Talking About Disability

Some people with disabilities are very comfortable talking about disability, and others are not.  Even the language varies: are you "telling" people about disability, "disclosing" a disability, or "coming out" about your disability?  Some people don't even like the word "disability" and Deaf people consider themselves part of a culture first.  For those of you who are considering how you feel about it, here are a few resources.

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Disability & Admissions

• Discussing disabilities can sometimes give students an edge in college admissions, according to this article in US News & World Report
  
• If your disability affected your transcript or you have anything you need to explain, sometimes it's better to for you to offer an explanation to get a fair review
• Universities are not allowed to discriminate against students with disabilities, but you must be a qualified applicant who meets their admissions criteria (it's ok if you can only meet the criteria with accommodations in place)
• Admissions offices should never get copies of your medical documentation or special education paperwork from high school - save that for the disability services office.

Talking with Friends

There are few resources explaining how to talk about disability with your friends, but here are a few resources to share with friends once you've told them:

• A few tips from Cosmo for things to never say to a disabled friend
• Karin Hitselberger blogs about how being friends with disabled people doesn't make you a hero
• "10 Dumb Things Hearing People Commonly Say to Deaf People" guest starring Captain Picard photos
• And...from xoJane comes "How Not to be a Dick to a Deaf Person" and "How Not to be a Dick to Your Disabled Friend" (not for those who are easily upset by naughty language)

A video about disability disclosure in college, work and social settings, by the Career Learning Center of the Black Hillls (captioned; no audio description)

Talking with Faculty

• Tips for how to talk about your disability and accommodation letters with professors (video is captioned; no audio description)

Talking with Employers

• The Job Accommodations Network has a list of resources about disclosure and discussing disability with employers - for youth and adults
• The US Department of Labor has a list of situations where you may have to talk about your disability to get or keep a job

"General Resources

Although using the word "disclosure" can imply disability is an inherently negative thing, the following resources may be helpful:

• ​The 411 on Disability Disclosure is a free workbook that is designed to help youth decide when, how and where to talk about disability (including college settings)
• Scott Finklestein talks about his decisions to talk about Asperger Syndrome with college professors, friends, and his girlfriend