digital books and other learning materials, access to a computer, 1:1 reading sessions, and reasonable adjustments for exams (e.g., extra time, access to a reader and/or scribe). Thanks to this support I was not only able to navigate law school (which many people thought was not for me given my visual impairment and the amount of reading required!) but also show my full potential.

Application Process

I believe that shifting my mindset towards considering my disability as an asset has been the key turning point for me, both professionally and personally. I learnt a lot about myself in the process and about why I should be proud of my disability. For example:

1. I am comfortable with the uncomfortable. This is because I often find myself having to problem-solve when a particular resource, process or circumstance is not accessibility-friendly, building on my resilience, quick thinking, and stress-management skills.
2. I understand how my skills (or lack thereof) can complement/be complemented by that of other people. This makes me a communicative and reliable team-player whilst also a natural relationship-builder.
3. I have had to explain my conditions and the way these impact my life on multiple occasions, to a variety of welcoming and less-welcoming people. It’s fair to say I gained a great deal of patience and empathy from it.

Contrary to many, my experience with reasonable adjustments in the application process for a training contract has been very positive. This is not only due to my proactive and confident approach, but also to the incredible support from organisations such as MyPlus Students’ Club, Aspiring Solicitors, and SOVIL. Some of the things that worked for me were:

1. Reaching out to the firms’ recruitment teams early (i.e., 1-2 months before the deadline), via email, requesting to speak with a member of the team. In the call, I’d quickly introduce myself, and then switch the focus of the conversation on the stages of the application process and any specific difficulty that I envisioned (e.g. Watson Glaser Test platform not being screen-reader friendly) to then suggest / confirm available reasonable adjustments. This session was very much a 2-way conversation as sometimes the firms suggested solutions which I had not even thought about!
2. Staying in touch throughout each stage of the application (as I progressed), kindly following up if needed, and trying my best to making the firms’ lives easier whilst being assertive on my needs and rights.
3. Building relationships with the people at the firm during the application process. Remember that this can be a great way to assess whether the relevant firm is for you. I had my priorities straight and to me the cultural match was just as important as the quality of work and training that the firm could offer.
4. I only talked about my conditions in a positive light, with a smile on my face. I was not afraid to use a personal example to answer questions such as: “Tell me of a time when you have demonstrated resilience”.

Professional Journey

Since University, I have advocated a lot for disability awareness, not only in law but also in sports. I continued to do so in my first legal experience, in-house, where I joined a fantastic disability affinity group. Among other things, I used my lived experience in the context of the launch of a new digital product for the business, combining my interests for law and disability inclusion. This inspired me to continue to balance my two interests, which is why at Clifford Chance I have taken on the role as Trainee Representative of Enable UK. My goal is to contribute towards making the workplace more accessible by default, regardless of whether colleagues have a disability.

At work, I use assistive technology (for which I received 1:1 training), have special work equipment and other ad hoc adjustments, including travel. Overall, this allows me to be myself in the workplace and enjoy what I do.

If you would like to get in touch with me please contact me via LinkedIn: Giulia Peluso