Disability Disclosure Benefits & Risks
Disclosing a Disability: How do you disclose a disability and what risks come with it?
For individuals with disabilities, one of the biggest decisions they have to make is do they want their employer to know they have a condition that is considered a disability. Many people, despite having disabilities, are deemed by the US Government as “not sick enough” to receive benefits yet are considered “liabilities” by employers, resulting in them being unemployed or underemployed.
For many years, I refused to disclose my disability, knowing the probability that I would get a job or be able to keep a job was little to none. I was diagnosed with epilepsy due to a traumatic brain injury years ago. I’m one of the few people with epilepsy who are lucky, and their seizures are controlled. It has been twenty years since I lost consciousness and have the privilege to drive, work, have a family, and own a home, something many people with epilepsy never get to do. When I did disclose my condition, I knew that many opportunities that I had would disappear. Not because I couldn’t do my job, but because I now had a label, a stigma that made me in the eyes of many a liability.
How to Weigh the Risks of Disclosing a Disability
In the article, How to Weigh the Risks of Disclosing a Disability, the author goes into great detail about the pros and cons of disclosing a disability. The author stated that in many situations, it is a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation. Numerous stories, including my own, can back this up.
Many individuals with disabilities have faced workplace discrimination, bullying, stigmatization, being mocked about their specific conditions, gossip, social exclusion, and pay gaps. These are just a few examples of what many with disabilities face.
Key Questions
The author focuses on three important questions that can help one decide if they want to disclose their disability. The three questions are:
1. What are the health risks?
Is it worth the risk of working without the proper accommodations that are needed? What are the safety risks? What about my overall health and well-being? Does the benefit outweigh the risk?
2. What are the career risks?
What is the worst that could happen if I face ableism? How does it compare to not advocating for my needs? What resources are available if I am discriminated against?
3. What are your essential needs?
What’s core to my survival and to maintaining a basic quality of life? How do I maintain a healthy balance while advocating for myself?
One needs to decide what is in their best interest. I have many friends who have chronic illnesses who have made the decision not to disclose them, for many different reasons. I decided to disclose my condition because I saw the high levels of discrimination my community was facing and had no support from their healthcare team, nonprofit organizations, or community service organizations. I knew when I disclosed my condition, I was sacrificing a lot, but I felt the sacrifice was worth the risk. No one forced me to disclose having epilepsy, I felt it was necessary for multiple reasons.
Individuals who have disabilities are not required to disclose their conditions. I strongly support not disclosing a condition until after you are employed. The reason is that once you are employed, if they fire you for that condition, it is a violation of the ADA and legal action can be taken. However, what works for me may not work for another. I can’t stress enough the importance of making this decision for yourself. No one understands your needs better than you.
I strongly recommend everyone who is reading this to read the article, How to Weigh the Risks of Disclosing a Disability. What I have shared here is just a fraction of what Dr. Praslova, the author reveals. For more please read the complete article How to Weigh the Risks of Disclosing a Disability
Individuals with disabilities need to make this important decision for themselves. Companies need to have a good HR structure to make sure people with disabilities feel they can disclose their conditions and know that management and their colleagues will not discriminate against them. At the end of the day, one must list the pros and cons and decide what is in their best interest when it comes to their career and overall well-being.
Resources:
Praslova, L.N. (2024). How to Weigh the Risks of Disclosing a Disability. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from: https://hbr.org/2024/05/how-to-weigh-the-risks-of-disclosing-a-disability?autocomplete=true