First, remember
that you do not need to disclose unless you know
you will need to request an accommodation. If
you do require an accommodation, you should
contact Disability Services at the particular
university as early as possible to determine
what documentation they will need for you to
provide. Universities typically have admission
policies that prevent them from considering your
disability in the acceptance process, but if you
are concerned that knowledge of your disability
will adversely affect your acceptance or
potentially influence the process, you may
decide to postpone your disclosure until after
you have been fully accepted into the graduate
program. Another possibility is to disclose to
Disability Services, but request that they do
not reveal your disability to faculty until
after your acceptance.
There may be
occasions where discussing your disability makes
sense during the admission process. You may
choose to mention your disability in your essay
because it exhibits something important about
you. (For example, how you overcame your
dyslexia to earn a 4.0 average in your English
major, or how you completed a marathon with only
one leg.) These can be very powerful
demonstrations of your academic strength and
character.
If your
disability is a visible one, your disclosure
will take place the first time you come to
campus. This may very well be before you have
officially been accepted. If you will be
meeting with faculty or other staff members, you
may choose to disclose to them on the phone when
arranging the meeting. This will help reduce
the “shock factor” they might experience when
they first see you so they can better
concentrate on your abilities. You may also
need to verify accessibility to ensure you can
get to the meeting.
If you have a
hidden disability, you may choose to keep it
that way. You may be wondering how to keep your
disability secret from your classmates while you
are receiving accommodations. This is often an
issue at the graduate level – especially in such
competitive programs as medical or law school.
Your fellow students may not understand your
need for accommodations and believe you are
getting preferential treatment. You can decide
to explain your disability to them, or do your
best to hide it (which may prove difficult and
lead to mistrust).
Also remember
that if you receive accommodations on the
graduate or professional school admission test,
your score report will note that the test was
taken under nonstandard conditions. You should
be prepared to discuss the reason for this with
the school if they ask.
Many students
who receive accommodations in college try to get
through graduate school without them. This
could be a grave mistake. Remember,
accommodations do not make the educational
program any easier – they serve to level the
playing field. In your effort to hide your
disability, you may end up hurting yourself.
So when should
you disclose? That’s up to you. Feel free to
talk to staff in the Academic Resource Center,
the Career Center or your faculty, if you want
to explore your options.
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