Accessibility Career Resources
Welcome! We are here to support you!
The Career Services Team embraces Columbus State’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We want ALL students to feel honored, respected, and supported in their pursuit of careers. All students deserve to have their backgrounds and experiences recognized and considered during the career planning and development process.
On this page is a collection of information and resources to support students who identify as having a disability or consider themselves differently abled as they navigate their career path. This information can also serve as a resource to assist friends, family and professionals in supporting persons with a disability in their professional development.
Disclosing Your Disability
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including work and school. An individual is considered to have a disability if there is a physical or mental impairment that significantly limits major life activities, if an individual has a record of such an impairment, or is regarded as having such an impairment.
If you have a disability and are applying for a job, you must be qualified to perform the essential duties of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation to be protected by the ADA.
What is Reasonable Accommodation?
Reasonable accommodation is any change or adjustment to a job or work environment that permits a qualified applicant or employee with a disability to participate in the application process or to perform essential job duties. Reasonable accommodations are any adjustments that ensure an individual with a disability has the same rights and privileges in employment that employees without disabilities have. Some examples of reasonable accommodation may include:
- Providing or modifying work equipment
- Part-time or modified work schedules
- Reassignment to a vacant position
- Adjusting or modifying examinations, training materials, or policies
- Providing readers and interpreters
- Making the workplace readily accessible and useable for persons with disabilities
- Providing a quieter workplace or making changes to reduce noise
The ADA, enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), outlaws job discrimination by all employers with 15 or more employees. This includes:
- Private Employers
- State and Local Governments
- Employment Agencies
- Labor Organizations
Considerations for Disclosure
Job seekers with disabilities must decide whether to disclose their disability, and when to do so. The decision to disclose, including when and how you disclose, is ultimately yours. Under the ADA, people with disabilities are not required to disclose their disability unless they require accommodations. If you have a disability, you must consider whether you can perform the essential job duties, and if you need any accommodations to be successful. It is helpful to take some time to think about how you work and learn best, as well as any accommodations that have been successful for you in the past. Other factors to consider when making the decision to disclose:
- Your knowledge of your disability and how clearly you can discuss it
- Your ability to perform the essential job functions without accommodations
- Your own comfort and trust level with the employer
- Your past accommodations in a professional environment
- Your suggestions for accommodations, if needed
- Ramifications involved if you choose not to disclose your disability
Timing Your Disclosure
Many employers suggest not disclosing your disability if it is undetectable and no accommodations are needed. If your disability is not apparent and you do not require any accommodations, you may use greater discretion about when to discuss your disability.
Disclosing Before the Interview
If your disability requires accommodations during the interview, you should disclose when the potential employer contacts you for an interview so they can make the necessary arrangements. Be prepared to answer any questions regarding specific accommodations but provide examples of how you have already performed many of the functions of the job. Focus on your strengths, skills, experience, and education. When you call to confirm your interview, be sure to talk directly to the person who will be interviewing you.
Disclosing During the Interview
It is common for people to disclose their disability during the job interview. Some employers will react more favorably to this type of disclosure, and some may not. Focus on your strengths, skills, experience, and education. Be prepared to answer questions on your ability to complete the essential functions of the job and to provide examples how specific accommodations have enabled or will enable you to complete these essential functions.
Disclosing After Being Offered the Job
Many people choose to disclose their disability after a job has been offered to ensure that the employer will focus solely on the individual’s qualifications and skills. If you determine that you do not need accommodations for the interview, but will need accommodations for the job, discuss it prior to your start date to ensure accommodations are made before you arrive.
Disclosing During the Course of Employment
If you discover over time that you have underestimated your need for an accommodation, it is best to disclose your disability to your employer and ask for accommodations before your work performance is affected.
For guidance on workplace accommodations and disability employment issues:
Job Accommodations Network (JAN)
Considerations for disclosing a disability to employers:
JAN Workplace Accommodation Toolkit
Information and resources for job seekers with disabilities from the U.S. Department of Labor/ODEP:
Office of Disability Employment Policy
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
No, you are not required to disclose your disability to an employer.
You will need to make this request orally or in writing. The best practice would be to review the company policy regarding reasonable accommodation requests or contact the company’s Human Resources department for guidance. Someone else might make a request for you such as a family member, friend, health professional, or a job coach.
The law prohibits employers from asking disability related questions before a job offer. Employers are permitted to ask questions about reasonable accommodations if they believe the applicant may require an accommodation. Once an offer has been made, the employer is permitted to ask any disability-related question or require a medical examination as long as all other applicants are asked the same questions or made to take the same examination as a condition of employment.
If you believe an employer has denied you a job or an equal opportunity to apply for a job based on your disability, refused your request for reasonable accommodation, or has asked you illegal questions about your disability or required you to take an illegal medical examination, you should contact the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). In Ohio, you may also contact Disability Rights Ohio for assistance in filing a discrimination claim.
Yes. If the employer believes the accommodation is too difficult or too expensive to implement, then the requested accommodation can be denied. From the employer perspective, this would be called an “undue hardship.” If the requested accommodation creates an undue hardship, the employer still would be required to provide an alternative accommodation that does not.
The ADA requires that employers provide alternative formats for tests or make other adjustments to tests for you. The test may not be administered in a manner that requires the use of your impaired skill to complete the test unless the test is designed to measure that skill.