Talking About Your Disability

Summary:
There's a difference between what you have to tell an interviewer about your disability and what you should tell. Explore the what, when and how issues about revealing such information in five key eSight articles.

Ask 10 people when to talk to a prospective employer about your disability and you will get 10 different opinions. One will say emphatically, "Never! It's not relevant!" On the other extreme, you will hear that you should be up front about it right from the cover letter you send with your resume.

Depending on where you live, you may be legally protected from having to reveal a disability until you are hired -- although, in most cases, an employer can ask you how you will perform certain tasks that require a faculty you obviously lack.

There is a world of difference between "have to" and "should" on this disclosure issue, and there are strong arguments for "coming clean" early in the process. You don't want to appear secretive, and you do want to appear confident and comfortable with your disability. And you will want to think twice about springing the news on an interviewer and earning her everlasting resentment.

What do you think? Take a look at these five eight articles to see if you agree with their various recommendations.

The Curbs Were Mostly in My Mind

Perceived limitations are just that -- perceived either by the blind job candidate or the potential employer. They're not true limitations imposed by a lack of visual acuity.

Adjusting to Blindness, Visual Impairment: An Interview With Robert Newman

Robert Newman, author of "Adjustment to Blindness and Visual Impairment," asserts that a commitment to adjusting fully and healthfully to blindness or visual impairment will empower you for success in life and work.

Addressing Concerns About Your Disability In A Job Interview

While an employer may not be permitted to ask questions about your disability, that important person nevertheless has them in mind. Here are some suggestions from employers themselves about how to proactively put their minds at rest.

What Employers Really Want to Know About Your Disability

An interviewer has lots of unasked questions about your disability -- and wants you to reassure him. Here's how to effectively discuss those issues with him.

Turn Your Disability Into an Advantage as a Business Leader

Being blind or visually impaired doesn't have to be a barrier when you become a supervisor or manager of staff members who do -- or don't -- have a disability, if you follow these nine guidelines for effective leadership.

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