Confidentiality and disclosure

At Manchester we work hard to create an environment in which our staff feel happy to share their disability, but it is up to you whether you tell us that you are disabled.

Understanding your requirements

Telling us is important if you might need any adjustments to carry out your job. It will be very difficult for us to make these adjustments if you don't tell us what you need. In addition, telling us can help us to improve the way we work, for example, it can help us assess the impact of University practices on disabled staff or it can ensure that we have enough facilities for our disabled staff

The easiest way to share that you have a disability is before starting your role so that we can prepare adjustments in advance. You can do this by completing the support questionnaire included in your job contract pack. This questionnaire is sent directly to one of our staff disability advisers, who will then contact you to discuss your requirements.

If you feel you may require any adjustments at a later date, you can contact the disability adviser for an informal, confidential discussion. You can also contact them if you simply want to notify us that you are disabled, without necessarily requesting any adjustments.

Storing your information

All members of staff who decide to register with our Disability Advisory and Support Service for support are asked to sign a confidentiality form, which the disability adviser will talk through with you. This allows you to control very precisely the information that we pass on to other people. You should remember, however, that if you request a high level of confidentiality, it may be difficult for us to make adjustments in work.

All the records of contact with individual members of staff are stored electronically on the Disability Advisory and Support Service’s own separate database and in paper files. Only employees working with disabled staff have access to this database.