Many employees choose not to reveal their disability in the workplace. Chris Jay explores why, and explains how the right training programmes can improve disability disclosure
It’s virtually impossible to tackle a problem that you don’t know exists, which is the position many organisations are in when it comes to addressing hidden disability disclosure in the workplace.
Around 12.8 million people in the UK have a disability you can’t see
Take for example, a member of staff who has a disability but feels that their manager may view them differently if they reveal it, so they decide to conceal it. If this situation continues, they could well muddle through, striving to keep their disability hidden and facing unnecessary stress and difficulties, but why should they? Shouldn’t they be able to work in an open environment which supports them in bringing the best version of themselves to work?
To some, this might sound like a rare or uncommon scenario, but 24% of the UK population have a disability and it’s estimated that 80% of disabilities are hidden. That means around 12.8 million people in the UK have a disability you can’t see. At some point, all of those people will make a conscious decision whether or not they should reveal their disability to their employer, and the answer to that will be based mostly on their past, and previous experiences of staff around them.
Sadly, it’s estimated that as many as 43% choose to keep their disability a secret, and this has a huge negative impact on these workers and their productivity, wellbeing, physical and mental health. What can we do to ensure people feel comfortable revealing their hidden disabilities in the workplace?
Understanding hidden disabilities
Firstly, let us clarify what we mean by hidden disabilities. In simple terms, a hidden disability is one that isn’t immediately visible to others. These can encompass a wide range of conditions, such as visual and auditory impairments, the autism spectrum, ADHD, dyslexia, diabetes, asthma, Crohn’s disease, chronic pain, depression, bipolar disorder, epilepsy, dyspraxia, and rheumatoid arthritis – just to name a few.
Unlike visible disabilities, hidden disabilities don’t present any obvious physical signs. This lack of visibility can lead to misunderstandings or confusion among colleagues who may have limited awareness of disabilities, often resulting in the unique needs of these individuals being overlooked by management.
Identifying the issue
Recent research has indicated that the key reasons for staff keeping disability a secret were mostly related to how they imagined colleagues would react. It was found that 30% didn’t reveal because they didn’t want to “cause a fuss” with colleagues, 25% feared being treated differently, and 23% worried they wouldn’t be believed.
The obvious pattern here is that these concerns all stem from the attitudes, reactions and perceptions of colleagues and managers. Therefore, the best way to facilitate change, would be to provide training that challenges such perceptions and educates co-workers.
Making a change
The first step in improving levels of openness around disability is to provide opportunities for all staff to engage in comprehensive training packages that promote a deeper understanding of disabilities. It’s important that this is done from the top down to ensure and demonstrate that inclusion is embedded in the organisation’s ethos, brand development and strategic decisions. Training senior staff also sets a good example and can create a trickledown effect, while illustrating the training’s importance.
There should also be a strong focus on educating managers about disability, developing their understanding, enhancing their knowledge of how to support staff and provide reasonable adjustments.
It’s also critical that this training is ‘user-led’ (meaning it is facilitated by someone who has a disability themselves). This ensures that the trainer brings first-hand knowledge, lived experience and understanding to the learning process.
When staff become aware that the first step of disability awareness training has begun, this alone will make them sense that a cultural shift has occurred and will improve the likelihood of a person revealing their disability. On several occasions (as a trainer), I have experienced people reveal their disability to their colleagues for the first time in a training session. This is mostly because they are aware that the company is clearly in the process of embracing inclusivity, educating their co-workers and making the critical changes to ensure they receive the necessary support.
Training content
As a bare minimum, a company-wide general training session should have modules that cover definitions and types of disability, etiquette, with a focus on correct use of language, terminology and communication. It should also educate staff around hidden disabilities, and inclusive behaviour, as well as legislation, disclosure, reasonable adjustments, and adapting the physical environment.
As well as foundational training, it is recommended that organisations seek a trainer that is also able to develop a course bespoke to your needs. This may be based around weaknesses you identify, for example managerial or supervisory staff may lack experience of managing someone with a disability.
It might be that you have a disability network, and they have identified areas whereby they believe awareness training or developmental focus is required. Perhaps existing staff members have struggled with reasonable adjustment, and therefore training in terms of how this is best delivered may be relevant.
You may have identified that very few people with disabilities apply for or get jobs within your organisation, and therefore those involved in the employment process may need training to ensure that accessibility is at the forefront of recruitment drives.
Any staff hiding a disability that see new commitments, (such as an accessible recruitment drive), will immediately sense a change and become much more likely to talk about their own disability.
Onboarding courses
The decision of whether or not to reveal your disability to your employer will likely be one that is made in the first instance of starting a job, experiencing its culture, and meeting new colleagues. Having a solid onboarding disability awareness training programme, that exemplifies the company’s commitment to inclusivity, will immediately resonate with anyone who is yet to reveal their own disability. It sets the scene for understanding that as a valued staff member, the person will be supported, understood and offered the necessary reasonable adjustments that will allow them to thrive.
Future improvements
In summary, the implementation of training to develop awareness and improve a workplace culture eliminates the discomfort and fear people feel around disclosing their disability.
If organisations remain ignorant, uneducated and unaware of what disability is, how to support staff and embrace inclusion, then there is a high likelihood that members of staff may keep their disability to themselves. The problem here is that, beside companies missing out on the plethora of business benefits the inclusive workplace brings, staff face the challenges associated with secrecy. There is an abundance of research showing that this secrecy increases stress, impacts staff members’ personal free time, and affects their health, happiness and can even in some cases put them in danger.
Training all staff to become disability aware provides the first step in making a change, not only for staff hiding a disability, but also for a new inclusive approach, and an open and supportive culture, one that allows everyone to thrive within the organisation.
Chris Jay is Managing Director of Bascule Disability Training
