Post on 19-Jan-2015
description
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 an explanation of your disability or illness and how it may affect you at work. When your Consultant discloses to an employer they will discuss your disability or illness and how you manage it.
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 honestHave peace of mindLets employer decide if disability is an issue
Risk of discriminationMay decrease chance to present skills / explain effects of disabilityNo comeback
May have a harder time finding work but usually have a more supportive workplace when you do
During an Interview Appears honestHave peace of mindChance to explain effects of disability positively in person Discrimination less likely face-to-face
May not get job offerMay change focus from your abilities to your disabilityYou may not handle disability issues in a clear/ non-threatening way
How comfortable are you with your disabilityAre you emphasizing yourdisability too much
After the interview (Whenthe job is offered butbefore you begin work)
Appears honestHave 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 madeMight lead to distrust of you
Need to look honestly at how your disability affects ability to perform the jobNeed to be able to explain how disability will not interfere. This includes job safety
After you start Opportunity to proved yourself before disclosureYou can answer workmate questionsIf 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 jobCo-workers may not know how to react if you become unwellYou may be treated differently
The longer you leave disclosure the harder it becomesIt 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 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.