Is It My Disability—or Is It Because I Speak Up?

I have spent years trying to make it in a working world that was not always built with people like me in mind.

I have held 7 different jobs since 2019. Two which resulted in EEO reports. One ended in a minor civil lawsuit.

People love an inspirational disability story once it has a happy ending. They love the comeback, the graduation photo, the career milestone, and the polished version of resilience.

What they do not always love is the disabled person who speaks.

Sorry, but I have a big mouth.

I might not be right, but you will know what I think about a situation.

My mouth has landed me in trouble my whole life but recovering from something that could've ended my story, made me a little arrogant.

I mean, the one who asks questions. Requests accommodations. Challenges something that does not feel right. Documents what happened. Refuses to laugh when their medical condition becomes the joke. Refuses to shrink just to make everyone else more comfortable.

I mean, hell I survived multiple brain surgeries while others hard battle is what to post on YouTube.

So, I have found myself asking a difficult question:

Was I treated differently because I am disabled—or because I stood up to things I did not agree with?

Maybe those two things cannot always be separated.

Disabled employees do not enter the workplace with the same experiences, access, or margin for error as everyone else. Some people walk in with the right name, the right connections, an established audience, or someone already willing to open the door for them.

No offense to any 'normal' person but you all are very ignorant to what we face when it comes to the workplace. It is not the same scenario.

Some of us have to knock until our hands hurt—and then prove we deserved to enter once somebody finally answers.

Hell, I am proud to now say I was the reason a policy was added to a handbook.

At least I made a difference somewhere, but will they abide by that handbook? Doubt it.

The same people turned a blind eye for a SERIOUS MATTER. It's all good because I come with receipts. They come with money.

Are you all seeing what I am seeing?

Money. Titles. Connections. Those are the cheat codes.

If you have those things, you will NEVER have to face accountability for your actions.

This is not about diminishing anyone else’s success. It is about acknowledging that we do not all begin from the same starting line. Visibility can create opportunities. Connections can create credibility. Meanwhile, disabled employees may still be trying to prove that needing support does not make us less capable.

I like where I work today. I am proud of what I have built, grateful for the people who support me, and excited about where I am going. That gratitude is real.

But gratitude does not require silence.

Being happy where I am now does not erase what I experienced before. It does not mean I have to soften every uncomfortable truth or pretend the road here was fair.

My work is my work. My growth is my growth. I did not build this through a famous name, an established following, or somebody else’s connections. I built it while managing a disability, rebuilding my life, advocating for myself, and continuing to show up—even when speaking up came with consequences.

I will always try to tell my story responsibly. I do not need to name names or expose every detail to make the larger problem visible.

But I will not become quiet just because the truth makes somebody uncomfortable.

Disabled employees deserve more than inspirational slogans. We deserve equitable opportunities, reasonable support, respect, and the freedom to raise concerns without immediately being labeled difficult.

Because sometimes the problem is not that we cannot do the work.

Sometimes the problem is that we refuse to stay silent while doing it and honestly, I'm tired of staying quiet about it because like they say, it happens EVERYWHERE!

But also, why does it have to?

Do better. Be the exception.

Anyways, there's my rant for the day. Stay strong, warriors!

With love,

CT