Non-Visible Disability Disclosure in the Workplace

ISBN-13: 9783639151268 / Angielski / Miękka / 2009 / 96 str.

Erin Ellsworth

Opis

This qualitative study investigated messages thatemployees would construct when disclosing non-visibledisabilities in the workplace in accordance with theAmericans with Disabilities Act. In addition,respondents were asked what factors they felt asupervisor would consider in making the decision togrant an accommodation.Open-ended survey questions provided a prompt forrespondents to construct an original message. Thedata revealed that the factors identified wereconsistent with extant literature. Respondents alsoindicated the factors they felt a supervisor wouldconsider in making the decision to grant anaccommodation.The factors from the two points of viewprovide members of the disabled community,counselors, and supervisors guidelines in creating anenvironment conducive to disability disclosure. This study responds to the call from Asch (1984) toidentify strategies that individuals withdisabilities use in interactions, and Jablins (1979)assertion that superior/subordinate interactions needto be studied in context.

O autorze

Dr. Ellsworth earned her Ph.D. and Masters in Communication
Studies at the University of Kansas. Her areas of study include
health communication and organizational communication. Her
research regarding disclosure of non-visible disabilities in the
workplace is a combination of health and organizational
communication.