Disabled man's plea for someone to give him chance after 20 year search for job
A man with multiple disabilities has been searching for a job for 20 years, only to face countless rejections - some even before he gets an interview. Shahzad Bokhari, 48, who is blind and suffers from a genetic disorder, has spent two decades on a fruitless hunt for employment.
Despite his setbacks, Shahzad, from Highgate, remains hopeful and has pleaded with potential employers: 'just give me a chance'. He believes that employers discriminate against him because of his disabilities and has criticised the lack of accessible resources for job hunting.
Shahzad also hit out at Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's comments at last week's Tory party conference, describing them as "arrogant and out of touch". The Chancellor revealed plans to enforce benefit restrictions on people not seriously looking for work, including closing claims for unemployed people who are constantly sanctioned.
Shahzad, who is blind due to a genetic disorder called Retinitis Pigmentosa and also suffers from Bardet-Biedl syndrome, believes that those claiming benefits need support, not judgement. Despite his conditions, which include vision loss, obesity, and kidney failure, he says many people assume he's able-bodied because most of his issues are invisible.
"I have encountered a lot of barriers," he shared, "despite all adversities one thing is when most people see me they think I am ok, because most of my issues are invisible. A lot of people think I am able bodied. When I was at Queen Elizabeth College in the 90s I learnt office skills and then went to a service training establishment. To be honest I am a people person. I have not found paid employment and only voluntary work at The Prince's Trust and Envision."
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He recalls a job interview where he believes discrimination played a part in his rejection. Shahzad said: "I went to an interview with a man and woman and I could sense it was awkward, the female interviewer was dismissive of me."
"I felt like they didn't listen to my side of things. I got a rejection letter and it made me feel very demoralised and dented my confidence. Whenever I apply I always get a no before the interview so I have been looking for a job for 20 years."
Shahzad, who is currently unemployed, lives with his elderly parents and relies on Personal Independence Payment. He has opened up about the struggles he faces while job hunting, claiming that job centres need to improve their disability awareness training.
He shared: "Normally I use a PC and talking software, some websites are accessible and some are not. I have been to the jobcentre but they need more disability awareness training.
"Some work coaches are good and some not, one thing I noticed is they are always impatient with me. One coach said 'my time is money'. My hope for the future is I just want an employer to give me a chance. I have been job searching for over 20 years now and I think the interview process needs to change. They are stuck in the past and need to come to the 21st century."
When asked about Jeremy Hunt's comments on benefit restrictions Shahzad responded: "He is wrong. The Tories are only interested in helping rich people and not people on benefits. He is arrogant and out of touch, he doesn't care about people receiving benefits."
He also expressed concern that Birmingham City Council's bankruptcy could result in cuts to disability services. His final message to employers when interviewing a disabled candidate is: "Don't rush us, give us time to answer questions. I feel the atmosphere is extremely tense."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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