I am wondering if you have to tell a respective employer that you have a disability?

Question

I am wondering if you have to tell a respective employer that you have a disability?

Answer 1

I have always been upfront about my moderate to profound hearing impairment and have not found that a hinderance in interviews.

Living with a disability should not hinder or help your chances of employment.

Equal Employment Opportunity websites abound. Check out your State's laws on the net.

All the best to you. Be true to yourself. I feel it's best to be honest from the word go.

Answer 2

You don't have to tell them unless they ask.  It's their responsibility to ask you if you have any limitations that would prevent you from performing the tasks of the job.

Answer 3

the only reason you would is if the disabiltiy is something that would hinder your job perfomance.

Answer 4

You really need to consult with your local govt. employment office. Here in the states, it depends on what state you live in, what your disability is and how it affects you. You should get an opinion from someone that does not know you as to whether or not it is, 1) apparent, and 2) if it does or does not affect your ability to perform the duties of the job you are seeking. Here in the states, you are not required to state that you have a disability, but in doing so, you give up certain legal rights. For instance, if you don't tell them, and you are not able to do a function they ask you to do, and get fired for not doing so, you have no rights to go back and say, it was because of my disability. Then, they have the right to fire you for not disclosing that you have a disability on your application. There is usually a place on most applications which is a catch-all, such as: Is there anything else that we should know about you in considering you for employment? Just because you are disabled, often they cannot discriminate against hiring you based on that you have a disability.

In fact, this can enhance your employment chances if the company is savvy to tax breaks and accommodation costs, that might be available to them for hiring disabled persons. Also, they will need to make any "reasonable accommodations" to make your employment possible and a positive experience for both you and the employer.