Should You Disclose A Disability at Work?

It’s a question posed time and again in spondylitis support groups and online community forums – how do you handle your spondyloarthritis in the workplace? Should you tell your employer, or keep your diagnosis private? If you do need adjustments at work, how should you begin that conversation? Personal advocacy can empower you to get the help you need, but it can also open you up to potential discrimination. Both sides of this consequential topic are explored in a New York Times article in which not one, not two, but three of our SAA support group leaders are mentioned or quoted!

Thanks to Jed Finley, co-leader of our St. Louis, MO support group, and Charis Hill and Roz Tolliver, co-leaders of our Sacramento, CA support group, for sharing their experiences in this comprehensive and thought-provoking piece, which weighs legal rights against real-world situations. Raising the profile of this essential conversation is key to creating awareness of the challenges faced by those with spondyloarthritis and other chronic, “invisible” illnesses. And kudos to the New York Times for tackling this important subject! Read the article here: How to Disclose a Disability to Your Employer (and Whether You Should)