20 Disclosure during the Interview Process

If the student does not need accommodations for the job interview and feels that their job performance will not be unduly affected by their disability, most experts recommend that they not disclose their disability during a job interview, unless they are sure that an employer has disability-friendly hiring policy (ALIS, 2016c). For a more in depth discussion of disclosure, please see “Disclosing a Disability to an Employer” in Part II of this guide.

If the student has a visible disability or does decide to disclose during the interview process, they should be sure to leverage the skills they have developed as a result of their disability to their advantage. They should give themselves credit for unique skills they have developed as a result of meeting the challenges of their disability, such as creativity, flexibility, positive attitude, problem-solving skills, and determination (ALIS, 2016d). These are skills that employers highly value and will be an asset to the student if they are able to highlight them during the application or interview process.