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After the Classroom

Heather,
Those are good questions. Let me answer in reverse order. Yes, employers DO have the same obligation to provide reasonable accommodations as do educational institutions (employers are covered until Title I of the ADA, schools under Titles II or III). Could knowledge of disability inappropriately influence hiring decisions. Yeah -- it could. That is part of the reason that it is expressly illegal to ask, on an application or in an interview, if someone has a disability. At the same time, there are ways that people with disabilities can learn to "sell" their disability. For example, they can go into an interview and say, "you should know that I have ADHD. You don't have to worry about that, though, because I know exactly what needs to be done to make sure that it isn't a problem for you or for me. My ADHD means I can easily get distracted from tasks and assignments. Here is what I have learned to do to keep myself on track -- yada yada yada -- and here's what I need from my supervisor to make sure that isn't a problem -- yada yada yada." Does that make sense?

Dr. Jane Jarrow

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