One question that many people ask me is, “Should I disclose my disability before my job interview?”

This is a personal question that can only be answered by figuring out some personal details and going through factors that only you can answer for yourself. Let’s review those factors so that you can make that decision about whether or not you choose to disclose your disability before going in for your first interview.

You are under no obligation to disclose your disability.

There is no legal requirement that you disclose your disability before an interview, during the interview, or even after the interview. There's no moral or ethical requirement that you disclose your disability either. If you don't want to disclose your disability, you do not have to disclose your disability.

If you're like me and you have a visible disability, it might be obvious during the interview (unless it’s a video interview!), but if you have an invisible disability and you don't want to disclose it in your interview and you don't want to disclose it when you’re hired and if you don't want to disclose it when you're in your job, you do not have to disclose your disability.

Is disclosing your disability advantageous?

If you are applying for a job where you think that having a disability may be helpful to you, then you may want to disclose your disability before the job interview. For example, if you are applying for a job at the Social Security Administration and you previously received Social Security benefits, you may want to disclose your disability and your lived experience navigating the services at Social Security. If you’re applying for a job as a wheelchair salesperson and you use a wheelchair, then that could be a really good thing highlight! As a lawyer who practices in different areas of disability law, I always like to highlight my disability as an asset when applying for positions.

Do you need reasonable accommodation for the job application or interview process?

If you don't think that having a disability would be advantageous for the position you're applying to and you're not sure if you want to disclose, then the next thing to think about is if you need a reasonable accommodation for the interview process or for the job application process.

You may want to wait until you’ve been invited to an interview before you disclose your disability. For example, if you are a wheelchair user who is applying for a job at a company that hosts interviews on the second floor in a building without an elevator, you may want to disclose your disability after you are invited to come in to interview and request a reasonable accommodation of having your interview on the first floor.

In other circumstances, you may want to disclose your disability before you are ever invited for an interview. For example, if an employer has openings for a customer service position and is only accepting handwritten applications, but you cannot use a pen to fill out an application because you cannot move your hands or because you have low vision, then you might want to disclose your disability in order to request a reasonable accommodation of filling out the application electronically.

If you don't want to disclose your disability, you don't think it would be advantageous to disclose your disability, and you don't need a reasonable accommodation in order to apply or to interview for a position, and you may choose not to disclose your disability and that’s a perfectly fine choice!

Stephanie Woodward is an attorney, the Executive Director of Disability EmpowHer Network, and a proud disabled person. While Stephanie is an attorney, she is not your attorney and this blog should not be construed as providing legal advice.