[nabs-l] Disclosing That I am Blind on job/internship applicationprocess?

[Arielle Silverman]

Hi all. I think I handle disclosure in a similar way to many of you. I
don't actively hide my blindness-related work, but I don't explicitly
mention it on applications unless it is job-relevant. I do mention
blindness when I apply for jobs at disability-related research centers
or when I apply for grants to support disability-related work I do. I
know my name is all over Google in conjunction with the NFB and that
somebody could figure out I was blind if they really wanted to. At the
same time, though, I don't mention blindness if it's not job-relevant
just like I don't mention being Jewish unless I'm applying for
something at a Jewish organization. I generally will mention blindness
at the point right before an employer will meet me in person and
inevitably find out. I think that in an ideal world I shouldn't have
to do this. However, I do it because I know that some people feel like
they have been "blindsided" (pardon the pun) if they discover
blindness without being warned in advance about it. I disclose in the
frame of "something I haven't yet mentioned is that I am blind, and I
am happy to answer any questions about the techniques I use to do my
job". I feel like this gives me more control over their initial
reaction to finding out, though I also recognize that an employer who
thinks my blindness is that big of a liability might not be someone I
want to work for at all. My current boss offered me a position before
meeting me (through phone interview and written document review) so I
had not yet had this conversation with him when I was hired. I
mentioned blindness in the middle of my acceptance email and he seemed
fine with it (as he should be, since I work in a disability research
group). Obviously if you think you will need any accessibility
accommodations during your interview, like Brian, then it is far
better to disclose before you start than to try to get through the
interview without accommodations.
Best of luck!
Arielle

On 7/24/15, Carly Mihalakis via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
> Afternoon, Aleeha,
>
>          Wouldn't it be pretentious of you not to
> acct like a blind woman, if in fact, you are a
> total? Who are we trying to kid, anyway? In my
> case, it is not realistic of me to dessociate my blindness from my person.
> Car06:51 AM 7/24/2015, Aleeha Dudley via nabs-l wrote:
>>Personally, I would not disclose on the
>>application. I would wait until the interview,
>>so that I might present myself in the best
>>possible light to my prospective boss. I don’t
>>want someone making assumptions about my
>>capabilities before I even get to the
>>interview. > On Jul 24, 2015, at 9:02 AM, Roanna
>>Bacchus via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>wrote: > > Hi Miso thanks for your
>>message.  When I was hired for my internship I
>>did not disclose my blindness.  I am taking the
>>place of the previous accessibility consultant
>>who was also blind.  When applying for a
>>corporate internship I would put that I am
>>visually impaired on the job application. > >
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>
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