Woman only got job interview after hiding disability on her applications

A woman has revealed how after failing with more than 100 job applications, it wasn't until she hid her disability that she was able to get an interview.

Shani Dhanda, aged 30, has talked about how she failed to hear back from any prospective employees when she was aged 16 and looking for work.

Looking for a part-time role while she was studying, Dhanda, from Birmingham, had written on her applications that she suffered from osteogenesis imperfecta – a form of brittle bone disease.

Because of this, her height, at 3ft 10, limits her working opportunities and forced to apply mainly for admin and telecommunication jobs.

But the moment she removed her disability from her cover letter, she received interviews for various jobs and soon was offered a part-time role.

The Metro reported that losing out on jobs because of her disability gave a her a "a reality check of what the world can really be like".

Her experiences are not thought to be unique and come as part of a wider set of research by the charity Scope.

They found that nearly half of disabled people (48%) worry about sharing information regarding their impairment or condition with an employer.

Scope chief executive Mark Atkinson said: "This report should be a wake-up call for businesses as it exposes the real challenges thousands of disabled workers face every day when trying to access the vital support they are entitled to.

"We need to drastically transform workplace culture so all employees are confident requesting support and can discuss their impairment or condition on their own terms."