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Job application - am I disabled?!

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Natalie123

Natalie123

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Hi all, I am applying for a job. I know this sounds stupid, but it asks if I have a disability which is defined as:

The Equality Act (2010) defines a disabled person as someone with a 'physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his/her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

I don't consider diabetes to be a disability, but my university does. I don't want to say that I am disabled really, but I do find some things difficult (get tired easily etc) and need breaks if I have a hypo / hyper and need to go to hospital appointments etc.

There is only a yes/no box so I can't give any details so I am tempted to say no and then explain at the interview if I get that far. What do you all think?
 
Hi Natalie123

This is a difficult one ... When someone is classed as disabled .. we all assume, no arms, legs etc ... and nor do I see Nathan as disabled in the sense
he is type 1 diabetic ... But he has a condition, that is chronic and that he needs insulin to survive.

I would say honesty is the best way forward, is there anyway you could add your diabetes in to the other information section. Personally the more open about your condition the better ... and any potential employer would prefer honesty.

Heidi
xx🙂
 
It is a tricky one, as you may need to draw on your 'official' status as a disabled person in your future employment (see, I've already given you the job!). However, personally since I don't feel my ability to do normal everyday things that I could do before i.e. I don't have any complications, nor do I have disabling hypos, I would put 'No' then perhaps mention it in your covering letter with the application or possibly leave it to the interview. It might also depend on what kind of work it is - hypos can have health and safety risks in some tasks.

Companies of a certain size have to employ a percentage of disabled people, so in some cases it might actually give you a better chance of an interview, although you may feel that such opportunities should be left for those who do consider themselves disabled for more obvious reasons.

Good luck with the application! 🙂
 
I wouldn't be keen to call myself disabled either and I understand where you're coming from. However, the two main questions you have to ask yourself are:
  • Is your diabetes likely to affect your day to day ability to do the job you're applying for on a regular basis (I don't mean just the odd hypo)?
  • Are you going to need any special considerations to be made in order to do the job?
If the job requires a lot of physical activity, or driving, or even shift work then you should tell them at the interview that you're T1 but (as I understand it) you are not required to put 'disabled' on the form unless you're actually registered disabled. If you won't need any allowances made then I'd just mention the Big D at the interview but not make a big thing of it.
 
At work for purposes of sick leave I am considered disabled and if I have to have time off as a result of having diabetes it is considered more favourably or at least is less likely to count against me then if I have a days sick for anything else.

Also following advice I declared my diagnosis when it arrived in 2006 to my HR at work. My firm is reasonable to wards disablities of any kind and prefer you declare anything rather than leave it to chance.

My now departed manager did not want me to work alone incase I had a hypo, even thoe I had shown her official information stating this was less likely for me. With a care taker manager I am still not supposed to work alone, but my new manager when I get one may have other ideas.

For myself and the chap I work with and for my family I am not seen as being disabled.
 
On forms where the question says do you consider yourself to have a disasbility - I would say no but then hand write a comment on the form (more difficult if its a form you fill in online) that I understand that the law considers me to have a disability.

In terms of the question you have I would answer yes and then in the covering letter - make a comment that although legally you are classes as having a disability - at this point you don't feel disabled.

Having your diabetes recorded as a disability can allow some flexibility for additional sick days and for time out to check blood, recover from a hypo etc. I was told by someone that if you say you have no disability but later need to say you do then the law is not in your favour - I am unsure as to the full truth of that statement but it is something to consider.
 
Thanks for your thoughts everyone. I'm still not decided but I think it would be safer for me to say yes and explain at the interview
 
I wouldn't even mention it until after I had accepted the job. You might think that sounds risky, but here's why I think it isn't.

From what you quoted, it is leaving it up to your judgement whether you think it has an impact on you being able to do day-to-day activities. So for me, my opinion would be 'no'. But I have filled in an application where is stated something like "Do you have a disability which is covered under the DDA" in which case I had to say yes. So if your application doesn't specify and if it leads it up to you're judgement, then you're doing nothing wrong by not telling them about your diabetes until after you've accepted the position. Some jobs have a separate medical questionnaire which goes to a different department and isn't seen by the interviewers so as to not affect your chances at getting the job and so that discrimination can't take place.

But this is just my opinion. You do what you feel is best for you.
 
I've always declared it if asked directly but otherwise left it until the end of interview, much like redrevis, and just said I might need the odd afternoon off for appointments but otherwise I can control it.

I would never class myself as disabled unless I had a complication that reduced my ability to do day to day tasks.

That's my two pennerth ! 😉🙂

Rob
 
EEK! I have applied, its all rather scary! 😱
 
you can't belive it

I work for the prison service and was told by the H.R department that yes i have to register as disabled with type 2 diabetes as it it another tick in the right box for them and helps them to meet targets set by the government.
and as a reward I can use the disabled parking bays !
 
Natalie good luck fingers are crossed for you
 
AlisonM said:
I wouldn't be keen to call myself disabled either and I understand where you're coming from. However, the two main questions you have to ask yourself are:
  • Is your diabetes likely to affect your day to day ability to do the job you're applying for on a regular basis (I don't mean just the odd hypo)?
  • Are you going to need any special considerations to be made in order to do the job?
.
Click to expand...

and "is your T1 diabetes going to endanger/affect your colleagues?"
and "is your T1 diabetes going to endanger/affect members of the public/customers ?

Here is DUk's take on diabetes as a disability ...
http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Living_with_diabetes/Discrimination/
 
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with out a doubt I would tick the YES box and explain when you get there it is a sad fact that lots of employers like to be seen to employ people with a disability and many offer a guaranteed interview if you are disabled and to get an interview can mean you are half way there good luck sad I know but true.
 
Good luck with interveiw ,i would employ any T1 cos i know what they have to do every min of the day, a job is easy ! Just making light of the situation and would fight like i wild man if any bod called me dis something. (no offence to any bod just the way i am) Only you will know what to do but hope you get job !🙂
 
Paul said:
and as a reward I can use the disabled parking bays !
Click to expand...

Do you actually do that? Do you need to use disabled parking bays or is it a perk you have for being type 2, even though you're capable of parking in a regular space like everyone else?

I'd never use them even if i was told I was "allowed" to. And don't you have to have a disabled badge in your car to use disabled parking bays?
 
redress said:
Do you actually do that? Do you need to use disabled parking bays or is it a perk you have for being type 2, even though you're capable of parking in a regular space like everyone else?

I'd never use them even if i was told I was "allowed" to. And don't you have to have a disabled badge in your car to use disabled parking bays?
Click to expand...

I would never dream of using a disabled parking space i was just shocked by the attitude of my employer towards disabled people treating it as a huge bonus for them if they employed me as it would look good for our establishments figures if we had more disabled employees.
 
I have had the same quandry in the past and although I decided not to declare the diabetes as a disability, I had a duty of care to my employer and my staff to tell them that I was diabetic...... mailny for insurance purposes but also so that they could make reasonable adjustment, if I required it.


Good luck
 
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