Working as a disabled person in the US… It’s more common than you might think. Over one-fifth of American citizens with a disability were employed – according to the US Bureau of Labor in 2025.
But it isn’t always easy thing, being a disabled employee. In fact, it can be a strange mix of progress and frustration.
On one hand, there are laws meant to protect you. On the other, a lot of the day-to-day experience still comes down to how individual employers and coworkers think about disability – and that can vary a lot more than people expect.
Three issues tend to come up again and again: Internalized ableism, discrimination in hiring and retention, and physical barriers at work. These issues are explained below.
Internalized Ableism
This one is quiet, but it can really shape how you move through work.
It’s that voice in your head that says things like, “Don’t make a fuss,” or “Just push through it,” or even “If I ask for help, they’ll think I can’t handle the job.” And over time, that voice doesn’t come out of nowhere – it’s usually picked up from past experiences, workplaces, or just general attitudes in society.
So… you end up overcompensating. Staying quiet when you really need adjustments. Working through pain or exhaustion – after all, you don’t want to be seen as “less reliable.” Trying to look effortless even when things are anything but.
The irony is, most of that pressure doesn’t make you perform better. Instead, it just makes everything harder than it needs to be.
Discrimination in Hiring and Retention
Things can get really discouraging here.
Sometimes, it starts before you even get in the door. You disclose a disability and suddenly you never hear back. Or you don’t disclose, get hired, and then feel like you’re constantly managing how and when to bring it up.
And even when you do land the job, it doesn’t always feel stable. People can underestimate you without saying it directly. You might notice you’re not being considered for opportunities, or that your performance is viewed through a more critical lens than others.
Then there’s the accommodations side. In theory, employers are supposed to make reasonable adjustments. In practice, it can turn into a long back-and-forth where you feel like you’re asking for too much just to do your job properly.
When it gets complicated or starts to feel unfair, some people end up taking legal steps. They talk to a disability discrimination attorney. Doing so helps them understand where they stand and what’s actually protected under the law.
Physical Barriers
Some barriers are visible – you can spot them the moment you walk into a building.
No ramp. Heavy doors. Narrow hallways and doorways. Bathrooms that aren’t accessible. Offices where getting from one place to another is just awkward or exhausting.
Then there are the less obvious ones. Software that doesn’t work with screen readers. Meetings without captions. Systems that assume everyone interacts with work in the same way.
None of this always comes from bad intent. A lot of the time, it’s just that nobody thought about it early enough. But the impact is the same – you’re left finding workarounds for things that shouldn’t be obstacles in the first place.
To conclude, most workplaces aren’t trying to exclude employees. But exclusion still happens when accessibility isn’t built in from the start.
The encouraging part here is that change doesn’t always require huge overhauls. Sometimes, it’s just employers being willing to listen, adjust, and stop treating accommodations like exceptions – instead of normal parts of working life.
