By Jane N. Erin, Professor Emerita, the University of Arizona
If you have been blind or low vision for all or most of your life, you have probably developed routines for when and how you talk with others about it. For example, you may not necessarily discuss your low vision in detail with new people you meet at a social gathering, especially if it’s unlikely that you’ll see them again. However, if you need brief assistance from a stranger, as when making a purchase with a credit card, you might say “I can’t see the signature line. Please put your finger at the beginning of the line.” In contrast, when you meet a new college roommate or a work colleague, you will eventually want that person to understand how blindness or low vision affects your daily routines, so you’ll probably provide a few facts about your visual disability when you meet for the first time.
The process of informing others that you have a disability is often referred to as “disclosure”. The National Collaborative for Workforce and Disability for Youth (2005) defines this as “intentionally releasing personal information about yourself for a specific purpose.” Others may realize that you have low vision or are blind without your telling them; however, without more information, they may draw inaccurate conclusions about what you can see and do. What you say as well as when and how you say it may influence their perception of your abilities.
When applying for a job, you will need to decide when and how to talk with a prospective employer about your blindness or low vision. You are seeking employment that may continue for many years, and you will want to represent your skills and abilities accurately. The Americans with Disabilities Act (U.S. Equal Opportunities Act, 1990) “prohibits discrimination in all employment practices, including job application procedures, hiring, firing, advancement, compensation, training, and other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment.” However, if you apply for a job and you are not selected from a number of applicants, it is not usually possible to know whether bias played a part in the selection. An employer may believe that she or he has interviewed you fairly and concluded that you were not the best person for the job, when in reality the fact of your low vision or blindness has led the person to draw inaccurate conclusions about your work abilities. Your statements can affect an interviewer’s conscious or unconscious decision about whether to hire you.
People who have a disability are not required to inform employers about it. If a person chooses not to disclose a disability, even if it is visually evident, then their workplace does not have to provide the accommodations required by law under the Americans with Disabilities Act. People who need accommodations usually choose to disclose their disability so that the workplace will support them in being successful on the job. Because disclosure is a highly individual decision, new job seekers may find it difficult to decide how to approach the topic with a prospective employer. Researchers who reported on an employment mentoring program conducted through the National Research and Training Center at Mississippi State University found that a group of 51 people with low vision or blindness who completed a rating form about their own comfort with employment skills expressed the least confidence with personal interaction skills, including disclosure and presentation (O’Mally and Antonelli, 2016).
Factors that affect disclosure
Application and selection process
Your decisions about disclosure may vary according to the application and selection process. If you are applying for a position in a large company, it is likely that the first step will be to complete an online application for the position. Applications are usually reviewed and selected before the next steps in the process take place. There are many variables in the process, and disclosing a disability on the job application may increase the risk of being rejected before you have a chance to make a case for your skills and abilities.
If the position is in a small or informal company where you have direct contact by phone or where you can stop by the workplace to pick up an application, there may be opportunities to casually mention your low vision or blindness to a staff member or interviewer: “By the way, I’ll be arriving with my dog guide Orion, who travels with me in unfamiliar places since I am blind. I like to let people know in advance because Orion is a big golden lab who can be a little startling if you aren’t expecting him.” This may be effective because the interviewer has some time to prepare and may be curious to know more.
In some companies, interviews are conducted by telephone or video conference. In both cases, natural points to mention your blindness or low vision may be when the interview arrangements are being made or during the introductions, when you may want to review the names and identities of those present in the interview.
Visibility of Blindness or Low Vision
Your disclosure decisions may also be affected by whether others immediately recognize that you are blind or have low vision. Many people with low vision and some blind people don’t look different from others with regard to the appearance of eyes, posture, and facial expressions. If you are not sure how new acquaintances perceive you, ask several people you trust if they would recognize your blindness or low vision on first meeting. If the answer is yes, you may want to consider mentioning your low vision or blindness as soon as possible after meeting the interviewer. Interviewers may feel uncomfortable if they cannot make eye contact with the person interviewed. If they are unaware that you have low vision or are blind, they may assume that you have poor social skills. First impressions do have an impact!
If you travel using a cane or dog guide, the interviewer will probably realize immediately that you are blind or have low vision. This person may have concerns about travel and safety in the workplace. In this situation, it may be helpful to refer to your blindness immediately and briefly, perhaps with humor or a light comment; job relevant detail can be provided later when discussion of work responsibilities takes place.
Some research has shown that people who have disabilities make others more comfortable by mentioning their disability briefly in the first minutes after others become aware of it. Hebl and Skorinko (2005) asked people to view and rate prepared videos of people with physical disabilities being interviewed. They found that candidates who acknowledged their disabilities in the early or middle part of an interview were more favorably rated than those who did not disclose or who waited until the end of the session. Existing literature suggests that early acknowledgement leads to more open discussion and may even suggest that the candidate is more confident and competent; however, these studies have not included large groups of people who are low vision or blind.
Time of disclosure
The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Procedure (See References) designates possible times and ways of disclosing a disability: in a letter of application or cover letter; before an interview; during an interview; through a reference or call from someone else; before testing for drugs; after a job is offered; after you are employed; or not at all. Each choice has advantages and disadvantages.
Early disclosure
Disclosing low vision or blindness at the beginning of the application process can be an advantage, because it will give the interviewer time to consider questions about your qualifications, how you accomplish the job, and what adaptations you may need. Human resource staff may respect your directness in giving this information early, which can also imply confidence in your ability to do the job. Employers who have had positive experiences with employees with disabilities may view you more favorably.
However, there are also disadvantages to early disclosure of blindness or low vision. If you disclose the information on the written application or biographical statement, an employer who is unfamiliar with low vision may not select your application for interview because she or he does not understand how someone in that situation can accomplish the job. They may have had experiences with an elderly person, which may cause them to confuse the effects of blindness or low vision with those of other physical or mental disabilities.
An employer will only learn about your blindness or low vision on an application only if you choose to list specific items such as graduation from a specialized school for students who are blind. If you mention your low vision or blindness in a biographical statement, keep it brief and incidental, with emphasis on your education and preparation for the job. If your application is rejected, it is almost impossible to judge the extent to which the reviewer’s knowledge of a disability has affected the decision, especially when there are many applicants. The risk in disclosing on an application is that you do not have the immediate opportunity to explain or expand on the information you have provided. The advantage is that you may be invited to interview, either because the company wants to demonstrate consideration of diverse candidates or because your application suggests you are a viable candidate.
Delayed informal disclosure
Some applicants with disabilities prefer to apply, secure an interview appointment, and then make their disability known. This ensures that they will not be rejected for an interview due to their disability, but it provides hiring personnel with information in advance of the actual interview.
This approach may be accomplished in several ways. After the interview is scheduled, you might call or visit the appropriate office to confirm the dates. You can mention your low vision or blindness during the call: “You’ll recognize me because I use a white cane as a travel tool since I am blind” or “I’d like to get printed materials in advance because I use a reading device to enlarge them when reading.” If you can speak directly to the interviewer, that person will have prior knowledge of your lack of vision, which can relieve possible discomfort at the beginning of the interaction. Sometimes the interviewer is not available for a phone call, but you can speak to a staff member or receptionist. This person can be helpful on the first visit by providing directions or answering questions about the process. He or she also might mention your blindness or low vision to the interviewer. While this informal contact is not as easy to arrange as disclosing during the application process or the interview, it can help to establish a more comfortable initial contact with the interviewer.
Disclosure during an interview
Waiting until the in-person interview to disclose your disability will probably provide greater control over the type of information you provide about your blindness or low vision, depending on the context. Discussing your disability for the first time during an interview also allows you to choose when to introduce the topic and how much to say. If it is not evident, you can wait until some discussion about the job has already taken place and find a natural point to introduce the topic, mention the accommodations you use, and respond to the interviewer’s questions.
If your blindness or low vision is evident, you can probably anticipate the questions the interviewer might have and be ready to answer them. Ignoring their possible concerns until later in the interview may cause that person to feel that you are withholding information that she or he believes is relevant to the job. The best approach may be to acknowledge that he or she might be wondering how you would do this job since they may not have had an employee with low vision, and you’re looking forward to discussing this later in the interview.
Preparing for the interview that will include disclosure: Practice your Disability statement
To assure that you can communicate clear, relevant information about your abilities, it is useful to prepare a disability statement, sometimes called an ability statement, and to practice communicating it comfortably. Not only does this statement assure your eligibility for rights and accommodations under ADA, but it also highlights your abilities and describes how you can accomplish the job for which you are applying. It is important for the statement to be brief, include non-technical terms, and support your ability to do the job. Too much information can be off-putting and can lead the interviewer to magnify the effects of your visual impairment.
Once you have prepared the statement, ask several people to listen to you recite it, including family members, close friends and casual acquaintances. While it may seem redundant, the more you practice the statement, the more natural and less robotic you will sound. Casual acquaintances such as classmates who are unfamiliar with the effects of low vision or blindness can provide an objective response that is similar to the reaction of an unknown interviewer. Close friends or family members who know your abilities may not be able to react as objectively. Ask the listener whether your statement seems clear, direct, and not too wordy. If the listener is employed, you might also ask what questions they would have if you were applying for a position in their field.
Here are several examples of disability statements from Tools for Finding Employment: Writing a Disability Statement (American Foundation for the Blind).
“I use screen reading software called JAWS. It reads information from the screen to me. I use one earphone for listening to my screen reader; I can use the other ear to use the phone or listen to other information.”
“Because of my visual impairment, I am unable to drive, so I use the bus system to get around. I took the bus here today. If the bus is not working, I have other methods of transportation.”
Research on the employing agency
It is also a good idea to gather information in advance about the nature of the job and the company or agency that is hiring. Not only does prior knowledge of the company demonstrate your interest in becoming an employee, but you will be better equipped to address possible concerns of the interviewer about your ability to do the job. By law, interviewers cannot ask if you have a disability, and they may also be reluctant to ask how you do certain elements of the job. However, if you take the initiative to describe how you accomplish certain tasks that are common to the job (access data on a computer, read memos and announcements, calculate financial reports), they are more likely to perceive you as competent to carry out the work role.
After the interview
Following the interview, it’s a good idea to send a brief note of appreciation to the interviewer. If there are aspects of the job that appealed to you or if some topic of conversation provided new information, you might mention these specific features. If you are fortunate enough to receive a job offer, congratulations! This is evidence that you were effective in conveying the message that you are the right person for the job.
Even if you do not receive a job offer as a result of the interview, you can reflect on what parts of the interview you felt prepared for and what parts were unexpected. It may be helpful to talk with your mentor or a classmate about your reactions and thoughts. If you want evaluative feedback, you might contact the interviewer and request a phone call in which you can ask for recommendations on your interviewing skills: “Can you suggest anything that will give me a better chance to be successful in future interviews?” Of course, it is important to specify the purpose of the call so that the interviewer does not think you are objecting to the decision but rather requesting feedback that may help in future interviews. Note that the interviewer is under no obligation to give you any feedback. You also may want to consider trying a different method of disclosure during the next interview to see whether you are more successful. In reality, the job decision may have rested on your general qualifications rather than your communication, and you may find that your interview responses and disclosure statement were effective. If anything, this information can give you the confidence to continue the same approach.
You should always think first about what you could have done better in each interaction, so that you can take each interview as a learning experience and use what you learned to prepare for your next interview. However, once in a while, you will meet an interviewer who treated you unfairly despite your best efforts. While we hope this never happens to you, it’s important not to blame yourself or your skills if it does. Perhaps you can take a bit of comfort in knowing that you wouldn’t have been happy as an employee in such a negative workplace. Filing a complaint is an option in cases of blatant discrimination; if you feel that the interviewer discriminated against you and are interested in filing a complaint, think carefully about whether discrimination can be clearly demonstrated, and also think about whether filing a complaint is worth the time, money and emotional pain such actions unfortunately involve. Whether you decide to file a complaint or just chalk up the interview as a bad experience, take some time to reflect, but don’t dwell on overly negative experiences for an extended period of time. The best way to recover from a setback is to keep moving.
Resources
Two resources are particularly relevant for students in post-secondary educational settings. The 411 on Disability Disclosure: A Workbook for Youth with Disabilities (National Collaborative for Workforce and Disability for Youth, 2005) is a 99-page document can be downloaded directly from the internet. It is intended for individuals with various disabilities. Some parts are more appropriate for high school students who are learning to make informed choices, while other sections are more relevant for young adults who are beginning a career. A second resource, the article Tools for Finding Employment: Disclosing a Visual Impairment, developed by the American Foundation for the Blind (See References), based on work by Karen Wolffe and Debbie Johnson, identifies factors to be considered when deciding whether to disclose early or wait until the interview takes place.
Deciding how to talk about your disability is a personal choice. Individuals select different ways of approaching disclosure in different situations; factors such as company size, formality of the process, availability of staff for prior telephone contact, and the nature of the job will affect your plans for when and how to disclose. Taking the initiative, communicating clearly, and remaining open to questions and concerns of the prospective employer are most likely to open the door to a job that is right for you.
Disclaimer
Envision does not provide legal council on situations of disability discrimination. We do, however, have CSP Mentors who can help you to navigate the challenges of college and careers. To request a Mentor, sign up for the CSP and request a Mentor through your dashboard.
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References
Tools for finding employment: Disclosing a visual impairment. American Foundation for the Blind. Retrieved from https://aphcareerconnect.org/find-a-job/conducting-a-successful-job-search/disclosing-a-visual-impairment/
Tools for finding employment: Writing a disability statement. American Foundation for the Blind. Retrieved from https://aphcareerconnect.org/find-a-job/conducting-a-successful-job-search/writing-a-disability-statement/
Americans with Disabilities Act. (1990). U.S. Equal Opportunities Commission. Retrieved from https://www1.eeoc.gov//eeoc/publications/adaqa1.cfm?renderforprint=1
Hebl, M., & Skorinko, J. (2005). Acknowledging one’s physical disability in an interview: Does “when” make a difference? Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 35(12), 2477-2492.
National Collaborative for Workforce and Disability for Youth (2005). The 411 on disability disclosure: A workbook for youth with disabilities. Washington, DC: Institute for Educational Leadership. Retrieved from https://www.ncwd-youth.info/publications/the-411-on-disability-disclosure-a-workbook-for-youth-with-disabilities/
O’Mally, J. & Antonelli, K. (2016). The Effect of Career Mentoring on Employment Outcomes for College Students Who are Legally Blind. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 110(5), 295-307.
U.S. Department of Labor: Office of disability employment policy. Youth disclosure and the workplace: Why, when, what, and how. Retrieved from https://www.dol.gov/agencies/odep/publications/fact-sheets/youth-disclosure-and-the-workplace-why-when-what-and-how
Envision’s College Success Program (CSP), a part of the William L. Hudson BVI Workforce Innovation Center, is committed to serving college and transitioning high school students who are blind or low vision. The CSP is a virtual program that provides a holistic support system and engages students through online resources, events, mentorship, and more, all at no cost to them. Contact the CSP at csp@envisionus.com.