DISCLOSURE

Session overview

Disclosure

Disclosure Levels

Reasons to Disclose

Preparing to Disclose

If you decide to Disclose

Final Thought

Disclosure

Disclosure means telling your employers, supervisors, co-workers about your disability/illness and explaining to them how these will affect you in their workplace.

DISCLOSURE LEVELS

You have three (3) choices with disclosure:~

Full Disclosure:~

Full disclosure is when you disclose you disability/health condition in detail to your employer. Full disclosure may include providing employer with detailed information about your disability/health condition and importantly how you will manage it in their work environment.

DISCLOSURE LEVELS (continued)

Partial Disclosure:~

Partial disclosure is only divulging aspects of your disability or health condition with which you are comfortable.

Non Disclosure:~

Non disclosure is not telling employers anything about your disability orillness.

Reasons to Disclose

Takes the Pressure OffDisclosing to an employer can make you feel more comfortable in a position because you do not have to hide your disability or symptoms or worry about the effect of your medications etc. It also encourages honesty and you don’t have to feel like you are hiding something from your employer.

Reasons to Disclose (Continued)

Educate the Workforce / Employer

By disclosing to an employer we can provide the employer with the facts on a particular disability, health condition or mental illness which will eliminate stigma created by false representations and stereotypes.

Negotiate Job Role

By disclosing to an employer, your Consultant can negotiate a job role for you in the organisation. If required this allows your Consultant to negotiate duties that will match your skills and abilities.

Preparing to Disclose

Only you can decide whether and how much to tell your employer about your disability. As mentioned before it is a complex decision and one you shouldn’t make until you’ve thought it through. Here’s what you might want to think about:

Do you need help in:~

• Initiating contact or arranging an interview with the employer

• In interviews

• Describing your disability

• Negotiating the terms of employment

• Negotiating changes to job role / specifications

Time of Disclosure Advantages Disadvantages Issues

On the Job Application Appears honest

Have peace of mind

Lets employer decide if disability is an issue

Risk of discrimination

May decrease chance to present skills / explain effects of disability

No comeback

May have a harder time finding work but usually have a more supportive workplace when you do

During an Interview Appears honest

Have peace of mind

Chance to explain effects of disability positively in person Discrimination less likely face-to-face

May not get job offer

May change focus from your abilities to your disability

You may not handle disability issues in a clear/ non-threatening way

How comfortable are you with your disability

Are you emphasizing yourdisability too much

After the interview (Whenthe job is offered butbefore you begin work)

Appears honest

Have peace of mind If employment changes mind after disclosure and your disability will not interfere with your job ability of safety, there may be a legal come back

Employer might feel you should told him / her before decision was made

Might lead to distrust of you

Need to look honestly at how your disability affects ability to perform the job

Need to be able to explain how disability will not interfere. This includes job safety

After you start Opportunity to proved yourself before disclosure

You can answer workmate questions

If disclosure affects job status and your disability will not interfere with your job ability or safety, there may be a legal come back

Employer may feel you have falsified application

You may feel nervous of relapse on the job

Co-workers may not know how to react if you become unwell

You may be treated differently

The longer you leave disclosure the harder it becomes

It may be difficultto know who to tell

Time of Disclosure Advantages Disadvantages Issues

After a relapse on the job Chance to prove yourself firstIf relapse affects job status, but not ability, there may be a legal comeback

Employer may feel you have falsified applicationCo-workers may not know how to reactReduce opportunity to educate workplace

Your boss may feel she / he has a right to know about your disability You need to deal with co-workers’ lack of understanding

Never Employer cannot react to your disability unless you have a relapse which affects your performance

You may run the risk of being fired if discoveredMay not get the support you requireStress from fear of being found out

If you have not had a relapse for a long time, this issue of disclosure becomes less critical

Preparing to Disclose (Continued)

Only you can decide whether and how much to tell your employer about your disability. As mentioned before it is a complex decision and one you shouldn’t make until you’ve thought it through. Here’s what you might want to think about:

1. Explore your feelings about having a disability or health condition and about sharing that information with others. Remember no one can force you to disclose if you don’t want to

2. Research potential employers’ attitudes towards disability and mental illness and screen out unsupportive employers

3. Weigh the benefits and risks of disclosure

4. If you decide not to disclose, find other ways to get the support you need

5. If you decide to disclose, find other ways to get the support you need

If you decide to disclose

1. Decide how specific you will be in describing your disability or health condition.

For example:-

• General terms (a disability)• Vague but more specific terms (difficulty with stress)• Specifically referring to mental illness or• Exact diagnosis (schizophrenia)

2. Describing the skills you have that make you able to perform the main duties of the job

3. Describing any functional limitations or behaviours caused by your disability which interfere with your

performance (if any)

If you decide to disclose (Continued)

4. Identifying those functional limitations or behaviours specific to the work environment (if any), that you may need to overcome

5. Optional: You may choose to describe the behaviours or symptoms the employer might observe and tell the employer what steps to take as a result

6. Pointing the employer to resources for further information

Final Thought

Disclosure is a personal decision and one that should be thought

about carefully. It is entirely your decision and whatever you decide

you have the support of your Employment Consultant.