Should I mention accident in application?

[tonybennscat]

Name changed for this. I'm in the middle of filling in a job application for a job which is ideal for me. However I'm recovering from an accident which has left me temporarily disabled. Should I mention this in the application? It will be at least another 3 months, possibly 4 before I can drive again or get anywhere independently although there's no reason why I couldn't do the job once in the office. The application asks if I am a car driver but I don't think there would be much driving, maybe to the occasional meeting - I've said yes.

My current employer is kind enough to let me work from home as it's a long commute but this job is only 4 miles away from home. I don't want to put them off yet my instinct normally is to be honest. If you were an employer would it put you off interviewing someone?

Normally I would be much more decisive but this has all dented my confidence a bit

do you have to fill in anything that asks about your health - eg are you disabled - clearly tell the truth if that's the case
If not I wouldn't put anything in the application - it doesn't sound relevant anyway - however if you are offered an interview and as it sounds like you have mobilitiy issues I would ring them before the interview and explain the situation - only so they are not suprised when you come in -

Depends on your condition and the job involved. I'd leave it and wait for interview.

If you need to be "independent" from day 1 then it's fairly important. If you're just wondering about getting to work and you can manage that another way then it's not.

Thanks - the only part about disability is the equal opportunities part. I ill leave it out and mention it IF i get an interview

It depends. Some companies actually have a policy of automatically agreeing to interview people with disabilities, so it can work to your advantage.

If it's just the equal opportunities bit don't put it in. The definition of having a disability is a physical or mental impairment that causes a substantial and long term adverse effect on the ability to carry out day to day activities.

Your temporary condition does not meet the criteria so don't mention it on the application.

It's not clear from your post whether your temporary condition will have any impact on your ability to do the job or not?

Hi Flowery, it should have absolutely no impact on my ability to do the job - I'm doing more or less the same job from home right now so once I was in the office I'd be ok - it's a desk bound job. The only thing I can think of is that I might need to attend meetings on another site. I would struggle with this for a bit.

I wouldn't put it in the equal opportunities bit - it's only a temporary thing. I have a sensory impairment though so could qualify for the automatic interview on those grounds, though I am reluctant to.