What are the pros and cons of declaring a disability to a prospective employer?
Reasons for disclosure 1. If you declare and then subsequently feel that you have been discriminated against then you can take a claim to an employment tribunal. A company cannot reject you because you are disabled if a reasonable adjustment can be made to accommodate you. (See Disability Discrimination Act 1995) 2. You can control the way your disability is explained to the employer. For example, instead of saying “I have a hearing impairment that causes me difficulties”, you could say “Because of my hearing impairment I have an enhanced ability to concentrate which in turn has developed my ability to perform complex tasks such as entering and analysing data on spreadsheets”. 3. Failure to accurately complete a health section on an application form may give the employer grounds to subsequently dismiss you. 4. If your disability has any health and safety implications for you or other employees, you are legally obliged to tell your employer. 5. Employers may be worried about the extra c
