Can you declare you have a disability without a diagnosis?

[WhenTheDragonsCame]

My teenage DD is trying to apply for a job. She has been seen by a speech and language therapist who has reported that she has slow processing and is not able to follow complex instructions. The SLT also highlighted that my DD doesn't understand time so you need to say it in a certain way and she doesn't understand 'day after tomorrow' amongst other things. I have been sent a small section of the report but not it in its entirety.

If my DD were to apply for a job would she be able to declare she has a disability on the application? It will be shop or barista type work.

Thank you.

Why would she want to?

I think it depends how the question is worded. On some forms it says 'do you consider yourself to have a disability?' then she could answer 'yes'.
However, I don't think what you're describing would be considered a disability under legislation so I'm not sure it would really help her to declare herself 'disabled'.

I wouldn't.

Unless it was somewhere like the NHS where as long as you meet the job requirements, having a disability guarantees you an interview.

There is nothing to stop her from her saying she does. Plenty of children with Sen for example claim dla and / or an ehcp without any diagnosis at all and they would certainly be considered to have a disability.

However, as someone who is disabled myself and has a disabled child I would be wary of declaring it before the stage of an offer of employment, if then. It’s unfortunate but people with disabilities still find it difficult to find employment, I wouldn’t want to give them a chance not to employ me for that reason.

It's a double edged sword.

If you don't declare a disability then the employer doesn't have to make reasonable adjustments for you, so if she made a mistake because of her disability or needed instructions in a specific way then the employer won't know and she could be disadvantaged.

The other side of that though is that if she does declare it she might find herself discriminated against ie not called for interview or turned down for the job. Yes, that's illegal but who can prove that's what happened?

Where did the full report go to? Who arranged the assessment? Can you speak to them to find out if a formal diagnosis was made? Read up on the Equality Act - I don't think it requires a formal diagnosis, it's more about how long you've had the disability, how long it's likely to affect you and how much it affects your day to day life.

Not sure but just to say, my relative has similar issues and had a great experience working in Boots as a Christmas job, the people he worked with were very kind and supportive. Just in case you want a recommendation. Good luck

Why have you not had a full copy of the assessment outcomes? I think you should ask for that, and have your DD read it and decide which bits she feels she wants to share at the interview.

DS has a physical condition which can have an impact on him in a work environment. It’s not a disability but he declares it on job applications.

She does have a disability, yes. No she doesn't need a diagnosis to be considered disabled - case in point I have a friend whose 8yo child has no diagnosis but has some as yet unidentified rare condition which produces multiple physical and mental disabilities. They get DLA and other support as a family as the diagnosis or lack thereof is irrelevant really, its not the diagnosis that attracts the support, but the effect it has.

Another example: I have autism. It is officially diagnosed. I also have a full time job earning not far short of the threshold for paying higher rate tax, so clearly I have no need for state support. Another person with autism might be completely unable to even comprehend having a job much less perform one adequately.

I realise that you are asking with regard to job applications rather than benefits but it is a linked issue.

You:be given a long list of things she can't do which honestly sound like she would be quite a liability in many workplaces. So yes I think she should declare the status to potential employers. The employers obviously have every right to decline to employ someone who can't do a job, that's not discrimination, so the question is what is the positive description of her abilities - what kinds of things can she do? So you could write on the application something like (having ticked yes for disability) "complex unidentified development issues which affect processing and understanding instructions and time management. However with additional support and adapted training is certainly capable of learning and following specific repetitive tasks to a high standard" - putting a positive spin on the description like this could make her situation an advantage for there right role. There are plenty of jobs which a neurotypical person would find so mind-numbingly dull that employers have a real retention problem as no one stays for more than a few months. It might be that such jobs are really well suited to someone who finds variety and unpredictability stressful but is happy knowing that they are doing a good job with the tasks they know.

It's fine to say she has a form of dyslexia (my dd has slow processing and dyslexia but diagnosed by official testing). But be very wary about anything else because she will simply be looked over for the job. Help her to work on the time issue at home, that is a bit concerning, perhaps speak to her specialist for help with ideas. The kind of work you mention required fast processing so I highly recommend getting her to do voluntary work in a charity shop where she can get used to using a till etc. Reasonable adaptation laws still require you to be able to do the job, they are more about say needing a stool, specific equipment to adjust for an impairment etc. A coffee shop is a fast paced environment that requires her to follow instructions but there's some not for profit shops around run by community groups and charities (age concern have one here as does a local church) work experience might be possible

As others have said I'm not sure declaring it will help her in this situation although she probably does meet the criteria
I'm disabled with a physical although most of the time it's a hidden condition which I've had for over 20years
I naively thought that declaring it was the right thing to do when entering the job market... I didn't put it on application letters but mentioned it in interviews where I thought I'd have more of a chance to explain the implications of my condition. I was offered a few jobs that were then withdrawn due to assumptions by those employers - it was hard to prove as it all happened verbally and it's a competitive job market for my profession
I did finally find a company that embraced me but mainly because one of the directors sons had the same condition.
It actively made job hunting harder because no matter what you say they have inbuilt prejudices and assumptions about what your disability means with regards to you fulfilling a job.
I can now be very open about it and I actively advocate for change in my profession (my face is even on a poster about this subject) but that's because I have a lot of experience, a successful career behind me and I now work for myself. If I were starting out I suspect I'd be very quiet about it unless I went for an employer that actively and properly tried and encouraged a diverse workforce (council, nhs etc)
I would also only tell them once I had secured the job if I required adaptations to allow me to do the job.
To be fair my first employer said he never regretted employing me as I spent the whole of my career trying hard to prove that my disability didn't have an effect on my work so that I always worked hard unlike some other employees who had a tendency to phone it in. He said I never had to do that but that's why I rose the ranks so quickly.

Whenever I have needed reasonable adjustments I have always had to produce evidence of my disability and how it affects me - realistically the non medically qualified HR staff are looking for reassurance. For one disability I was referred to Oc health for an opinion as to whether it was a disability as per the EA. OH took into account the evidence from my medical professionals as well as asking how I was affected by it, and gave work their opinion. They would have accepted proof from an SLT as they are a qualified professional.

Thank you all for your replies. They are very helpful.

To try and address some of the points raised. The reason I'm thinking mentioning her difficulties is because I think she will need some adjustments and I'm not sure how she will manage with interviews.

The reason I don't have the report is because my DD is 17 and hasn't given consent for me to see it. That is her decision that I need to respect. She knows I have been told about some parts and she is happy about that. SLT didn't complete a full assessment so there is no diagnosis.

The reason she saw SLT in the first place is because she has a social worker and is being seen by the youth support team. SLT is being asked if they can see DD to see if she has ASD traits. DD has had a lot of support for many years but no diagnosis.

The time thing has been looked at a lot! I have tried teaching her as have school and training and she just doesn't get it. She appears to understand then forgets.

There are lots of things she can do and has had volunteering and work experience in the past. I'm trying to encourage her to look at volunteering roles alongside paid employment to increase her employability. She is also looking at starting a college course.

Thank you again

I am cautious aboutw what I say to people. I am dyslexic and am sure tat asking for help for it cost me a job. It was also used as a method to bully in another job. But where i work is more understanding.

When discussing DD with professionals who support her I have had them tell me that she won't have any problems and she isn't too bad which then makes me question myself. I then speak to someone else and they will completely agree with me.

I believe that she is capable of doing lots of things but learning processes will take her longer and remembering shift patterns that regularly change will be difficult. If someone took the time to support her I think she could manage.

I do worry she will still be dependent on me well into adulthood though