My experiences with masking, perfectionism and learning the unwritten rules of employment changed how I think about workplace barriers. Through EmpowerAbility, I'm helping to explore how students, career services and employers can work together to create more accessible employment pathways. 

For a long time, I thought being a good employee meant learning how to fit in. 

I'm curious and conscientious about my work. When I'm learning something new, I want to understand it properly. When I finish a task, I can go through the details repeatedly, checking my work against my own idea of what “good enough” looks like. 

That attention to detail can be a strength, but it can also take a lot of time. 

Sometimes I'll spend extra hours getting something right and then spend extra time recovering from those hours. The same qualities that help me produce work I'm proud of can also make the personal cost easy to miss. 

The difficult part is that the exhaustion isn't always visible. 

When I'm drained, I can still appear to be doing fine. I keep showing up. I keep communicating. I keep producing. From the outside, everything can look the same while I'm running on empty. 

That's what masking can look like for me. 

An employer might see someone who is conscientious, curious and capable. They may not see how much energy it takes to maintain that performance. If that effort eventually becomes unsustainable, the change can seem sudden. The work that was once exceptional may no longer be sustainable.  

When I didn't understand why things felt so difficult, I often looked inward first. Maybe I needed to communicate better. Maybe I needed to prepare more. Maybe I needed to work harder. If I was struggling, I assumed there was something I needed to learn or do differently. 

That led me to focus on learning the rules of employment. 

Learning the rules no one taught me 

I had some preparation for entering the workforce. I learned how to write a résumé and got tips for interviewing. However, what about professional communication? Networking? How do you know what an employer is really looking for when they don't say it directly? 

Much of this was self-taught. 

I searched for information, tried different approaches and learned through experience. Sometimes the information I found didn't quite translate into real situations. The more I tried to learn the rules, the more I noticed something uncomfortable: many of them weren't written down. 

I was spending a lot of energy trying to figure out what other people seemed to know intuitively. 

When I was already worried about getting things wrong, it can be tempting to choose the safer option. For me, perfectionism and fear of rejection sometimes made it easier to pursue opportunities where I already knew I could succeed. Taking a chance on something new meant having to explain confidently what I could contribute and that felt much harder 

At the time, I saw this mostly as something I needed to solve myself. I didn't yet have the language to ask whether the environment was part of the problem. 

Looking at the environment 

Working in the disability field helped me recognize barriers I had not always been able to identify. More importantly, I learned to look at behaviour in context. 

One of the simplest ways I learned to think about this came from something as ordinary as a garbage bin. 

If we want someone to put something in the correct bin, we can repeatedly tell them what to do. Or we can make the environment easier to understand. We can use colours, labels, shapes or different openings to show users how to correctly use the bins. 

We can change the environment instead of assuming the person simply needs to try harder.  

The example is simple, but the principle stayed with me: when something isn't working the way we expect, we can look at the environment before deciding that the person needs to change. 

Eventually, I realized I could ask the same question about my own experiences at work. 

What if some of the things I had been trying so hard to fix about myself were responses to an environment that wasn't designed with me in mind? 

A workplace expectation that seems obvious to one person might be confusing to someone else. A communication style that feels effortless to one employee might take considerable energy for another. A process can look completely neutral while creating a real barrier for the person trying to navigate it. 

This was one of the ways I came to understand the Social Model of Disability. The social model distinguishes between impairment and disability and emphasizes how barriers in society can disable people. Barriers can also come from the environments, systems, attitudes, communication and practices around us. 

Once I started looking for barriers in the environment, I realized my experiences were not isolated. 

The problem is bigger than one person 

Canadian research shows that post-secondary graduates with disabilities have 20% lower odds of employment than their peers without disabilities, even after accounting for sociodemographic characteristics (Mofidi & Tompa, 2026). Graduates with disabilities are also more likely to experience part-time or temporary employment, overqualification, lower job satisfaction and lower earnings (Mofidi & Tompa, 2026).  

The broader Canadian picture also shows substantial accessibility barriers. Statistics Canada (2023) reported that 72% of people with disabilities experienced at least one accessibility barrier in the previous year. Among the barriers reported, 48% were related to communication barriers and 37% involved behaviours, misconceptions or assumptions.  

The barriers don't necessarily stop once someone gets hired, either. Untapped Talent (2026) reports that 68% of people with disabilities experienced an accessibility barrier during the hiring process, while 69% of employed people with disabilities experienced at least one accessibility barrier at work. 

These numbers helped me see that what can feel like an individual struggle can also be part of a much larger pattern. 

If barriers can be built into the employment pathway itself, then simply teaching individuals how to navigate that pathway cannot be the whole solution.  

Designing the pathway differently 

This is where universal design became important to me. 

To me, universal design means thinking about accessibility before someone must ask for an exception. It could mean a clearer job description, more explicit interview expectations, different ways of demonstrating skills, flexible work arrangements, clearer communication or changes to duties, schedules or supervision. 

The goal isn't to create a completely different workplace for every person. It's to look at the environment and ask where unnecessary barriers can be removed. 

Accessibility is also not necessarily about expensive technology. 

Research presented by the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work examined workplace assistive-technology accommodations and reported an average one-time cost of approximately $375 for paid accessibility supports. The research also emphasizes low- and no-cost workplace modifications as part of barrier removal (Al-Azary et al., 2024). 

The point isn't that every accommodation is inexpensive. It is that accessibility does not automatically require a major financial investment. Sometimes it means changing how work is structured or supported. 

Of course, universal design doesn't mean everyone gets the same thing. Individual accommodations will still be important for many people. 

Building with people, not just for them 

If we're going to remove barriers, we need to listen to the people experiencing them. 

That principle is at the centre of the EmpowerAbility Program at 91��ɫ's Co-op & Career Centre. The program is being designed around the principle of “Nothing About Us, Without Us,” Its design is shaped through co-design and informed by the lived experience of people with disabilities (Cohen et al., 2026). 

As part of EmpowerAbility, I’m helping build work-experience opportunities for students by connecting with employers. I also contribute to developing resources and educating employers about universal design and disability-inclusive practices, with the hope of reducing systemic barriers. 

The program includes planned supports such as career transition support, meaningful work-study opportunities, mentorship, professional networking, employer capacity building and online resources for students, faculty, staff and employers (Cohen et al., 2026). 

This is where my past and present connect. 

I once had to teach myself many of the unwritten rules of employment. Now I'm helping build some of the structures I wish I had encountered earlier: ways to gain work experience, connections with employers, career resources and opportunities to learn from professionals who bring lived experience. 

Working on EmpowerAbility has also changed how I think about responsibility. 

Everyone has a role to play 

I don't think students should have to carry the responsibility alone. 

Students should have support to advocate for themselves, understand their strengths and communicate what they need. 

Career services can provide career education, mentorship, resources, connections and opportunities to employers and other professionals 

EmpowerAbility can bring students and employers together while ensuring that lived experience informs the program’s design. 

Employers can also look at their own systems. They can make expectations clearer, identify unnecessary barriers, listen to disabled people, consider universal design and provide individual supports when they're needed. 

This is not about expecting employers to know everything about every disability. It is about being willing to learn, listen, and change. The disability-confidence framework similarly emphasizes learning directly from people with disabilities, identifying and removing barriers, providing accessibility supports and avoiding assumptions based on labels (Untapped Talent, 2026). 

No one group can do all of this alone. 

• Students bring lived experience and expertise. 
• The Co-op & Career Centre creates connection and provides support and opportunity. 
• Employers shape the environments where work happens. 

When those pieces come together, accessibility becomes more than something we add after a problem appears. 

It becomes part of how we build the pathway in the first place. 

The question I keep coming back to 

For a long time, I thought being a successful employee meant learning how to fit myself into the workplace. 

My experiences—and the work I've done since—have made me ask a different question: Was the workplace designed to let people succeed? 

If the answer is no, I don't think the solution should always be to ask the person to work harder at fitting in. Sometimes we need to change the environment. We shouldn't design that change without the people who experience the barriers. 

My goal isn't to teach people with disabilities how to become better at navigating barriers. It's to help create employment pathways with fewer barriers to navigate in the first place. 

If students, career services and employers can build those pathways together, maybe the next person won't have to learn everything the hard way. 

References

Al-Azary, N., Gallant, J., Izadi, E., Bath, R., & Sinclair, V. (2024). Simple changes with big impacts: Low- and no-cost accommodations that benefit everyone [PowerPoint]. Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work.  

Cohen, L., Lecompte, A., & Amjad, H. (2026). Access, empowerment & opportunity: Transforming career support for students living with disabilities [PowerPoint]. 

Mofidi, A., & Tompa, E. (2026). Postsecondary graduates with disabilities: Transition to the labour market, employment characteristics, and student debt. VRAIE IDEA.  

Statistics Canada. (2023, December 1). Canadian Survey on Disability, 2017 to 2022. Government of Canada.

Untapped Talent. (2026). Explaining disability confidence [PowerPoint]. Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work.  

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There's this moment after an interview when your brain starts doing math, "Okay, they liked me. They asked me about my strengths. Maybe…maybe I got it?" Then reality hits. You head home, stare at your ceiling, and wonder: “Should I email them? How soon? What following up makes me look desperate, or will staying silent make me look uninterested?” 

Let's be honest, following up can feel like choosing between ‘desperate’ and ‘uninterested.’ The truth is, a well-timed and well-written follow-up email will show that you are enthusiastic, professional, and genuinely interested.

Why follow up?

A thoughtful follow-up is more than just another email. It gives you another opportunity to reinforce your interest, highlight your professionalism, and leave a positive impression. It is common, sometimes expected, and it can genuinely work in your favor. It will: 

• Re-affirm your interest in the role 

• Show you are organized and professional 

• Give you a chance to add something you didn't mention in the interview 

• Help the hiring team remember who you are when they are making a decision 

Long story short – following up is not a sign of desperation; it’s a smart professional move. 

When to send it?

Timing is key. You don't want to email 10 minutes after your interview or wait three weeks and hope they remember you. Here's a simple rule, if they give a timeline (e.g., "We'll decide by Friday"), wait until that date passes, then send a follow-up email the next day or two. If they didn't give a timeline, send a follow-up 5-7 business days after the interview. 

What to say?

Without sounding desperate.

Here's a simple structure to follow: 

1. Start with a thank-you: "Thank you again for taking the time to speak with me…" 

2. Re-affirm your interest in the position: "I'm really excited about the opportunity to join [company/team] and contribute to [specific thing you talked about]." 

3. Add something small (optional): You might have forgotten to mention a skill, or you thought of an anecdote related to your conversation. For example: "I also wanted to share that I really enjoyed hearing about [project/team culture]. It made me even more interested in the role." 

4. Wrap it up politely: "Please let me know if there's anything else I can provide. I look forward to hearing from you.” 

Keep it short and professional. That's what enthusiastic looks like. 

From my experience

I remember getting an interview invitation and feeling a mix of excitement and panic. That same week, I came to the Career Lounge (located in the Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Building, room 1020), and the Career Peers there taught me how to answer common interview questions and present myself with confidence. They showed me how to talk about my strengths without sounding rehearsed, how to ask thoughtful questions, and how to stay calm when I didn't know the answer. Knowing that I had that support made me feel more confident. 

When it came time to follow up, I didn't need to over-explain or beg. I just sent a short, polite message thanking them for the conversation, reaffirming my interest, and offering to provide anything else they might need. Two days later, I got an email: "We'd like to offer you the position." That follow-up didn't do everything on its own, but it reminded them that I was still interested, still engaged, and...still me. 

What's the difference?

Desperate vs. Enthusiastic is a fine line.

Desperate looks like: 

• Multiple emails in a row 

• Asking "Did you get my email?" too many times 

• Long, emotional paragraphs about how much you need the job 

Enthusiastic looks like: 

• One polite follow-up 

• Clear, professional tone 

• Short and focused 

• Reaffirming interest without over-explaining 

You want to sound like someone who is excited, not someone who is counting hours until their next update. 

The follow up isn't about being perfect. It's about being human. You are allowed to care. You are allowed to be interested. You are allowed to send one thoughtful email that says, "Hey, I'm still here, and I'm still excited." So go for it. Draft that email. Send it and then just wait.  Easier said than done, of course, but the email has done its job.  Now, try to let it go, and remember that even if you do not receive the role, a professional follow-up can leave a positive impression and help build a connection for future opportunities. 

Got interview follow-up questions? Swing by the Career Lounge; we'll help you craft the perfect message. 

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Four months ago, I started my co-op as a content marketing intern. Like most students heading into their first co-op term, I spent a lot of time thinking about what I would gain from the experience.

After joining 91��ɫ's Co-op Program, I discovered the role through their exclusive job portal and used Career Services throughout the application process, from resume support to interview preparation.

Looking back, my biggest takeaway wasn't a technical skill or a marketing framework. It was a better understanding of how professional growth actually happens. Not all at once, but through hundreds of small experiences.

As my co-op reaches its halfway point, these are three lessons that have stayed with me.

Communication is not just a soft skill. It is the work.

Early on my internship, I worked under the assumption that doing the task well was the primary obligation. Get it done, get it right, hand it over. What I did not account for was how much of the work lives in the space between tasks: the check-ins, the status updates, the moments where you flag something before it becomes a problem rather than after.

Keeping your team informed changes the nature of the relationship. It is all about making sure the decisions being made by your team are done with accurate information.

A 20-minute conversation can reframe your career path.

Every coffee chat I did gave me something insightful beyond my expectations. I have sat down with people who came from public relations, from consulting, from engineering backgrounds I would never have associated with marketing.

Looking at where people are today in their careers, you would never guess how different their starting point was. One conversation that stayed with me was with a colleague who started their career as a florist before eventually becoming a software engineer.

So, a coffee chat is a chance to learn about the decisions, detours and opportunities that helped them transition into a field they desire. It made me realize that where you begin does not necessarily determine where you can end up.

Pro tip: Before any coffee chat, prepare two or three specific questions based on that person's background or role. Generic questions get generic answers. Specific questions show that you did your research and that you value their time, which makes the whole conversation more memorable for both of you! 

The professional relationships that last are built on something personal.

It sounds counterintuitive in a work context, but the most meaningful connections I made during this placement, so far, did not come from project collaboration alone.

I realized that people rarely remember every task you worked on together. What they remember is how you made them feel. Whether you took the time to get to know them as a person. Whether you remembered something they told you weeks ago. Whether they felt seen beyond their job title.

Workplaces are made of people first. Before there are teams, departments and reporting structures, there are individuals with stories, interests, aspirations and lives outside the office. The strongest professional relationships are often built when you take the time to connect with that person first.

Four months isn't a long time in the context of a career.

I'm still only halfway through this co-op, but these lessons have already changed the way I think about work, and I suspect they'll stay with me long after this term ends.

If you're a 91��ɫ student preparing for your first co-op, internship or job search, I highly recommend exploring the resources available through the Co-op & Career Centre. From resume reviews and interview preparation to networking and career planning, it's a great place to start!

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If you’re anything like me, juggling classes and trying to build your resume can feel like a full-time job (well, it kind of is). But guess what? 91��ɫ has some awesome programs that let you work and learn on campus, while still crushing your studies. I’m actually a Work/Study student myself, so here’s the scoop from someone who’s been there.

Which roles fit you best?

General Work/Study: Your flexible on-campus job

Work/Study offers a variety of paid roles across campus, from admin support and student services, to communications and IT and more. You set flexible hours that work around your classes and exams (it’s a maximum of 15 hours per week during the Fall and Winter terms).

LEAP (Leadership, Engagement and Ambassadorship Program)

Want to develop leadership skills and give back? LEAP connects you with roles like YU Start leader, student recruitment ambassador or peer educator. You’ll build confidence, communication skills and make a real impact on campus life!

RAY (Research at 91��ɫ)

If research is your thing, RAY offers you paid opportunities to work on hands-on research activities. It’s perfect if you’re thinking about grad school or just want to deepen your knowledge.

How to get started:

When you join Work/Study, you’ll have to complete your Work/Study Journals. It is a career development program that helps you:

• set leadership and career goals; 
• track your progress and skills; and 
• learn how to showcase your experience to future employers. 

When I started writing for YU Blog, I was a bit terrified because my writing experience was all essays and term papers. But my supervisor was super supportive and helped me adapt to a more conversational style. She also knows that school comes first. That kind of flexibility is priceless when you're juggling five courses!

Am I eligible? Here’s what you need to know

To be eligible for positions, you must complete the  each term, regardless of your financial need.

Eligibility to hold a Work/Study position does not guarantee employment. For example, if you withdraw from your studies during the academic session, you will no longer be eligible for the Work/Study Program and will have to resign from your position.

For more information on eligibility and restrictions for both domestic and international students, check out the . 

Why I love being a Work/Study student

For me, what I’m doing now is more than just a job, it was a chance to grow, learn and connect. I learned how to write for students, which is totally different from academic essays. The team became my support system, always checking in and helping me grow not only in work, but also in life. And the best part? They now are my besties!

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The first year of university is a time to find your bearings, explore and get comfortable in a new space. So, when my first year ended so quickly, I was shocked. I was in my second year already and realized that I didn’t have much valuable career experience under my belt yet. It felt like the clock was ticking, and I was falling behind. With so much going on around me I felt overwhelmed and lost, not knowing where to start. 

So, here is a little survival kit to help you in your career preparation! Hopefully these four tips help make career advancement feel a lot less intimidating and more accessible.

1. Get involved

When I was originally applying for internships, I looked at my empty resume and realized I didn't have any valuable experience. It was a classic catch-22: I needed experience to get a job, but I also needed a job to gain experience. It was overwhelming. Then I discovered that joining extracurricular clubs at 91��ɫ and volunteering would be a great way to build that experience! 

Pro tip: A co-curricular record is a personalized university-verified record of all the approved activities you completed while at 91��ɫ. Build up your co-curricular record by joining your college council or a student club you might be interested in, or volunteer around the campus or in your community. 

2. Edit your resume

Now that you have some valuable and enriching experiences, highlight your strengths and add them to your resume. Identify the skills that would increase your employability in your chosen field, relevant courses that you've taken during your studies and even certificates or certifications. You'll be surprised at how much you can include! 

Pro tip: Think of your resume as a list of your skills, with examples of when you applied those skills. The  offers great resume and cover letter writing workshops to help you showcase your strengths and assets to potential employers. 

3. Put yourself out there

Now that your resume is ready, it is time to put yourself out there! Start applying for roles that interest you, network and talk to people and seek mentorship from those who came before you. 91��ɫ offers a variety of career fairs, which are excellent opportunities to meet people and learn more about different industries. 

91��ɫ even has its own  for on-campus employment and work-study positions that you can do during your degree. 

Pro tip: Download LinkedIn to build your personal brand, make connections, sign up for career seminars and explore job postings.

4. Ask for feedback

If you are still unsure about your next move or not seeing the results you want,  with a career counselor. I did it, and it made everything feel so much easier! They gave me personalized advice, helped me practice for interviews and reviewed my resume. It is a terrific way to get the specific guidance you need.

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