If you had a disability, would you disclose it to your employer?

Question

I am quite deaf, but I have never told my employer or any previous employers. It's not apparent because I get by through lip-reading if I'm speaking to someone in person, or if I'm speaking to someone over the phone then people tend to speak more clearly and there is less background noise. This means that I am perfectly able to do my job and no-one becomes aware that I'm deaf. I don't wear a hearing aid - I've tried one in the past and it didn't work for me due to the type of hearing loss that I have.

However, what I'm wondering is, would it be advantageous to inform employers of this when I'm applying for jobs? I know that companies are supposed to hire a certain number of disabled people, so should I use this to my advantage? I've always been more worried that it will have more of a negative effect than a positive one, which is why I don't normally tell people, e.g. as my job involves using the phone a lot, they could say that I am not fit to do it.

What would others do?

Thanks to everyone who has answered so far. To the person who said there are no quotas for hiring disabled people - you may be correct; I wouldn't know!!! However, I'm in the UK and over here, if you tick the box on the application form that you have a disability, you automatically get an interview. This is true of prestigious organizations like the BBC (state TV/radio broadcaster) that everyone wants to work for, which means that they receive thousands of applications and many qualified, experienced people do not even get to first interview stage. That's why I was wondering if it could be to my advantage to admit that I have a disability.

Answer 1

some people with disabilities have trouble being accepted for jobs bec of their disability..i am profoundly deaf and have applied for many jobs, and so has my partner who is also deaf and we have been refused. i know this is not allowed and unfortunately this does happen. my deafness would not have affected my working ability for the jobs i applied for. i have a profoundly deaf friend who is a lawyer!!!most people do not understand disabilities and cant be bothered with the "hastle" of hiring someone who has one.they usually fob you off with the fact that you are a health and safety risk,even if the job only involves working at a supermarket checkout.

if you have not had this problem then i don't see why you should not tell them about ur deafness..like you said it could help you..just be aware that discrimination is still out there.

good luck,hope your experience is much better than mine

Answer 2

You are under no obligation to disclose a disability to a potential employer. Contrary to popular belief, there are no "quotas" for how many disabled people a company has to hire, but they are not allowed to discriminate.

Once you are hired, however, it is your employer's responsibility to make every reasonable accommodation for you to be able to do your job, such as a telephone with greater amplification if you are required to talk on the telephone, so it is best to let them know your needs. Most accommodations for disabled employees cost the employer less than $200, and they can deduct the expenses from their income tax.

A regular telephone can be alright if there is no background noise, but I can tell you that I have received phone calls from people who have no idea that their TV or radio is BLARING in the background while they keep saying "What? I can't hear you", which makes conversation difficult and more time consuming.

I once worked with a person who was in denial about how his hearing loss affected his ability to do his job. He constantly relayed incorrect information because he was sure he had heard or lip-read correctly and did not take the time to clarify information. There is no shame in admitting that you have a disability--people will appreciate your honesty and will likely attempt to offer you assistance.

Answer 3

You should disclose this fact, there are rules on appointing disabled persons and the company gets extra help if they need to provide you with anything to ensure you can work and be safe in the workplace. Also, many companies require a medical before employment commences, disclosure at this point could be veiwed in a dim light as should be clear from the start. Once in the workplace, you would not be singled out, you wouldnt have a notice put on your desk asking people to shout at oyu, for example, but would be down to you to tell colleagues, but of course, line manager would need to know as they are the ones that carry out risk assessments for each staff member, something may need to be in place, for example, to alert you to fire visually rather than simply an alarm bell. Your line manager would also need to be aware so they didnt ask you to complete tasks that would be out of your scope, as that would lead to major issues for you. Employers are not allowed to discriminate against you, disability discrimination is absolutyely not permitted

Answer 4

i beleive in honesty espicially in the work place it doesnt affect your job you said so theres no reason not to tell the truth. its to your own advantage not because you apply under that rule about hiring disabled people but just so people know to be more clear when they speak and if someone has their back turned to you at work and says something and you dont answer they might think your ignorant or you could miss an important fact someone was telling you. an employer certainly wouldnt look down upon you for it and shouldnt have a negative affect on you because you could proove you were capable of the jobs in interveiws so i would tell the truth

Answer 5

First, it is whatever you feel confident doing. If you feel better not disclosing personal disability info in an interview, DONT. But I suggest that once your hired you should let them know. I think they will be impressed how well, you can community even with your disability, and then it turns into an advantage

Answer 6

Go to an audiologist to determine your hearing limitations. If a hearing aid improves your hearing then it should not be a problem when applying for jobs. Under the American Disability Act your impairment must substantially limit your ability to to do your job to qualify as disabled. Check out www. disabilityinfo.gov

Answer 7

no. don't do it, people get all discriminating and that's not nice.
if you get the job and they ask why you didn't disclose it at interview then just say that you do not see being deaf as a disability and that is what they asked for('disability)! but you are not 'disabled', you just hear a lot less than everyone else!!!!
so go in there and prove how good you really are before they can put prejudice to work!!
good luck and all the best!!

Answer 8

If i was asked about any disabilities I would be honest and tell them. If they gave me a physical I would expect them to find my hearing bad. If the job required me to have excellent hearing or if not being able to hear well might hurt or injure someone I'd bring it up. But then I thought they had hearing aids that would work for anyone.

Answer 9

If you haven't had any problems in yur job, then you can fully disclose this information to your employer (though it's not necessary). However, if you should decide to disclose that information, and if there are consequences out of this (such as getting fired), then you can sue for Discrimination at Workplace.

No one can be discriminated for having a disability, specially when you can do your job quite right.

Answer 10

Im in the same boat as you and i told every single employer that i applied for a job with I wasn't treated any differently as they could see it was obvious that it didnt effect the way i worked.