Candidates & Apprentices
If you are concerned about disclosing your disability, know that you are not alone. The decision to disclose, and when to disclose, can feel overwhelming.
Apprenti helps candidates and apprentices make informed decisions about navigating the workplace with a disability. Remember: you have the ability to choose if and when you want to disclose your disability.
Know Your Legal Rights
- The Americans with Disability Act (ADA) does not provide a list of every condition that qualifies as a disability. Instead, the ADA states that someone has a disability if they have “a physical or mental impairment substantially limits one or more major life activities.”
- What does the ADA mean for the workplace?
- Title 1 of the ADA covers employment and prohibits discriminating against people with disabilities in the workplace.
- If an employee is unable to perform their job as a result of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations, as outlined under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) and ADA.
What to consider before requesting an accommodation?
1. Should I disclose my disability?
- This is a personal question that requires self-reflection. Here are some questions to consider:
- If you disclose, will it give you the opportunity to share how your disability has helped you develop and foster skills pertinent to the role (i.e. problem-solving, leadership, etc.)?
- If you don’t disclose, will you be able to complete the core functions on the role without accommodations?
- If you don’t disclose, will it make the application process unexpectedly challenging (ie., would it be helpful to have captions ‘turned-on’ during an online interview)?
- If you don’t disclose, will you feel like you can’t bring your authentic self to work?
2. What is the ‘best time’ to disclose my disability?
- While there is not a universal ‘best time’ to disclose a disability, here are a few scenarios to consider –
- Disclosing before the interview: If you think your disability will prevent or limit you from fully participating in the interview process, it may be helpful to disclose your disability as soon as possible. This will help Apprenti and/or the employer implement your accommodation request or suggest an alternative.
- Disclosing during the interview: If you plan to describe how your disability has helped you develop skills pertinent to the role, it may be helpful to disclose your disability at the beginning of the interview.
Additionally, if you think the employer may have questions about your disability and workplace accommodations, it can be beneficial to take a proactive approach and to address those questions directly.
- Disclosing after you received an offer: If you need an accommodation to perform the essential functions of your job, we encourage you to notify the Apprenti and/or your employer before your first day. This will initiate the accommodation process.
- Disclosing during RTI or OJT: Disabilities can be dynamic, you may discover that you need an accommodation to perform the essential functions of your apprenticeship partway through RTI or OJT.
While you do not have to say a specific word or phrase to initiate the accommodation process, we suggest connecting with Apprenti’s Access Team to explore tools and/or practices to support your learning.
Frequently Asked Questions
