is this disability discrimination or okay to ask?

[ATempUserName]

Not sure if I am being oversensitive and not sure what to do.

I had an interview for a sideways / higher level position in my current public sector organisation. Different department.

I have an assistance dog. Nearly everyone in the company knows I have an assistance dog. No problem taking her to work etc but having one does seem to be preventing me from moving up the ladder, into jobs that will be more client engagement.

Prior to the interview, my current line manager told me to 'leave the dog at home so it doesn't distract the interviewers'. (my dog was unsettled in a previous unsuccessful internal interview, but it was a very small room with a lot of passing 'traffic' and 'noise' outside. I wasn't comfortable in that room either!)

And in this week's unsuccessful interview, I was asked by the interviewers (who both see me every day as we're in the same building albeit different floors) if my dog "goes everywhere with you" I answered yes, and they said "Okay just wondering" but it made me uncomfortable and I wonder if it played a part in their decision.

I think I gave a really good interview, I felt confident, so I'm not sure what reason they will give for my lack of success. I have a feedback interview in 2 weeks (interviewer on leave). Should I say something?

Any advice appreciated. I've been there 14 years (not always with an assistance dog) and I've had lots of problems re: my disabilities and do seem to have developed a reputation as a complainer as a result.

I wont be saying to my line manager "maybe I should have taken your advice..." shocked an HR person would advise that tbh
*
I think the HR Mumsnetter was showing you a sneaky way of 'innocently' getting it recorded in writing, that this comment was made to you by your HR manager. If they dispute it, I'm not sure of the next step, but if they don't dispute it, or reply 'yeah, probably wasn't a good idea to take the dog' then you have just got discrimination against you IN WRITING. Therefore useful for a legal case. [big grin]*

Still not good advice as it could be used as evidence that op doesn't really need the dog.

Bold fail

I've already said my dog is a legally recognised assistance dog not a f*cking chihuahua that I've self trained. Please RTFT

I also had the dog in the interview room with me. I never leave her at home.

Yes her bed comes with me or a blanket every time I'm in a meeting. That's how the dog recognises she's to relax. Would you go to an interview without a chair?

I was not ordered to leave her at home but it was suggested.

My disabilities do not come and go.

yes dogs are well known for requiring a physical object to relax with, especially service dogs.

Without having knowledge of the other threads, it seems to me that your manager was trying to help you. I wouldn't drop her in the shit. Also, having the questions in advance drops you in the shit too of it comes to it.
I'd get the feedback and go from there. I also agree with a pp who said the interviewers might not be clear about why the dog is so important and so you need to get it across that it is a definite need and not a choice, so I think you could raise this in your feedback meeting with a view to future interviews. The trouble with raising a case for this interview is that you took the question list from your manager knowing that you shouldn't have had it.

What do you want to happen here?

There are two separate issues.

Your manager suggests you leave your assistance dog at home. You seem to agree that this was a suggestion and not an order, and that it could have been based on the previous negative interview. You were free to say no, I'll bring the dog with me. Best outcome from this, a reminder to others of the role of the dog, reinforced that the dog is welcome wherever you go.

You didn't get the job you went for. You're going to get feedback on your interview, and it's more than likely that, at least on paper, the other candidate did better then you. They're going to be very stupid if the feedback suggests anything related to your disability. Best outcome, you get feedback on how to improve for next time.

Discrimination definitely does happen, but I don't see it here. I see a manager trying to be helpful, by giving you the questions and by suggesting a way to avoid distraction. The suggestion was a little ignorant, but it was only a suggestion and you didn't need to follow it.

My advice would be to pick your battles. This is not one of them.

The fcking chihuahua* is a seizure alert dog.

Sorry my sentence was supposed to read I know a lady that carries her chihuahua everywhere as a assistance dog for her disability- this is not taken as seriously as a bigger dog that would alert for seizures for example.

As people do have an attitude about certain breeds- as shown in your own post OP. Was wondering if that was an issue in your case.

No I have never walked into an interview carrying a chair. Surely they have to discuss the dog as adjustments would need to be made for it?For example you would always need the extra space for the bed and you could never have meeting in a room with glass walls. I have always spoken about my hearing impairment in interviews- it's part of me and does effect my ability to do things and I have always wanted to make sure adjustments could be made before continuing or accepting a job.

One question about the dog and you are claiming discrimination- I just think this is such a modern blame claiming post. You didn't get the job and now need to find a reason why it wasn't because you weren't good enough.

Working in recruitment, ideally instead of leaving the dog at home a better adjustment would be a better interviewing room to accommodate the dog. Adjustments for the dog would be large enough area, water available etc. A reasonable adjustment would not be managing the dogs behaviour.

Yes her bed comes with me or a blanket every time I'm in a meeting. That's how the dog recognises she's to relax. Would you go to an interview without a chair?

Dogs are generally fine sitting on the floor. I would expect a service animal to be trained to relax in response to a hand signal or a voice command.

I am shit scared of dogs. Can cope outside to not pass my fear to my children, but in a work environment in a tiny meeting room I would refuse to go in if there was a dog there.

The dog should be mentioned in advance so provisions should be made.

Also you say you would have customer facing roles, what if the customers are also scared of the dogs?

Have any of you ever trained an assistance dog? Clearly there is a problem with what people expect and what the reality is.

If a customer had a problem with my dog, I would ask a colleague to take over, but it has never happened. Also a fear of dogs is not a reason to refuse to have an assistance dog on the premises or offer someone a job.

Yes I am in two minds about 'picking my battles' etc but when does my large file of discriminatory behaviour examples reach the point where I actually do something?

So what’s the real issue here OP? Posters are saying you’ve posted before about other issues then had those posts deleted, so are you bringing up the issue with the dog to get posters onside because you didn’t hear what you wanted to hear last time?

I know for a fact that in the past I’ve been discriminated against in job interviews. However there are some who automatically assume that the only reason they didn’t get a job is because they were disabled, and tbh that way lies madness. Because it’s possible to not be the best candidate for a job in spite of a disability, and if one always insists that one is a victim in that regard you will go into interviews with the wrong attitude in the first place.

TinyTear - Im sure the OP advised the interviewers that her dog would be in on interview! also what has her previous role got to do with it?? they probs advised customers before hand they would have to someone may of had an allergy.

OP - have you spoken to your manager about ur interview? ask who got the job?

*Also you say you would have customer facing roles, what if the customers are also scared of the dogs?” you cannot disallow fear of dogs as a reason to discriminate against an employee with an assistance dog. In fact fear of dogs is often used by taxi drivers to justify their (illegal) refusal to carry guide dogs. Note it is a criminal offence to refuse to carry a guide dog, and a taxi driver with allergies has to have an exemption certificate issued by their local authority in order to be allowed to refuse on the basis of allergies.

Note it is a criminal offence to refuse to carry a guide dog

Here in the US, a guide dog would be classed as a service dog, and would be protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Only certain types of dogs with extensive specialized training are recognized. Something that would be considered a therapy dog, for instance, is not protected. Do you have similar regulations there?

One question about the dog and you are claiming discrimination- I just think this is such a modern blame claiming post. You didn't get the job and now need to find a reason why it wasn't because you weren't good enough.

I would caution anyone to take this post at purely face value and put a lot of time and effort into responding, there’s a huge back story here that OP clearly doesn’t want people to know (and doesn’t want people linking to her last post so has name changed).

OP has said on this thread she has a reputation for being a complainer. I think that reputation is well justified.

Are you going to get this post deleted too, OP?

Yes I am in two minds about 'picking my battles' etc but when does my large file of discriminatory behaviour examples reach the point where I actually do something?

Do what? You’ve made it clear you won’t leave because they pay you well and have funded training they didn’t have to for you, and that they’ve done an awful lot to accommodate you but it’s never good enough. So why keep complaining, to us and them? You’ve already said you won’t leave. The only way you’ll leave this job is if they fire you and they’ll be scared to given your history with them.

I have never came across a professionally trained service dog that requires the owner to carry anything for it.

@lynseykola You seem to have a real problem with me for whatever reason, I don't care, but I don't appreciate your manner and I've reported to MN. Not because i want this thread deleted but because I consider you to be harrassing me and trying to link this thread to other threads that may or may not be mine. To discourage others from giving me advice must surely be against MN policies so I've asked @MNHQ to take a look.

The thing that is now clear is that the interview room was not suitable and the people outside the room were berks trying to get the dog’s attention. I’m not clear on whether they had realised you would be bringing a dog with you?

The questions about the dog, petting and then mentioning their pets may well have been cack handed ways to attempt to show you they were ok with the dog. Which would also be more understandable if they weren’t expecting it.

But Temp several posters recall a very similar poster who had an assistance dog.

If I am right, you are doing a degree, funded by your company and it is causing you stress. One manager queried if you would be able cope with the stress of a higher role given your stress levels already.

I think you were also the one who was accused of hiding behind your monitor.

And again if you are the same there were concerns by your employer about taking your dog to clients premises.

Regarding today, your colleagues sound unprofessional knocking on the glass wall towards your dog, when they must know there are interviews going on or at least a meeting is taking place. Nearly everyone in the company knows I have an assistance dog. I would have thought an assistance dog would be able to deal with distractions.

Did they not notify you in advance which room the interviews were taking place in? This would have given you chance to change the room to one appropriate for your dog.

No problem ATempUserName. But you can’t prevent me from contributing to your threads even if MNHQ think my last post broke their guidelines.

You’re aware I’m sure other posters have made the link too. The other thread WAS yours, on it you didn’t like the advice given so you got it deleted by saying you’d said too much.