Invisible disabilities refer to a range of mental and physical disabilities that vary in their origins, degree of severity and in whether they are episodic or permanent. Much of the mainstream literature on employment and disability does not consider the question of a person disclosing their hidden disability to an employer. While disclosure is the route to a workplace accommodation process and can be in the best interest of the employee with a disability, it is a highly risky decision to disclose with numerous potential disadvantages along with advantages. The resulting situation is the predicament of disclosure for employees with invisible disabilities. Employers can create a workplace culture that encourages disclosure by persons with invisible disabilities by being clear about the competencies required for a job; giving as much information, in accessible formats, as possible in advance; and, in recruitment.
This report presents a qualitative literature review of Canadian and international literatures on policies and practices on the accommodation of persons with invisible disabilities in workplaces of gainful employment. The objectives of this review were to discuss the nature of invisible disabilities; and to examine available accommodations for persons with invisible disabilities, and how employers implement accommodations to support the labour force participation of people with specific invisible disabilities.
