Disclosure … or not? Risk vs Benefit
Autistic Adults’ Experiences of Diagnosis Disclosure (springer.com)
First you receive your official (or self) diagnosis of autism. Finally (hopefully) something/s make sense in your life! All these feelings and emotions whirl through your mind. So… who do you tell? Do you keep it to yourself for a while, in order to process those 3 words (you.are.autistic)… or do you shout it out to the world (a bit melodramatic but you get the drift, right?). Disclosure, for many newly diagnosed autistic folk is a big thing. It can weigh on your mind, for hours, days, weeks. Who to tell? What will they think? Will I be met with the cliché “Oh you don’t look autistic”! How would you feel if you heard those words? There is more to disclosure, however. A study by Huang et al., (2022) found that disclosure of a disability diagnosis, for example, autism, is a complex decision, involving both risks and benefits. A supportive workplace, that supports inclusive policies and procedures, ensures safety for those who disclose their autism diagnosis, without fear of negative repercussions, for example, discrimination. Disclosing your diagnosis, whether that be at work, in education, or in the community, included reasons such as to raise awareness, to reduce stigma, and for support and understanding. However, not disclosing a diagnosis, includes reasons to avoid misunderstanding, prejudice, stigma or not wanting to be labelled. I like this quote from one participant:
“There are a lot of misconceptions about autism and autistic people, which can change people's perceptions of you once they know. However, there's no way to dispel those misconceptions without concerted efforts and activism from the autistic community, as well as more people disclosing”.
Disclosure is a personal decision. It is a decision that you need to weigh up the risks versus the benefits. Investigate your workplace policies and procedures. See what they state regarding disability and employment. Be prepared to self-advocate. There are some wonderful NFP organisations that can assist you with advocacy.
Similarly, in another study (Romualdez et al., 2021), results found that organisations, rather than autistic individuals, must take more responsibility for facilitating disclosure and improving outcomes to it, for example, providing clear pathways for disclosure in workplaces, and an ongoing commitment to organization-wide autism training to reduce stigma and discrimination for autistic employees.
Stories of disclosure
Stories of disclosure can be found at Disclosure in the workplace | myWAY Employability
Know Your (Disability) Rights
One of the most proactive things you can do is to advocate for yourself. To do this it would be good to be knowledgeable: know what modifications or additions you would like (eg in the workplace). Understand your rights. The Australian Human Rights Commission has some valuable information to assist you:
About Disability Rights | Australian Human Rights Commission
Disability Inclusion in Education
Barriers experienced by students with disability in accessing and obtaining a safe, quality and inclusive school education and consequent life course impacts.
“In October 2020, the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability conducted a public hearing in Brisbane to investigate the barriers experienced by children and young people with disability in accessing safe, quality and inclusive education (Public hearing 7). This is the Report of the Commissioners who participated in Public hearing 7 (Report)”.
Things to consider when disclosing your disability to your employer
What to consider when thinking about disclosing your diagnosis to your employer | The Spectrum
Some useful information which discusses the how, why and what to disclosure of your disability in the workplace.
Nat x