To Disclose or Not DIsclose

I recently got involved in a discussion over whether or not prospective employees should disclose hidden disabilities to the prospective employer. There's no simple answer to this very complicated issue.

On the one hand, it is natural to want to keep private what is private.  Persons with disabilities are not required to disclose their disabilities and are often concerned about losing their job or job opportunity if they do disclose.  And, truthfully, that perceived risk is more real than you may think.  Discrimination does exist. I could cite more examples than you can imagine.

On the other hand, when a disability becomes an issue during employment or the employee expresses the need for a job accommodation at any time, the employer perceives deception and that fuels discrimination either for that employee or later ones.  Certainly, if the disclosure and request for accommodation only come when an employee is at risk of disciplinary action, the employer will feel played.  And that perception could be real.

There is no perfect solution.

When I’m working with persons with disabilities, I recommend that they focus on their talents, skills and abilities.  Sell the employer on what a good employee he will be.  Once an offer, either conditional or firm, is made, disclose the disability, using a matter-of-fact approach like, “I have (disability).  It affects me (like this) and this (accommodation) is what I do to manage/accommodate it so that I can still be the best employee you ever had.”  Straightforward.  Simple. 

There will still be employers who will find an excuse to not hire this person, but that employer would discriminate at some point in time anyway. 

Employers need to focus on hiring a person that can get the job done. Focus on the essential functions of the job and the skills required to do them. Look for the candidate that can do that for you. A job accommodation is simply another tool in the toolbox for the employee. There will always be some employee who is not honest with the employer, but that employee is not necessarily someone with a disability.

Employers, employees and job candidates all need to focus on the real goal which is getting the job done.

Introduction

Welcome to my new blog. My name is Annette Bourbonniere and I am an accessibility and inclusion consultant. This blog will deal with all things related to disability, accessibility and, above all, inclusion.

You'll find that I have a fairly broad perspective on these issues, since I have had a disability for, well, let's just say more than 20 years, I have had my own businesses for again, more than 20 years, worked in healthcare for most of my career and served on multiple councils, boards, committees and commissions related to persons with disabilities. So, as you can see, I've been on both sides of the fence as far as employment goes and I have a very good grip on system issues.

I am neither a physician nor a lawyer and nothing I say should be construed as either medical advice or legal advice.

What I do have to offer is an understanding of how disability, accessibility and inclusion play together in the areas of employment, health care and access to government and business. I am a strong believer in self advocacy as well as responsibility for one's own actions. I also find the human condition to be a source of great humor and you will see that come through at times.

A sample of some of the things I will discuss here are whether or not to disclose a disability when applying for a job, what are the employers rights and responsibilities when it comes to providing accommodations, and why in the world do all things disability end up having to be dealt with in the health care system. You will hear me call for a radical change in disability policy on local and national levels. I might also relate some humerous incidences that could only have occurred because of disability and how that is sometimes viewed by others.

I look forward to posting two or three times a week, depending on what my schedule for live presentations is. You can find out more about me and www.accessing-ability.com, Linked In and you can follow me on Twitter @AccessInclude.  You can also read my weekly column “Access-Ability” at www.NewportDailyNews.com on Mondays.