Before Ahmed A. launched his career with RBC, he had spent six fruitless years looking for his ideal job. He says that despite his academic and professional qualifications, he could always tell by the tone of the questions about his visual impairment that he wouldn’t be invited back for a second interview.
But in his first interview for a six-month internship with RBC, he says he spoke for the first time with someone eager to help him be successful. That included assurances upon receiving approval that the technology in the office where he’d be working could be made compatible with his personal screen-reading software.
“I knew somebody would give me an opportunity one day,” Ahmed says. “All it required was a positive attitude and a willingness to provide the accommodations I need.”
RBC hired him full-time in 2015. Since then, his knowledge and training as a chartered professional accountant (CPA) have helped him flourish in four different roles. One involved a transfer to a new department where RBC again adapted its technology to accommodate him in the workplace.