Mentorship and built-in accessibility help employees with disabilities thrive—without forced disclosure
Navigating the workplace as an employee with a disability often means facing a pivotal decision: whether to disclose a disability in order to access support—a choice that can itself be a significant barrier to inclusion.
New research from The Conference Board of Canada and MentorAbility Canada, an initiative of the Canadian Association for Supported Employment, finds that the need to disclose remains a complex and often daunting process.
Many employees weigh fears of discrimination, lost opportunities, and previous negative experiences, leading to disclosure only when absolutely necessary to explain or address performance-related concerns.
The research underscores that many organizations still rely on a reactive approach to accessibility, focusing primarily on individual accommodations.
This model places the onus on employees to come forward, rather than embedding accessibility throughout the workplace.
Joanna Goode, executive director at the Canadian Association for Supported Employment, stated, “For many employers, workplace inclusion is dependent on individual disclosure.”
She explained that “true inclusion means that employers have moved beyond reactive, disclosure-driven accommodations.”
Goode added that, instead, inclusive organizations have “adopted proactive practices that have embedded accessibility into all aspects of the workplace, where possible.”
Lindsay Coffin, principal research associate, Human Capital at The Conference Board of Canada, emphasized the broader benefits of inclusive practices.
She stated, “Canada needs more accessible workplaces, but too often people with disabilities face systemic barriers that prevent them from fully participating in the workforce.”
Coffin explained that by removing these barriers and adopting inclusive practices, organizations can better support their employees and strengthen talent acquisition, innovation, and retention.
She noted that the research series “highlights actionable insights for employers to make their workplace more inclusive.”
The findings emphasize that while fostering environments where employees feel safe to disclose is important, reducing the need for disclosure altogether has an even greater impact.
When inclusion is embedded into organizational policies, physical spaces, technologies, and culture, all employees can thrive without being compelled to disclose in order to access support.
Mentorship also emerges as a pivotal tool for advancing workplace inclusion.
The research, commissioned by MentorAbility Canada and funded by the Government of Canada’s Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities, points to the positive outcomes of mentorship for employees with disabilities, whether the relationships are formal or informal.
