I was deeply disappointed by the interview process. As a minority woman who values neurodiversity, I found it ironic that an organisation known for DEI treated me this way.
After being asked to design and deliver a virtual neurodiversity workshop, 2 weeks later I received an email inviting me to a call - (without any outcome details) - I joined the call only to spend nearly 20 minutes reviewing their feedback survey for my session before being told at the very end that I hadn’t been selected, with no actionable advice provided until I asked.
The issue cited was my use of the chat function, which they claimed was problematic for a blind participant. I was surprised that chat use was flagged so strongly, especially since many neurodivergent candidates rely on it. In my 16 years experience facilitating virtual sessions, it’s standard practice to use chat: I didn't use any polls, I read the chat contents aloud, verbally described the key visual used at the end, and even offered to send slides in advance. Ahead of the workshop I also asked if there was anything else I could do for the blind person.
This isolated issue outweighed every other positive aspect, and being made to read the harsh written comments about it - while still not knowing whether I’d been offered the freelance role -felt unkind and exclusionary.
One of the suggestions given when I asked what I could have done differently was to have a signer present, which is not an appropriate responsibility for an interviewee.
I had previously recommended this organisation as a DEI partner in my last role, but this experience has changed my mind for my next company.