Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Disclosing a Disability

Disclosure means sharing information about your disability for the purpose of receiving accommodations.

If you have a disability, it’s your personal choice whether or not you share information regarding your disability with an employer. Disclosure is not required, and if you can navigate the hiring process and perform the essential functions of the job without accommodations, it’s typically not necessary. However, in order to receive accommodations or receive other protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), you do need to disclose.

Disclosure Preparation

Prior to disclosing your disability, you’ll want to prepare yourself for the discussion by taking the following steps:
  • Consider the pros and cons of disclosure, and the timing.
  • Review the phases of the hiring process that may present difficulties for you and/or the job duties you think will be difficult for you to perform due to your disability.
  • Come up with ideas for possible accommodations. These may be accommodations you have used in the past or accommodations you have researched (see the Work-related Accommodations section for further information).
  • Decide who you are going to disclose to (human resources representative, hiring manager, etc.).
  • Plan out how much you want to disclose and exactly what you want to say.
For more information visit our Job Seekers with Disabilities page

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