Disclosing your Disability
True story: 12 years ago I was rejected from a corporate job I was interviewing for in Tokyo because they noticed my hearing aids and said they didn't want me since I'm deaf. I asked to speak to the VP, and convinced him that he wanted me because I'm deaf — not despite the fact. I presented my case. He hired me.
Now, I was lucky because they told me why they didn't want me. That would most likely never happen in the US, so those of us with disabilities here have to figure out which tactic is the best to take — should we tell an employer about our disability before being hired? Talk about it at all? Or if we can "pass", should we?
There are no hard and fast answers to this. It seems that a steady given would be to do what is going to be to your own advantage. You are not required to tell an employer about your disability before they hire you. Or even after. If you want to receive accommodations, though, you do need to tell them after you are hired. So, is it going to be to your advantage? How can you tell?
First: do your homework. Research the employer. How committed are they to diversity being reflected in their workforce? Check out their mission statement. Does their website say anything at all about disability being a part of diversity? Are they members of employer groups like USBLN or COSD? Google the employer + disability. What shows up? Anything at all to indicate they are allies? Or that they participate in recruiting programs like WRP, ENTRYPOINT or Emerging Leaders?
If you can't find anything to show that the employer is committed to diversity in their workforce and/or disability being a part of diversity, if you can't find anything that shows they are allies/champions for those of us with disabilities in the workplace, then you might want to proceed cautiously.
If you have the option to not disclose, you might want to weigh that against the benefit of disclosing before an offer of hire. If you don't have the option to not disclose (that is, if you have a disability that necessitates your disclosing in order to ensure the interview site is accessible / need specific directions to the site / need an interpreter for the interview), then you ought to craft your disclosure statement very carefully. Never assume that someone knows that your disability is about: tell them. This is what I have, this is what it means and this is how it's relevant to them. Spell it all out; be clear. Keep it concise. And most of all, stay in the driver's seat of letting people know what your disability is, and not them deciding for you.
The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) has a great sample for writing an accommodation request letter and has some nice tips for the job search and interview disclosure process. They are also a great resource with accommodations, for when that time comes.
In a nutshell, your disclosure checklist:
- Do your homework and research the employer
- If it's to your advantage (i.e., you know they'll want you even more because of your disability), disclose from the beginning
- If it's not to your advantage, you might want to think about sitting tight and disclosing later
To keep in mind:
- It's not illegal to not disclose from the beginning — you are well within your rights to disclose after they've offered the job to you
- Know the ADA (link to ADA: http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/accommodation.html). While you don't need to memorize it, it's a good idea to know your rights and be confident in what you are doing