The spectra of concealment and disclosure of disability: the experiences of people with mild disability in South Korea

Abstract

Many disabled people choose to conceal or disclose their disability after weighing diverse levels of discrimination, social awareness, and welfare benefits they encounter in their daily lives. However, few studies have focused on choice experiences regarding concealment or disclosure of disability in various daily situations. Drawing on the experiences of 14 people with mild disabilities in South Korea, this study explores the multi-dimensional contexts of people who choose to present or hide their disability. Our analysis identifies five spectra of disability concealment /disclosure: aversive concealment from social oppression, defensive disclosure for self-protection, aggressive disclosure of disability identity, responsive disclosure for welfare benefits, and seeming concealment of disability identity. Such spectra indicate that the choice to conceal or disclose is a flexible self-presentation process. Furthermore, we discuss how various concealment/disclosure patterns are influenced by South Korea’s radical disability movement that aimed to highlight the existence of people with disabilities in society.

Points of interest

• This study raises a doubt about the existing dichotomised perspective that views hiding disability as a result of disability discrimination and revealing disability as an expression of positive disability identity.

• This study argues that hiding/revealing one’s disability are strategic options that an individual can choose from in accordance with his/her situation.

• This study explores why and how disabilities are hidden/revealed by interviewing 14 people with nonvisible disabilities in South Korea.

• The participants choose to hide or disclose their disability after weighing the disability discrimination, prejudice, recognition, and benefits that will arise from each situation.

• Beyond the two existing dichotomies (hiding vs. revealing disability), our findings highlight five different strategic options that interviewees choose from according to their situational contexts.

Keywords:

• Disability concealment
• disability disclosure
• self-presentation theory
• disabled people’s movement
• South Korea

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.