What question is guiding your research? (what do you want to use your research to understand?)
The question that I planned on guiding my research was disclosing invisible disabilities. Invisible disabilities are disabilities not immediately apparent to others. Although not apparent to others, due to their unrecognizable traits, invisible disabilities are ever present for the impacted individuals. Examples of invisible disabilities include ADHD, epilepsy, chronic pain, hearing impairment, cerebral palsy, and diabetes. This is just a small list of diagnoses that impact many individual’s lives. These examples have a variety of symptoms that are worthwhile to study because having an invisible disability compels an individual to weigh the risks of sharing or concealing their diagnosis.
My initial guiding research question was to only consider disclosing an invisible disability in an interview but as I’ve started my research, I may include disclosing throughout a career as well. I’ve found some interesting research on that as well.
• Why this question? (help us to understand how it connects to your career/personal interests)
Why? I have an invisible disability, so it is a personal interest of mine.
• How will your professional/internship/organizational/course work inform your inquiry? (what connections can you see with the work that you’re part of in the world beyond our course?)
I have personal connections in the world of disabilities. People often make assumptions about people living with disabilities, which can be isolating at times and negatively impact relationships. As a student with an IEP growing up and being paraded at times to the Special Education room, I often felt that stigma. Yes, one of “those” students. An individual can feel shame for being laughed at for having a disability (Gray, Pakinson, & Dunbar, 2015). Therefore, to avoid this stigma, avoiding disclosing is self-protection. So, the professional question will always be…do you disclose…when do you disclose, and I suppose how do you disclose? This research I’m doing may always be with me well into the world beyond this course.
• What fields (academic and professional) matter most to your inquiry? (where are you going to be looking for source material?)
I will be looking into the fields of professional journals as well as individuals who work in the field of disability services. If at all possible, I’d like to interview some employers although I’m not sure if I’d get an honest response or a politically correct one. I’ll also try to find some first-hand accounts as well in my research which may present some valuable insights.
References:
Gray, A. W., Parkinson, B., & Dunbar, R. I. (2015). Laughter’s influence on the intimacy of self-disclosure. Human Nature: An Interdisciplinary Biosocial Perspective, 26(1), 28-43.
Hi Ed,
I think the topic that you chose is going to be great. I believe that choosing a topic that hits close to home, or has a direct impact on you always makes for an interesting study. After all, living with an invisible disability and choosing whether or not to disclose it during an interview or during ones career is a choice that carries a lot of weight. We’ve all went past the section in an internship or job application where it asks whether or not we have one of the disabilities listed above, but personally, I have never thought of the type of impact that it has on whether or not we get a call back.
I am excited to read more about what you find on your topic, I am sure it will be a fantastic read.
As Julia said, having a personal connection to your topic can help to motivate you in your research–it’s clear that you’re invested in your research question, and I look forward to seeing what you learn.
In terms of professional fields, you might consider research from the education field that looks at how people transition from student life (where there are professionals whose work is designing and ensuring accommodations) to work life (where those protections and support systems are harder to come by). Human Resources could be another valuable field for you to look into.