How to Disclose to an Employer Narcolepsy As a Disability
Whether, when and how to reveal a non-obvious disability to an employer is controversial. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) does not require disclosing your disability unless it is likely to directly affect your job performance, but if you do not disclose it, you do not receive the legal protections and accommodations you are due. Whether to disclose a non-obvious disability like narcolepsy depends on the job and on your personal condition. Falling asleep suddenly as some narcoleptics do can be a problem and may disqualify you from some jobs, but if your attacks are only occasional then your condition can likely be accommodated at many workplaces.
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Instructions
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Decide when to disclose your narcolepsy to your employer. If your narcolepsy is severe, you may want to disclose it relatively early in the hiring process as it is going to directly affect your employment and may require accommodation, although perhaps not in your initial cover letter/resume to avoid discrimination. If your condition is mild, you could consider not disclosing your narcolepsy until after the interview or a possible job offer, but you risk your employer feeling deceived if you wait until too late in the process, such as the first day on the job.
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Prepare yourself for questions when you disclose your condition. Be fully educated on the symptoms and development of narcolepsy and your specific condition, and also knowledgeable about accommodations that have been made for others with this disability. If you are going to disclose your disability in an interview or other face-to-face interaction, you should be prepared to politely handle potentially illegal questions.
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Suggest specific accommodations, such as a specific work schedule that works best or taking planned short naps at work, to ameliorate your condition. Point out that narcolepsy is not contagious or dangerous (except potentially to the narcoleptic) so that your colleagues have no reason for fear or discrimination.
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Tips & Warnings
Talk to other narcoleptics in the workforce and see how they handle their disability. There are also narcolepsy support groups in most major cities.
