Our Pathways to Employment program is dedicated to assisting you in obtaining employment. Our knowledgeable staff wants to help you retain your benefits, write an engaging resume, interview confidently and secure your dream job.
In this Q-and-A, Pathways to Employment Project Manager William Staderman shares how assessing your capabilities can set you on a path to a great job.
Can you give us a brief introduction of who you are and the nature of your disability?
My name is William Staderman. I was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. My parents were both born and raised in Brooklyn. I showed progressive trouble with coordination and balance beginning at age 6 and was diagnosed with Friedreich’s Ataxia when I was 18. My older sister was given the same diagnosis. I have been a wheelchair user for more than 30 years.
What were your early experiences with the job market and significant transition points?
When I was a junior in high school, most of my friends had jobs like paperboy, delivery boy, lawn mower, and such. After assessing my capabilities, which reflected my personal capabilities and experiences. I decided most common jobs for young men were not going to work out for me. My older sister was a hostess at a local TexMex restaurant and offered me a job as a busboy for one night a week during the winter. I tried it, thinking that for one night a week or so I could do it. After four months, many broken glasses and plates, and falls, I was let go. I did not honestly assess my capabilities.
I assessed my current capabilities before looking for another job. I noted that balancing and coordination were more problematic than before, and I should look for something that was more “in office.” I was able to get a couple of positions through a temp agency in downtown Manhattan, and worked on Wall Street and Water St.
I assessed my current condition in the beginning of my senior year. It was clear that I was having significant trouble walking, and emotionally fulfilling work was becoming more important to me than a few dollars. During the summer before college, I volunteered as counselor at a summer camp in Brooklyn for children with intellectual disabilities and financially underprivileged campers.
During my summer after high school, I realized I had to view colleges in terms of not only courses offered, but accessibility and the many concerns that accompany managing disability. Assessing my current capabilities became a very unpleasant chore at this time. I was haunted by the terrible feeling that the boundless domain of what I wanted to do was becoming limited as I could no longer do what I did yesterday.
Where has your career taken you?
I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. I enjoyed being rewarded and encouraged to pursue my “nerdy” interests in and out of school. I was so fond of learning that I took a job as a psychology instructor during the summer after I graduated and went to grad school for psychology that Fall. Then I studied philosophy/cognitive science. I went on to earn my Doctorate in Human Factors Engineering.
My postdoc career reflects my interests in understanding and improving the adaptation of humans to their context. I have worked with NASA, IBM, US Navy, Computer Science Corporation, and DARPA analyzing accessibility features of systems and working with designers and developers to provide interface design recommendations.
I served as the volunteer Chairperson of the Arlington County Disability Advisory Commission, a commissioner of the Arlington County Transit Advisory Commission, the Arlington County Public Facilities Review Commission, and WMATA Accessibility Advisory Committee. I also volunteered as a member of the Board of Directors of the ENDependence Center of Northern Virginia and did occasional work as a tester for the Equal Rights Center in Washington, D.C. I treated these like jobs
I currently work on advocacy issues with the United Spinal Association, Friedrich’s Ataxia Research Alliance, and the National Ataxia Federation.
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