Choosing How to Disclose Your Disability in the Workplace: SODAS Method
2018-09-18
In a previous blog we defined full disclosure of your disability, and accommodations. Often times individuals will have more than one disability, but only one of them may be a concern in the workplace. What I mean by this is that one disability may stay hidden while the other one is visible.
As I have worked through the disclosure process with my clients, they frequently only want to let one disability be known. To work through this we often use the SODAS method, which stands for: Situation Options Disadvantages Advantages and Solution.
The following is an example of the SODAS method:
Situation: I have more than one disability and don’t know if I should disclose all, one, or none
Options: 1) Full Disclosure 2)Partial Disclosure 3) Non-Disclosure
First you list the disadvantages to each of the options.
Disadvantages:
- Full Disclosure – I may get made fun of, or discriminated against
- Partial Disclosure – They won’t be aware of my other disabilities that may affect my work
- Non-Disclosure – I will have no additional support
Next list the advantages to each of the options.
Maggie earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal and Fine Arts with a Major in Communication/Public Relations and a Minor in Non Profit Management from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She has worked for Compass Resource Group since 2011. She assists adults in Texas with disabilities in achieving their employment goals by providing training, job placement assistance, environmental work assessments, social skills training, and job coaching. She has been instrumental in shaping the services at Compass Resource Group to meet the needs of young adults on the Autism Spectrum who are transitioning from high school. She is a member of the DARS Statewide Developmental Disorders Team