Should I tell them about my Crohns?

[Everly]

Hello!

It's been awhile since I've posted on here, but there's something I really need to ask about.

I've decided to volunteer for an animal shelter, and I have orientation tomorrow. They're probably going to interview me, and I'm torn between telling them I have Crohn's Disease, and not telling them anything.

I'm scared they might not pick me to work there if they find out about my Crohn's, and it's something I've wanted to do since I was a little kid. But at the same time, if I have a bad flare up, I want them to understand I'll need to go to the bathroom a lot.

Is there anyone that can give me insight on this, and possibly tips? Should I tell them if they ask me about any medical conditions?

 

[Cross-stitch gal]

If you're not in a flare right now, I wouldn't worry about telling them. But, if the time comes that you might need the bathroom more or if it'll affect your work they'll need to know. I know that it's a tricky kind of thing. But, I would want them to know me for my work rather than me being sick. Good luck in your decisions.

 

[UnXmas]

As I understand it, an employer (I'm assuming for voluntary work it's similar) they can't use your illness as a reason for not employing you as long as you can do the work safely and adequately, or that you could do it safely if they made reasonable adjustments.

I would think allowing you to take bathroom breaks more often or for longer would be a reasonable adjustment. However, if, for example, the work required you to do a lot of physical work and you were completely exhausted from tiredness or weight loss caused by Crohn's so that you could not safely complete your tasks, then that could mean it was too much of a risk to employ you - and that would go for any aspects of your illness which would mean either you were put at risk, the animals you'd be caring for would be at risk, or if there was clearly no way you could adequately work for them.

If you are generally fit enough to do the work, but occasionally have acute flares when you wouldn't be, I think they would still accept you as a volunteer, even if you have to take more sick days than the average healthy person.

In my experience of volunteering, some places are so grateful for the unpaid work that they are very lenient. However, my volunteer work has never involved anything with much responsibility - I worked the tills in a charity shop. I imagine that volunteers with more difficult jobs - say, volunteering to work with people with disabilities or work with people with addictions - would be under more pressure to be able to do the job to a high standard and therefor it would be more important that they not take chances with illness interfering with their work.

If all you need is a few bathroom breaks, then I really wouldn't have thought that would be much of a barrier to working in an animal shelter, so if you disclose it to them I think it would unlikely they'd tell you that made you unfit to work.

It's also possible they may ask you to provide a note from your doctor assuring them you're fit for work. I've never been asked this for work or volunteering, but I was when I began university. The uni didn't ask for any details, just a simple note from any doctor which literally said nothing more than just that in the doctor's opinion I was fit enough for the uni course.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

I would only disclose it if you think you need accommodations after they give you the position. You never want to give any ammunition on an interview for them to think you won't be fully able to comply with the job requirements and duties. By law nobody can ask you if you are sick or disabled.

 

[Crohn's gal since 1989]

I've never shared about my Corhn's during an interview, but have always been very upfront about it with my superiors and colleagues once I've began working because I never wanted anyone to think I was hiding from work in the washroom. oo:

 

[alex_chris]

I don't tell my employer.

I don't tell any other stranger.

I tell my friends.

That's how I see "don't tell or tell".