I have noticed on employment applications or ancillary employment questionnaires the applicant is being asked to divulge their health status which includes diabetes. I am not sure how I feel about this and how should I answer this question. I don’t feel my diabetes (TYPE 2-insulin dependent) as being a disability. That is not to say it could change in the future. So if I answer this question “NO” how will this affect me now and in the future? Is this even legal especially with how Type 2 is treated or is this a which hunt? Have you had this experience? I prefer to get answers from people that are Type 2 or know about the Type 2 experience. Type 1’s will normally have a doctor to back them up and encounter more health issues.
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Hi Crystalyn. I do not believe that diabetes is considered a disability in and of itself anywhere. If you are answering required health questions, and are not honest, that can come back to bite you. The fact that you are type II is really irrelevant. There may be a problem if the questions about your health are used to judge your employability. But, as a matter of information for your personnel records I would recommend being honest and answering appropriately. If the questions seem out of place I would ask for an explanation to clarify their intent.
Diabetes is covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act as a disability. That said, there are very few instances where employment eligibility can be determined based in any part on whether or not you have diabetes.
As for experiencing discrimination, I have not been impacted by my employers knowing that I have diabetes in the past - though my experience is limited, having been diagnosed only 4 years ago. For the most part, heath status is protected by HIPAA and, as I said, ADA pretects against discrimination due to disabilities, including those who are "endocrinologically disabled."
There are exceptions, but, as I said, those are few.
I would consider disclosure of diabetes on an employment application as “voluntary.” Should you get the job you could then volunteer it to HR. Personally I would not even tell them about it until I had accepted the offer.
ps. Not that they can ask you whether you have any impairment or disability which would keep you from performing the duties of the job.
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One of the forms that is part of our paperwork is a voluntary disability form, where you have the option to say if you have a disability (yes or no, not which one) or that you check off that you would prefer not to answer. Read the form carefully to see if it is voluntary.
What kind of job are you applying for? Higher-risk jobs (e.g. that could endanger the life of others) could potentially be within their rights to ask about any potential health risks that could impair your judgment. Truck drivers and pilots, for example.
They can only ask specifics if it is job-related. At least, if you’re in the US. You don’t even have to disclose it to HR.
It is completely voluntary. Now that being said I always disclose it to my potential employers If they do not want me because of diabetes, then they don’t want me. After all, I can change some things, but I cannot change that.
I did lose one job in my career because of diabetes, but heck I did not want to work there anywhere.