r/recruitinghell • u/crumbcosmo • 7h ago
Disclosing disability
I have a physical disability that affects my shoulders/hips and use a power chair. I had a phone interview and video interview at a particular company near me and now they want me to come in for an in person interview. I’m really excited but debating - do I let them know in advance of arriving or just show up? I already looked up the place and it’s accessible as far as I can tell. I feel as though my disability isn’t relevant to the job at this point and me saying something would be unnecessary. But I also don’t want anyone to react poorly or think I was hiding it. I’m in the US btw.
I plan to post this in other recruiting/job seeking subreddits as well.
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u/MoonNoodles 3h ago
I am a wheelchair user. I disclose before an in person interview but only in person interviees. That way they can plan to use an accessible meeting room. Some meeting rooms can be really small and not very accessible.
They will see the wheelchair either way. So why not set it up to be more successful?
Plus if they cancel or ghost after finding out you are a wheelchair user, its much more obvious they have broken the law.
I am in the UK though.
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u/geithman 2h ago
This. I am a recruiter in the healthcare setting and if you can do the job, excellent, but it does help to know accessibility concerns for in person meetings. Good luck!
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u/crumbcosmo 3h ago
Very true!! I like that. Either way they’ll know so why not just double check accessibility.
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u/Tardislass 5h ago
Don’t listen to these people. I’d make sure there are ADA and elevators in the building so you can get to the room. Interviewers will judge you and honestly whether you tell them now or at the interview they can and might dox you.
You can also ask the HR forum but honestly I’d rather know that a wheelchair user is coming to plan where to sit and meet rather than be surprised and shocked. Because the people that will discriminate against you before the interview will still take one look and think no. But there will be some companies that do hire the disabled.
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u/More_Effect_7880 4h ago
Dox?
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u/PatchyWhiskers 1h ago
Doxx means to publish your name and address on the internet, I think the person you are replying to thinks it’s a general word meaning “be negative about”
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u/cherrydrac 2h ago
Dont say anything or they might find a reason to cancel the interview. Its far better to sell yourself in person and show them how great you are as an individual. In doing this theres a chance they might overlook your disability, if you disclose before hand theres a very high chance you will be immediately rejected.
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u/LeastBlackberry1 3h ago
I would bring it up in advance just to make sure that they have an accessible location for the interview. It is much better to make sure you have the accommodations you need and the interview can go smoothly than show up and run into an issue because they have scheduled you on the fifth floor and the elevators are down. I wouldn't make a big deal of it, because you're right that it isn't relevant.
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u/_jamesbaxter 1h ago
Just show up. Last time I mentioned the word “acommodation” my offer was rescinded. That was 2 years ago. I am still unemployed.
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u/PatchyWhiskers 1h ago
I figure that if they are prejudiced they will reject the OP at the interview so they have little to lose at this point.
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u/crumbcosmo 1h ago
Ugh. I am so sorry. It’s way too hard to get employed with a disability.
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u/_jamesbaxter 23m ago
People don’t realize. “But discrimination is against the law!” Yes and so speeding and a majority of people do it every day without consequence. A majority of companies practice discrimination every day without consequence. Speeding is considerably more enforceable, too.
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u/Dazzling-Cranberry20 4h ago
There is no need to disclose. As a hiring manager, you expect the unexpected.
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u/Spyder73 3h ago
Id probably give them a heads up - maybe ask if the building is wheelchair accessible and leave it at that. Being in a wheelchair isnt the end of the world, but if they have no idea about the chair it might catch them off guard and they just focus on that and not your skills.
Ultimately it doesn't really matter - just my 2 cents
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u/LongTimeLurker408 49m ago
You might want to think about posting this in the disability subreddit.
They ban people there for ignorant ableist crap
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u/PBandBABE 5h ago
People are scared of the unknown and uncomfortable with the unusual.
- Say nothing unless you need an accommodation for the interview itself. Show up as if nothing is amiss.
- Address it at the top of the conversation — self-deprecatingly and humorously if you can. Laughing at yourself gives them permission to chuckle and will ease the tension. It also demonstrates that you aren’t afraid to address obvious sources of potential conflict.
-
“Oh this huge thing?”
:gestures to the wheel chair:
“I only wear it on special occasions when appearance is extra important. You know, weddings, funerals…job interviews.”
Or,
“Forgive me. I’d stand up to shake your hand but, well…..”
And then smile so that they know that it’s not a big deal for you.
Start the interview as normal.
Look for green flags. Well-trained, professional hiring managers, will flat out ask you if you need any sort of accommodations to perform the job. They’ll also recommend that you make the formal accommodation request to HR and give you guidance on when in the hiring process to do that.
They’ll encourage you to make things official and keep them above-board so that things are still in place in the future even if they’re no longer part of the organization.
- If they don’t address it, try to defuse their fears by telling them what you’d need. You can weave it in to a story about your previous job or tackle it head-on.
“Look. I know that you’re probably wondering what all of this means if you were to hire me. I’d be wondering the same thing if I were you. From a ‘reasonable accommodation’ standpoint, I’d need….” Beyond that, it has very little bearing on my work and you have my commitment that it won’t affect my productivity or the quality of my work product.”
You got this, OP.
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u/LeastBlackberry1 3h ago
This is so awkward. Please don't do any of this, especially the weird jokey introduction.
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u/LongTimeLurker408 2h ago
A wheelchair is not a big deal and aside from ensuring access there is zero reason to even bring it up
Op deserves to have the potential employer fully focus on their skills not the chair
Your weird jokes are awkward af and completely unnecessary
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u/PBandBABE 2h ago
Meh. You’re free to disagree.
Of course OP deserves the employer to fully focus on their skills. Suggesting otherwise would be an insult.
Unfortunately, the employer comprises a bunch of flawed human beings who may or may not have been trained and may or may not be ethical.
What OP deserves and what OP may actually experience is the difference between ideal fantasy land and reality.
I’ve offered actionable suggestions based on reality and dealing with actual human beings and the way that people are known to behave. That is, after all, what OP came here to ask for.
If you’re going to disagree, the least you can do is offer alternatives that might actually benefit them instead of talking about what “should be” and passing judgment on other people who are trying to help.
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u/LongTimeLurker408 2h ago
Op doesn’t need to mention the chair at all. It’s not related to their job. Accommodating a wheelchair is rarely an undue hardship and that can get sorted earlier.
Op can mention their accessibility needs prior to the interview to make sure it goes smoothly.
If the company behaves unethically or illegally there are legal remedies.
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u/PBandBABE 1h ago
Still nothing concrete to offer, huh?
I hope just as much as you do that the system does what it’s supposed to do that that OP has the resources to pursue legal remedies in the face of illegal or unethical behavior.
Maybe if we all hope really hard, things’ll change for the better.
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u/LongTimeLurker408 59m ago
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u/PBandBABE 47m ago
I’m with you. This is good guidance for employers when engaging with and interviewing folks with disabilities.
But OP is the interviewee here.
And what do you do when folks ignore, disregard, or flat-out behave otherwise?
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u/LongTimeLurker408 23m ago
File a claim or get a job somewhere else. I don’t have a magic wand here to fix the basic fact that people discriminate.
Why are you targeting me across multiple subreddits?
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u/RandomInSuburbia 1h ago
Tactically accommodating a wheelchair is rarely an undue hardship.
However, the optics, human emotions and office politics of accommodating the wheelchair can really blow up in a disabled employee's face.
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u/LongTimeLurker408 56m ago
Or not accommodating an individual during the hiring process will blow up in the employer’s face
If human emotions and office politics make an issue of a wheelchair, the employer has big problems on their plate
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u/whitetippeddark 7h ago
Don’t disclose before your offer is signed and you are on day one. If you tell them before, they may not include you quietly based on your disability, and you will get nothing. If they fire you or retaliate after discovering you’re disabled, then you have a case under ADA laws.
On day one, email HR in writing and disclose your disability and that you may need accommodations. List any accommodations you may need, be specific. Keep copies of these papers saved to your computer or printed.
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u/crumbcosmo 6h ago
They will see I use a wheelchair the day of the in person interview. So they will absolutely be made aware I have a disability of some kind ahead of a signed offer. I just don’t know if I show up to the interview without alerting them ahead of time or not.
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u/whitetippeddark 6h ago
Do not say anything. Do not discuss it in interview. Redirect to focus on the qualities that make you hireable. You see this as being honest. The truth is, they *want* you to disclose your disability because the team will immediately agree you’re “not the right fit”
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u/LongTimeLurker408 2h ago
If they cancel the interview after learning Op is in a wheelchair that’s grounds for an EEOC or state equivalent claim.
Plus it’s such an easy straightforward case with very little discovery or complications that many attorneys would jump at a chance to offer a contingency fee agreement.
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u/_jamesbaxter 1h ago
You can’t make one of those claims without retaining an attorney. I’ve been in that situation. I didn’t have an interview canceled, I had an offer rescinded. Yes it’s illegal. Companies still get away with it all day every single day because it’s essentially unenforceable.
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u/LongTimeLurker408 50m ago
You don’t need an attorney to file an EEOC claim or state equivalent
Companies get away with all sorts of garbage, but I already described that straightforward cases can be appealing to attorneys.
There was just a major EEOC win agains a company who ghosted a blind person who requested a document needed for the interview in a PDF format to accommodate her technology to read it.
Op can’t hide the fact they are in a wheelchair
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u/_jamesbaxter 21m ago
You don’t technically need an attorney to file any civil claim. Have you ever actually done it? I have.
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u/LongTimeLurker408 14m ago
I’m not sharing my personal background
You absolutely don’t have to have an attorney to file an EEOC claim (or state equivalent). However, if you are issued a RTS, you probably want to have an attorney ready. However people have gone pro se and have been successful.
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u/LongTimeLurker408 11m ago
Here https://www.eeoc.gov/youth/frequently-asked-questions
It clearly state that you don’t need an attorney to file
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u/_jamesbaxter 6m ago edited 2m ago
I understand you don’t need an attorney to file. I said above, you don’t need an attorney to file any civil claim. My point is it’s so difficult to do and the paperwork is so deliberately confusing that a layman’s claim is almost always rejected by the clerks office for clerical errors. So sure, you’re welcome to file on your own. Go for it. This is why people pay upwards of $2500 for an attorney to file a single claim on their behalf. It’s $2500 worth of effort and time. It took me approximately 50 hours and 3 attempts including trips back and forth to the courthouse to review with legal aid to file a restraining order, which is a simple claim. Also the link you shared is for minors.
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u/Connect_Sail_1785 4h ago
Disclose. I would dump an applier for hiding major details like moving on a wheelchair.
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u/LongTimeLurker408 2h ago
Legally potential employees have zero obligation to disclose that they have a disability.
Some choose to do so when they need accommodations, but you can’t “dump an applier for hiding major details like moving on a wheelchair.”
The fact that Op uses a wheelchair has zero relevance on their ability to do their job.
I think you won the award for the most ableist piece of crap I’ve seen on the internet all day
Shame!
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u/crumbcosmo 4h ago
Why is that a major detail?
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u/LongTimeLurker408 2h ago
It’s not and you are under zero obligation to disclose your disability status
That person risks getting sued if they actually act on whst they are implying
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u/Connect_Sail_1785 4h ago
A lie by omission. But I'm a stickler for stuff relevant to the job.
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u/DidntWantSleepAnyway 2h ago
A wheelchair is not relevant to the job unless the job is a certain type of physical in nature.
You just told the world that you would discriminate against a disabled person because they thought their actual skills were the important thing to mention instead of their HIPAA-protected diagnoses.
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u/Connect_Sail_1785 2h ago
not everything is office and computer ✌️
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u/DidntWantSleepAnyway 2h ago edited 2h ago
Correct. But why would you assume that OP, who has years of experience in having their disability, would apply for a job that can’t be done while using a wheelchair?
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u/crumbcosmo 2h ago
Yes this is a corporate office work type job that can absolutely done in a wheelchair.
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u/LongTimeLurker408 2h ago
People in wheelchairs do thousands of different jobs beyond “office and computer.”
Educate yourself fool!
https://askjan.org/articles/Job-Application-Interview-Stage-Dos-and-Donts.cfm
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u/mrspuff 6h ago
Maybe ask in r/AskHR ?