To Disclose or Not To Disclose? (Dalgin and Bellini)

Isn’t that the loaded question? I mentioned this article a few entries ago, so I thought I’d circle around and actually talk about it. This is a tough decision for those on the spectrum (for people with all types of disabilities, I would imagine). If you disclose, will the interviewer be more forgiving of your awkwardness? Or will they be so afraid of the unknown that they will be less likely to hire you? Should you disclose in your cover letter or during the interview? Or after you are hired? Or never? This study did not discuss autism, but the results are relevant. Before I disappoint you, however, I will note that this study, like all studies I have ever read and will ever read, does not give us definitive answers.

So, for their study, Dalgin and Bellini made multiple videos of an interview and the difference between the videos was at the end when the interviewee either did or did not disclose an invisibility disability. They used two different disabilities: diabetes (a physical disability) and bi-polar disorder (a psychiatric disability). These particular disabilities were chosen because the accommodations that they asked for where the same. The researchers also made videos where the interviewee described her disability either briefly or extensively. They then showed these videos to 60 employers and asked whether or not they would hire this person.

Before presenting the results, I have to mention that each test group had 12 participants. This is, therefore, a TINY TINY section of the general public. It is fairly possible that the 12 employers they chose in one category were particularly grumpy that day or had a bad experience with a person with a disability or something like that. So whether the results are applicable to the general population is really iffy. That said, I think that the results are interesting and this topic warrants a look by another study, hopefully with a much bigger group of employers.

Results:

The most important result, the answer to the question posed in the title of this entry, is that they found that disclosure did not significantly affect hiring decisions. This result was surprising to the researchers because previous research seemed to suggest that there is a difference (some research showed positive, others negative). So now, the research shows that there could be a positive result, a negative result, or no result. Also, the results of this study, as the researchers pointed out in their discussion section, should not be used as an indication that one should disclose without other considerations. The disclosure process in this study was very specific and the way it occurred could have led to more positive results. There is no way to know unless we did more research on this. So, the answer to the question above is, we’re still not sure. ARGH! I am as unsatisfied and frustrated by that result as you are.

Another interesting result is that the no disclosure interviewee did not score the highest. The person with the physical disability (diabetes) was the most likely to be considered employable. Disappointingly, the interviewee with the psychiatric disability was the least likely to be hired or to be considered employable. These results are a concern for individuals on the spectrum because ASD is largely a psychiatric disability. I would not give a recommendation based on this article, however, considering the limitations I have discussed before.

NOTE ON THE TOPIC (April 2016): Tony Attwood, in his book “The Complete Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome“, had a suggestion related to disclosure that I thought was a good idea. His suggestion was to include a brief, perhaps one-page, description of what Asperger’s syndrome is and the qualities and difficulties that would be relevant to the job.

Reference:
Dalgin, R. S., and Bellini, J. (2008). Invisible disability disclosure in an employment interview: Impact on employers’ hiring decisions and views of employability. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin: 52, 5, pp. 6-15.