Career Articles

Disclosing Disabilities… What’s the Bottom Line?

Brenda Jean Lycett, BA, CHRP

 

If policies aimed at recruiting and retaining people with disabilities are to be successful, it is crucial that information collected in employee self-identification surveys and from applicants be accurate. For complex reasons, people with disabilities-especially those with invisible psychiatric disabilities-are often hesitant to disclose this information to employers or potential employers.

The resulting impact on workplace diversity policies is difficult to gauge, as little work has been done to measure the extent of people's failure to disclose, but I believe the non-disclosure rate to be significant.

"One in four people in the general population have mental health issues," says Debbie Bleier-Waters, executive director of the Work on Track program. (Work on Track, sponsored by Seneca College and Human Resources Services Development Canada) seeks to enable job seekers with psychiatric histories to achieve labour market readiness. The program consists of career planning and direct work experience.) While disclosure is not necessary for most of this 25% of the population, one has to wonder how many deserve accommodation but are not getting it because of their failure to disclose.

People fear consequences. Bleier-Waters and I facilitated a workshop entitled ‘To Disclose or Not to Disclose’ at the International Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation Services (IAPRS) 1996 conference in Detroit. (IAPRS is an international organization of agencies and individuals dedicated to promoting, supporting and strengthening community-oriented rehabilitation services and resources for people with psychiatric disabilities.)

In a survey we conducted with workshop participants, a surprising number indicated they would be hesitant to disclose a disability of their own to either potential employers or present employers.

Feedback from participants-people from the U.S. and as far away as Israel-reflected views similar to those that I have heard in Canada. The issues around disclosure are complex and comments from people with disabilities reflect a broad range of experiences. However, I believe there is one common element: a lack of trust toward employers asking for self-disclosure. I view this lack of trust (possibly a result of poor communication) as a systemic barrier resulting in a fear to disclose.

There are ways for job seekers to address these concerns and to establish effective communication during the interview process. For example:

Continue to educate employers and de-bunk the myths around your disability. In the Summer 2004 edition of Active Living magazine, Jeffrye A. Tiessen, publisher said: “Yes, as amputees, we are often involuntarily called upon to be ambassadors. Some of us see it as a burden; some of us don’t. To think about it in terms of the impact we will make – for better or for worse – on a young inquiring mind, and for amputees who come behind us, cements this ascribed role as a blessing, not a curse. To me, it’s a tough job, but which other double-arm amp in my neighbourhood is going to do it?”

If you have a visible disability, keep in mind that this may be the first time the interviewer has engaged with a person with this disability.

Know how you work best. Much of the fear around hiring a person with a disability is about accommodation. Review your past work and educational experiences. Did you accommodate yourself? Did it work? Could you improve the result in some way? Did the employer/professor offer an accommodation? How much did it cost? If the results weren’t as good as you expected did you let them know and revise the accommodation? You may know that accommodation is an ongoing process. It is similar to work situations for people who do not have a disability yet need to change or revise how they work based on organizational changes. Employers do not know how their applicants work best. The interviewer tries to determine how close an applicant’s behaviour and past experience will ‘fit’ their requirements and environment. Help them to do this by providing them with examples of what has worked best with past employers.

Emphasize your positive skills and behavioural traits. Whether you have a visible or invisible disability, you most likely have come across situations where you had to make adjustments. This may be in how you organize your time or adapting communication formats to meet your needs. Think about how you apply your skills such as time management, flexibility, creativity, perseverance, and illustrate these through STAR-situations, task, activity and result-in the interview.

Practice makes perfect. Do you have a mentor? This may be a business person, a family member or a friend who has experience with interviewing. Ask them to interview you. If you do not know someone who has this experience, check out some of the web sites for tips on interviewing such as Quintessentials Careers http://www.quintcareers.com/ or take the Interview Mastery Quiz at http://www.interviewmastery1.com/cgi-bin/quiz.pl (free trial offered).

Analyze your past experience in interviews or, if you have not had interview experience, think about what question(s) you are unsure of or anxious about. Think about why they make you nervous. Beside each question, write a response. Choose the one you feel most comfortable with and practice the response. You may do this through a mentor or practice by looking into a mirror. This may be awkward at first; however, it will demonstrate your body language as well as the question/answer practice.

‘A picture is worth a thousand words’. Consider a video of your interview. It does seem artificial yet has excellent results. Have a mentor, friend or family member tape you in a mock interview. When you view it you will notice body movements you may not be aware of such as eye contact, expressions, etc. Practice changing language or habits that do not convey a positive image.

Determine if you require accommodation. First of all, know what is acceptable in relation to this question being asked in an interview. The acceptable question may be “Would you be able to perform the job requirements for this position as we have described to you?” versus “Do you have a disability that requires an accommodation?” or “Do you have a disability?” The latter two questions are not to be asked in an interview.

In considering how to respond to a question relating to accommodation think about: Why is the question being asked? Your response may be “Why do you ask?” If the organization is under employment equity legislation or contract compliance (sometimes advertised as an ‘employment equity employer’ the organization may have a process to identify applicants belonging to designated groups (persons with disabilities, women, visible minorities and First Nations peoples). Their objective is to expand the applicant pool with people from these areas and increase diversity in their employee population. If this is the case, you may ask about their confidentiality policy and process and decide how to respond.

If the organization does not participate in an employment equity program or fall under legislation, they may be setting up a process as a ‘special measure’ to increase diversity as well. Again, information about their confidential process would be important.

It would be beneficial to do research prior to applying or going in to an interview so that you are already prepared and have the knowledge to decide how to answer questions about accommodation.

It is important to note, that you may have a disability that does not require an accommodation. This has an impact on your choice to disclose a disability by way of asking for an accommodation. You may choose to disclose even though you do not require an accommodation.

Your comfort level is important in deciding whether or not to ask for an accommodation or disclose a disability. Keep in mind the long term implications. If you require an accommodation and don’t ask for it, you may have issues with performance that could result in poor evaluations and possible termination. People may feel more comfortable asking for an accommodation after an offer of employment has been made rather than in the interview.

Disclosure related to work requirements. When disclosing a disability it is on a need to know basis. This means that the process the employer uses requires the information to be given to those who have a need to know to ensure the work is performed at the appropriate level and within safety guidelines. Disclosure does not involve providing information regarding elements of the disability that do not relate to work or an accommodation. For example, I might disclose that I have epilepsy and do not require an accommodation. I may choose to let the human resources department or my supervisor know what I require in the event of a seizure and ask them to educate my co-workers. Many employers have presentations from community organizations like the Canadian Epilepsy Association or the Canadian Mental Health Association for educational purposes.

It is an emotional experience to be asked whether or not you have a disability even when the process is setup for inclusion of people with disabilities. It is difficult to know how you may react the first time an employer asks whether or not you have a disability or require an accommodation. Being prepared does help.

The experience of not being offered a position or receiving shoddy treatment after disclosing a disability has been related to me more than once. People who have disclosed their disabilities to supervisors have told me they sometimes feel that they are treated unfairly afterward. For instance, I know a case of a supervisor who complained about performance problems after an employee's disclosure-which increased the employee's anxiety. She was eventually fired, something she blames on disclosing her disability. The impact on the organization in cases like these include costly terminations; employees (who are also potential customers) who leave with a negative opinion – which could be conveyed to clients; and result in a decrease in diversity in the employee population.

Send a thank you note or card. This is an important step in the interview process that many job seekers leave out. Sending a thank you to the interviewer and/or hiring manager after the interview gives you the opportunity to present yourself to them again in a positive manner. It also allows you the opportunity to support your strengths and abilities. If you have a visible disability or have disclosed a disability, it is another opportunity to re-assure the employer of your ability to perform the job function and to ‘fit’ into their work environment.

The bottom line… keep in mind that you are not only a job applicant, you are a customer and emphasize this by describing what you like about their products or services. Employers want to hire people who will be good ambassadors for them. If you are one of a few applicants with a disability, this can be an advantage to serving customers with disabilities. Disclosure is a choice you make.

In a job search mode applicants may focus on the job offer. It is sometimes difficult to focus on the long term objective: an offer of employment in an organization that values the individual’s unique skills and abilities. It is best to have fewer job offers and accept the right job versus having job offers that result in short term employment because of a poor fit.

Brenda Jean Lycett is president of Lycett 4CHANGE & Associates, an honours graduate in Human Resource Management through Seneca College, and a Certified Human Resource Professional (CHRP).