Does it matter what workers’ reasons are for disclosing or not disclosing a disability at work? Why and how?

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Online

Monique Gignac
Institute for Work & Health

Deciding whether or not to disclose a disability to others at work is a complex consideration. People with many chronic mental and physical health conditions, often called episodic disabilities, experience times of relative wellness punctuated by intermittent periods of activity limitations. How do they decide whether or not to disclose their health conditions? What are their goals? And how do they perceive the outcomes of their decisions?

In this presentation, Dr. Monique Gignac shares findings from her study examining these questions. She discusses participants' reasons and goals for disclosing—e.g. building trust, obtaining support and being forced to address others' observations—and whether they matter to reported outcomes. She also explores factors related to participants' health and work conditions and their associations with work support outcomes.  

About presenter

Dr. Monique Gignac is scientific co-director and a senior scientist at the Institute for Work & Health. Her research examines psychosocial factors like stress, coping, adaptation and communication, and their importance in understanding the impact of chronic diseases on the lives of adults across the life course. In particular, her work focuses on ways to enable people with chronic disabling conditions to maintain involvement in employment and other valued roles and activities, as well as on facilitators and barriers to working with a disabling health condition.

About IWH Speaker Series

The IWH Speaker Series brings you the latest findings from work and health researchers from the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) and beyond. For those unable to attend, the recorded webinar of most presentations in the IWH Speaker Series are made available on its web page within a week of the event.