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To disclose or not to disclose

Published on: 12 Apr 2023

It’s not a choice that everyone will have but before you get to the interview you might be weighing up the pros and cons of mentioning your disability during the application stage. Take a look at your options, read the benefits and hear stories from disabled candidates to help you make your own decision.

Do I have to mention my disability?

To put it simply, you only have to tell your employer that you are disabled if it prevents you from doing something key to your job role or impacts on the health and safety at work or is detrimental to you or your colleagues. For example a wheelchair user needs to discuss an effective fire evacuation plan with their employer or HR team.

In some instances, your impairments might not be relevant to work. It’s your choice to decide if you want to tell an employer something that they can’t see with their own eyes. However, you may feel that you will need support with an invisible disability in the future, or that your disabled status is so important to your identity that you wish to share it with pride.

Views on sharing your disability

Here’s what two of our employees had to say on the subject:

“If it’s an online interview I’ll bring it up as I want to assess their reaction, and whether they would support me. If it’s in-person I’m forced to tell them as often I need support getting to their office.”

"I prefer to tell them I’m disabled right from the start. If they have a problem with it, then that’s not an employer I want to work for. If they don’t, then I can relax, and ask for whatever adjustments I might need.”

The pros and cons of sharing your disability

Despite the Equality Act 2010 being introduced to change things, raising the subject of being a disabled candidate or employee can still be a daunting decision. To help you weigh up your decision, here is a list of the pros and cons of sharing your disability…

Pros

  • Explain away gaps in your career that might otherwise look unattractive to employers

  • Raise awareness and encourage more employers to be inclusive

  • Demonstrate why you’re a premium candidate and showcase all the additional skills and talent you have acquired

  • Get the adjustments you need to do the interview/job at your best

  • Keep yourself and colleagues safe and well

Cons

  • You may meet an employer who is not inclusive (but not on the Evenbreak Job Board as we only work with inclusive employers) this could also be a positive as it would identify an employer who you don’t want to work for

Still undecided? Check out further guidance on mentioning your disability including legal advice, your workplace adjustment rights and how to discuss your disability on the Evenbreak Career Hive.

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