My employee told me that they have a disability, what do I do?

Often, an employee will share that they have a disability as part of a conversation about workplace accommodations. But sometimes a disability comes up in the course of another conversation, or someone may share information about their disability without also mentioning a need for accommodations. 

As the manager of a disabled employee, what should you do?

• Be open to more conversations. This might be as simple as saying “thanks for sharing that with me. I’m happy to talk about it more, or not – it’s up to you.”

• Be trustworthy. Unless the employee tells you otherwise, keep this information to yourself.

• Ask what they need from you. The answer might be “nothing” or “nothing right now, but I’ll let you know.” Ask once, provide information on your organization’s process for requesting accommodations, answer any questions they have, and then leave the matter with them. 

• Be a good ally. If you hear or see ableist language from others in the workplace, address it in the moment (or, if that’s not possible, address it privately later on), making it clear that this is not acceptable.

• Keep an eye out for accessibility barriers. Speak up about things like non-inclusive team activities, inaccessible systems and materials, and inaccessible spaces—most people don’t plan to exclude their colleagues with disabilities, but many people don’t plan to include them.

As the manager of a disabled employee, what should you NOT do?

• Don’t “out” their disability. 

  • Don’t tell anyone else what they’ve shared without their permission.

  • Don’t only speak up about ableist language/behavior when they are present.

  • Don’t identify them as a reason for calling out ableist language or behavior.

  • Don’t cite them as the reason for changing an inaccessible venue or activity.

• Don’t badger them about accommodations. Ask once if they need accommodations, provide information on your organization’s process for requesting accommodations, and then trust them to ask for what they need, if anything.

• Don’t make assumptions. Advocate for inclusive activities and venues, but trust your employee to opt out if they need to and participate if they can. Don’t assume they can no longer do the work they were already doing before they shared their disability with you.

• Don’t make your employee teach you about their disability. Some disabled people enjoy education and advocacy, but many don’t. Your employee is here to do their job, not to be an example, object lesson, or inspiration for non-disabled people.