Disability disclosure strategies among job seekers with cerebral palsy

This study investigates the disability disclosure experiences of 23 job seekers with cerebral palsy (CP). Drawing on Campbell’s framework of ableism and Goffman’s theory of stigma, the article examines when (disclosure moment), why (disclosure reason), and how (disclosure strategies) individuals disclose a disability during job seeking. Job seekers with disabilities face a disclosure dilemma: if they withhold disability information in their job application, they risk misunderstandings or surprises during the job interview. Conversely, if they decide to disclose such information in the application, they risk not being invited to the job interview. Through qualitative interviews, we find that job seekers with CP use four strategies to navigate the complexities of disability disclosure: ‘voluntary disclosure’, ‘positive disclosure’, ‘negative disclosure’, and ‘postponed disclosure’. These strategies contribute to a deeper understanding of the dilemmas involved in disability disclosure when job seeking.<br/><br/>Points of interest<br/>The study examines the dilemmas job seekers with disabilities face when deciding to disclose information about their disabilities to a potential employer, providing insights into how they strategically manage these decisions.<br/><br/>It also reveals the strategies used by job seekers with cerebral palsy to reduce stigma and make the situation as comfortable and aligned with a ‘normal’ recruitment process as possible.<br/><br/>We find four disclosure strategies: voluntary disclosure, positive disclosure, negative disclosure, and postponed disclosure.<br/><br/>We find that disability disclosure is a dilemma that goes beyond simply whether or not to disclose.<br/><br/>We discuss the implications of these strategies and the need for further exploration of how job seekers navigate the dilemma of disability disclosure.