This literature review examines research on whether individuals with mental health disabilities should disclose their need for workplace accommodations. The review finds that disclosure is impacted by many factors, including organizational culture and supports provided. Research approaches included surveys, interviews and qualitative studies. Studies aimed to understand factors influencing accommodation disclosure and the impact of disclosure on employment success. A key theme is how the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act has shifted employer obligations and workplace cultures to be more accommodating. While disclosure may help employment, more research is still needed to understand the full effects on individuals' long-term employment success.

1. Running head: LITERATURE REVIEW 1
How Disclosing the Need for Accommodations for Individuals with Mental Health Disabilities
Impacts Employment Success
Amy Knight
Concordia University, St. Paul, HRG 550
Professor Jena Klein
November 14, 2016

2. LITERATURE REVIEW 2
Abstract
Whether or not an individual with mental health disabilities discloses the need for
accommodations could substantially impact that individual’s employment success. In a
centralizing review of articles written between 2007 and 2016, an account of how the American
with Disabilities Act Amendments Act has driven this discussion is examined. Even further, an
exploration of whether or not it is advantageous for individuals with mental health disabilities to
disclose a need for workplace accommodations is provided. First, the American with Disabilities
Act Amendments Act is defined, followed by a synopsis of research approaches and the
credibility of the sources. A report summarizing a review of the literature’s findings as it
pertains to organizational culture and the influences driving whether or not employees with
mental health disabilities choose to disclose the need for workplace accommodations is also
included. This report demonstrates themes that have emerged from the literature review. The
objectives of the studies are also provided. The analysis concludes with an overall summary of
the findings.
Keywords: American with Disabilities Amendments Act, accommodations, disability,
employment, organizational culture, support

3. LITERATURE REVIEW 3
Disclosing whether or not individuals with mental disabilities should disclose the need
for workplace accommodations is a difficult decision wrought with consequence, potentially
positive or negative. Disclosing the need for accommodations is driven and determined by a
number of factors, ranging from receipt of personal and professional supports to how socialized
the person with disabilities may be. The culture of the organization where the individual with
mental health disabilities works or seeks to work also plays a significant role in whether or not a
request for accommodations takes place.
With the implementation of the American with Disabilities Act Amendments Act
(ADAAA) in 2008, there has been evidence of organizational culture shifts embracing the need
to accommodate individuals in the workplace. The ADAAA planted the seed in employers of an
obligation to attempt to satisfy accommodation requests. For employees with mental health
disabilities, recognizing where an organization’s mission and values fall as they relate to
ADAAA requirements may be advantageous. An aligned organizational culture could positively
impact an individual’s willingness to disclose the need for accommodations, as well as ensure
that the receipt of those accommodations are met in the hope of obtaining long term employment
success. Consequently, determining how significant disclosing the need for accommodations is
in an effort for individuals with mental health disabilities to obtain supportive employment is
essential.
In an attempt to obtain discovery and research this topic more thoroughly, scholarly and
peer reviewed articles were reviewed. These articles were written between 2007 and 2016.
Research approaches for the basis of these articles consisted of multiple methods including
longitudinal multisite demonstration projects funded by the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (Chow &

4. LITERATURE REVIEW 4
Cichocki, 2016, p. 172). Other research approaches included national cross-sectional surveys
administered electronically, chi-square distribution analysis, confirmatory factor analysis,
sociodemographic questionnaires, survival analysis, in-depth interviews, informal and purposeful
informational meetings, qualitative studies using focus groups, and the job demand-control
model (Punch, 2016).
One funding source included a grant by the National Institute on Disability Rehabilitation
Research of the U.S. Department of Education (Linden & Milchus, 2014). A grant from the
Canadian Institutes of Health Research to study work accommodations and natural supports for
maintaining employment was also provided (Corbiere et al., 2014). Furthermore, studies were
conducted at the School of Government, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the
Department of Justice Studies at Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina (Bradbury
& Jacobson, 2013).
Based on the declarations of conflicting interests contained throughout the bulk of the
articles reviewed, there is no evidence to support concern for the credibility of the sources.
However, in an article by Benjamin J. Lovett pertaining to testing accommodations under the
ADAAA, Mr. Lovett noted that, “The author has served as an external reviewer for testing
entities considering requests for testing accommodations” (Lovett, 2014, p. 88). With that said,
it appears as though Mr. Lovett may have had a vested interest, which may have resulted in bias,
ultimately impacting the tone of the article.
Common themes of this research include the ADAAA and how it strives to motivate
employers to accommodate employees with disabilities, individuals with mental health
disabilities and others disclosing a need for accommodations, what drives accommodation

5. LITERATURE REVIEW 5
requests, how impactful doing so may be to ensuring successful employment, and the role that
organizational culture plays in setting such a foundation.
In order to examine each theme and supporting points, it is first necessary to define the
ADAAA and show how the aforementioned research demonstrates a correlated impact on
employers and workplace culture. The ADAAA “applies to any non-Governmental employer
with 15 or more employees” (Crosgrove, Fink, Dillion, & Wedding, 2015, p. 42). The goal of
the ADAAA is to prevent discrimination against a qualified applicant or employee based on a
disability (Crosgrove, Fink, Dillion, & Wedding, 2015, p. 42). The ADAAA differs from the
original American with Disabilities Act legislation in that it expands upon the definition of
“regarded as” when it comes to being disabled to include one who is treated as having a
substantially limiting impairment despite whether or not that may in fact be the case (Bradbury
& Jacobson, 2013). The motive of the ADAAA is to establish “both an individual’s right to
protection and an employer’s obligation to provide a reasonable accommodation” (Ledvinka
Rush, 2012, p.78). It is the ADAAA which has set the discussion regarding disclosing the need
for accommodations in the workplace for individuals with mental health disabilities in motion.
Disclosing the need for accommodations is a complex issue. According to Chow &
Cichocki, “individuals with psychiatric disabilities are more likely than those without to
experience adverse labor market outcomes” (2016, p. 172). A trend throughout this article
review shows that reasonable job accommodations can help substantially alleviate barriers to
employment. However, there are factors that determine whether or not individuals with mental
health disabilities are willing to disclose a need for workplace accommodations.
Corbiere, et al., attempt to demonstrate how natural supports contribute to job tenure.
Natural supports may include employment services, family, and friends (2014, p. 90). Other

6. LITERATURE REVIEW 6
factors that contribute to whether or not a person with mental health disabilities is likely to
disclose the need for workplace accommodations may include age, self-esteem, and the type of
employment being pursued, namely that it is a good person-environment fit (Corbiere, et al.,
2014, p. 90). However, according to Chow & Cichocki, “little is known about the factors
associated with the request for reasonable job accommodations among those with serious
psychiatric disabilities” (2016, p. 172). Based on research, the surface is just starting to be
scratched regarding the factors that contribute to whether or not accommodations in the
workplace for individuals with mental health disabilities are adequately being pursued.
Not only is there a question of whether or not accommodations are being pursued, but
another area of study includes how impactful those accommodation requests actually are. Much
of this success is determined by an employer’s willingness to accommodate and whether or not
the workplace culture embraces a diverse, inclusive workforce. Corbiere, et al., point out that
supervisors and coworkers are a key factor as to how successful accommodation requests can be,
particularly in how they respond to individuals with mental health disabilities in the workplace
(2014, p. 91). The trend in the research shows that employers have been apprehensive to
accommodate due to concerns of the financial impact and burden that it can have on an
organization. Chow & Cichocki notes that “we have a long path ahead toward achieving full
employment for individuals with serious psychiatric disabilities” (2016, p. 173).
Even though there are stigmas in the workplace associated with the need for
accommodating individuals with mental health disabilities, research shows that it may actually
be advantageous for individuals with mental health disabilities to disclose their need for
accommodations. However, of the studies that have been conducted, it has not been clarified if
disclosure has been deliberate or accidental. In other words, it is rarely clear if the disclosure for

7. LITERATURE REVIEW 7
accommodations comes from the employee with disabilities, an employment specialist, someone
else from that individual’s support network like a family member, or if the employer came to the
conclusion on their own through employee observation (Chow & Cichocki, (2016, 174).
Furthermore, according to Corbiere, et. al., “Correlation results showed that disclosure was
significantly related to the number of work accommodations and natural supports available in the
workplace” (2014, p. 90). Hence, the full circle is represented pertaining to how natural supports
and organizational culture can directly impact whether or not a person with mental health
disabilities will disclose the need for accommodations.
In examining how significant organizational culture is in determining whether or not
disclosure of the need for mental health accommodations in the workplace is eminent, it is
important to disclose employment statistics of individuals with mental health disabilities in the
workplace. Corbiere, et. al., observed that “Job tenure for people with a severe mental disorder
is often brief, with studies showing that nearly half of all clients leaving or losing their supported
employment positions within 6 months” (2014, p. 90). There are many obstacles that individuals
with mental health disabilities face in the effort to obtain and maintain employment. According
to Sandra Kopit Cohen, there is a “complex interweaving of legal, psychiatric, emotional, and
social considerations in the study of work and disability” (2011, p. 441). Employers who
recognize these challenges and are dedicated to implementing an interactive process focused on
providing the necessary tools to instill employment success despite these challenges will assist in
the endeavor of overcoming them.
In identifying the common themes that are strung throughout this literature review, it is
pertinent to point out the objectives of these studies. Doing so will provide even further evidence
of the cohesion that has become evident surrounding this review. One objective noted was to

8. LITERATURE REVIEW 8
“develop and validate a new measure to describe work accommodations and natural supports
available in the workplace and to determine which of them are significantly related to job tenure”
(Corbiere, et, al., 2014, p. 90). Another objective included advancing “our knowledge of the
factors that influence the decision of individuals with serious mental health disabilities to seek
accommodation in the work environment” (Chow & Cichocki, 2016, p. 172). Further, four of
the reviewed articles examine the impact that the ADAAA has on the execution of
accommodations in the workplace. Discussed are how the ADAAA motivates diversity through
legislation designed to embrace diversity and the ramifications associated with not complying.
One article even goes so far as to include U.S. Supreme Court cases as evidence of how the
ADAAA may be advantageous to employees with disabilities and adversely impact employers
(Rozalski, Katsiyannis, Ryan, Collins, & Stewart, 2010). Examples of cases like this have driven
employers to be more receptive to requests for accommodations by employees.
To recap, the common themes throughout this literature review have included indicators
that are likely to influence whether or not an individual with mental health disabilities discloses
the need for accommodations in the workplace, how an organization’s culture impacts an
individual with mental health disabilities likelihood to disclose, and what role the ADAAA has
played in impacting the culture of organizations in the endeavor to create a more inclusive and
interactive work environment for individuals with disabilities. Indicators contributing to the need
for accommodation disclosure may include if employment supports are provided, the age of the
person with mental health disabilities, if that individual is prone to socialization, and what
natural supports are in place, such as family members or friends for example (Corbiere, et al.,
2014). Peer reviewed, scholarly articles were studied for the purpose of this review. They were
primarily funded by grants and colleges along with one article that was funded by the U.S.

9. LITERATURE REVIEW 9
Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (Chow & Cichocki, 2016). Based on analyzing the funding sources of these
articles, along with the research methods by which the information was obtained, it is concluded
that the sources contained herein are reliable and verifiable. Furthermore, the research conducted
for the purposes of this collective study are some of those mentioned by Easterby-Smith, Thorpe,
& Jackson as being appropriate “for looking at association between variable measured on
category scales” when referring to the chi-square test (2015, p. 269). The chi-square test is one
of the methods that was utilized by Linden and Milchus to compare the distribution analysis of
the use of accommodations for 373 individuals (2014, p. 473).
Determining how significant disclosing the need for accommodations is to the overall
success of individuals with mental health disabilities in the workplace is essential to making a
positive impact on those individuals’ efforts towards long-term employment success. Although
there is a need for more research on this topic, those that have begun to investigate this subject
matter have done a tremendous job of determining what factors may contribute to whether or not
the need for accommodations is being disclosed by individuals with mental health disabilities
and how that may lead to overall employment success. Understanding how the ADAAA has
contributed to this nationwide culture shift within organizations and has influenced the supports
that have been put in place to assist in these interactive endeavors can help further set the stage
of truly inclusive and diverse workplaces moving forward. The foundation has been set to
encourage others to carry the torch further by closing the gaps on how the disclosure for the need
of accommodations has impacted the overall success of those who have requested and received
them. Further research is needed to determine whether or not those requests came directly from
the individuals with mental health disabilities or if supports such as family, friends, employment

10. LITERATURE REVIEW 10
services, and observant employers, or a combination thereof, played a role in making the receipt
of those accommodations and their success a reality. By determining this, we will be one step
closer to manifesting the dream that the American with Disabilities Act Amendments Act set out
to achieve in the first place.

11. LITERATURE REVIEW 11
References
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