I'm a skilled open-source maintainer, but I can't interview due to my disability

One additional thing to consider here is that (unfortunately) not only are interview processes not accommodating, but many work environments will be similarly unaccommodating. While many large corps have "Neurodiversity ERGs" and similar, they often just pay lip-service and don't truly have impact on the ways day-to-day colleague/cross-team interactions happen within those orgs.

Pay is important, and narrowing your requirements further doesn't seem helpful, but just something that is worth keeping in mind.

Thank you for writing this; it's an incredibly eloquently written piece, and these are the needs that need highlighting (over and over) if any of these challenges are to change. Have bookmarked for future sharing.

Here are some thoughts on coping strategies:

(1) Seek contract work on sites like Upwork.com or Freelancer.com instead of traditional jobs. Frequently all communication is via writing and this should be a boon for your needs. You can do a little freelancing on the side without quitting your current job. And it may help you gain additional modern skills or improve your pay while you look for a steady full-time job.

(2) I understand that your psychological conditions are rare and extreme, but it's always worth investing in self-improvement to try and mitigate some of these challenges. Practice interviewing, even if you don't want / need the job. Consider consulting with a cognitive behavioral psychotherapist for ongoing work to improve your social interactions. (I realize you've probably heard this a hundred times before and I apologize for repeating it again, but I had to include this for the sake of thoroughness.)

(3) I'd hire you for one of my projects in a heartbeat if you have the experience I need. Unfortunately, I don't have the resources to provide a stable full-time job with benefits.

(4) Many companies with well-paying jobs will provide accommodations to candidates with special needs such as yours these days. You should apply to jobs normally, and for those that call you back be prepared to make a statement about your needs. Many jobs will even state that they will make "reasonable accommodations" to candidates with disabilities up-front. The ADA requires employers to make such accommodations to employees with disabilities.

I've interviewed hard of hearing candidates over text instead of voice before. Have you tried asking for that accommodation when interviewing? I am not a lawyer, but I would expect it to be a legally obligatory accommodation for the company to make.

I interview a lot of developers. It is very difficult to find good ones. If your CV looked good, I would consider and accommodate you as needed. Many interviewers will not be accommodating, but some will.

I suggest writing posts on LinkedIn related to your skills. Really lard them up with relevant keywords. That draws recruiters like chum in the water. Once a recruiter suggests you voice chat, respond that because of a disability you prefer to communicate via text. If you can, offer to chat synchronously via Teams (recruiters love Teams) or Slack or whatever. Some recruiters will stop communicating with you at that point. It sucks. But some will have no problem with that.

Don’t go into detail about your disabilities. It is no one’s business. As an employer, your disabilities don’t matter to me so long as you can do the job with reasonable accommodation. So focus on how well you can do the job.

And trust me, just from reading your post, I can tell that you can do the job, some job, well. You are articulate and thoughtful. You just need to find the right match. Good luck!

To the author: what are your results from the HN “Who wants to be hired?” threads?

Also, have you tried working with external (not for a specific company) recruiters? It’s free for you, and when one doesn’t produce results you can easily try another.

Finally, have you tried reaching out to maintainers of commercially-popular open-source projects? They might know of related jobs at the companies that are the chief sponsors of those packages.

I only slightly dip into management, but this person seems like the ideal employee.

They won't waste time starting office drama, they'll be 100% focused on work.

If I was in a position to, I'd probably let them interview via text.

I was hoping remote work was here to stay, tons of people simply can not work in an office. Say you have children and can't arrange child care, etc.

Would it be viable to just state that you are hard of hearing and require text based communications? While its not the strict truth, its a much simpler and more understood 'hard' disability, whereas when you state a disability that is perceived as 'soft' (ie any given mental issue neurotypical people assume you can just think through/get over) theres more pushback on you to normalise yourself rather than for them to accommodate.

After reading your text, it’s hard for me to believe someone would not hire you for a programming job. My (laymen) suggestion would be: try a million different openings, even if you have to deal with many rejections and send this link to the hiring committee. Anyone who turns you down is anyway probably not a good place for you to work, and eventually you will find something reasonable, I’m sure!

Interviews were never easy for me. I have struggled with disabilities and ailments for my entire adult life. Don't sell yourself short. If I can overcome most of the challenges I've had, so can you, eventually.

It's worth playing any card you can play to get ahead, especially in this economy. But keep your eye on the prize - A big part of life is about getting dealt bad hands and still finding a way to win.

> Studying grad-level concepts that are specific to my field, and applying that knowledge to develop and maintain image processing workflows.

I used to do this exact thing, but then after switching my study time to non-tech related things, namely how to deal with people, I was able to get great results from that. Getting even better at something you're already good at is less useful than studying the basics of something already identified as being a bottleneck to your life's goals.

I also have Generalized Anxiety Disorder but don't have the other diagnoses you have, so please take what I have to say with a grain of salt. I really sympathize with what you wrote. My GAD was getting worse (feeling a rise in anxiety just from typing those words) and I eventually got it together to start seeing a therapist. It has helped quite a bit and I wish I had started seeing someone earlier. My appointments are in-person but when I was looking around, I found that a lot of therapists offer their services online. Perhaps you could find an option where the person was okay with your video being turned off to make it easier for you to talk.

I do hope you find a better job that fits with your conditions and I don't mean to minimize your efforts in that direction.

Is the author in the US? There are laws about this. Here's one resource:

https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/job-applicants-and-ada

I have no idea how that turns out in practice.

I think being completely honest about it is the best approach. You can immediately filter companies that are unwilling to create a good environment for you right away. No need to torture yourself by going to standard interviews. I am sure there are a lot of companies willing to accommodate you. Not sure what the local rules are, but a lot of places have special programs for people with disabilities. It might help to get tested so you can apply trough those special programs.

Anecdotally; the company where I work has hired people who had problems with social interactions. We even had special workplaces away from the rest of the employees where they could site and code all day.

I'm just here to say that I face many of the same challenges as you and don't have much to offer except to say that it will always be hard for us.

Actions speak louder than words. Put together a strong portfolio and demonstrate what you are capable of.

These are hard challenges however some aspects may be overcome with planning and small targeted behavioral changes. Maybe this is something to work on with a therapist?

Do you have a link to the repo?