Twitter Outings and Other Privacy Concerns

by Dora Raymaker · 2009-05-23 10:18:00 UTC
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close up view from above a wooden fence. on the horizontal slat of the fence is a hand-panted wooden sign that reads 'NO ENTRY' in small print and 'PRIVATE' in large print. to the right the post of the fence and a small amount of the fence's gate is visible. there is short greenish grass and some dirt beyond the fenceTeachers banned from Twitter after 'principal constantly criticises students' isn't directly about autism--it's about teachers complaining about their students publicly, and on work time, on Twitter. The article however was picked up by my news searches because of this block of text:

Another update stated: "Have three Aspergers boys in SI class -never a dull moment! Always offer a different, interesting take on things." 8.37pm April 21.

Disclosure is a tricky topic. I've posted about disclosure more than once, and yet haven't penetrated even the smallest corner of the topic's complexities and questions. For example, as was brought up in comments in this employment-related post (thanks Patience St. James!), complex issues of disclosure lurk behind many other topics, such as getting job application or job interview accommodations. Disclosure is a deeply private and deeply personal matter, as well as one that could do life-saving good or life-threatening ill (and everything in between) depending on the situation.

So to think that a teacher might "out" students in a very public forum is deeply troubling.

OK, OK, I know that the teacher didn't name names or actually "out" the three boys in the example given (although someone familiar with the school may be able to identify the students), and the issue seems to mainly be that the teachers were tweeting on school time. However, it does come right up to that edge.

That edge of questions about who has the right to disclose information publicly about someone's diagnosis. When is a conversation totally safe from non-consensual disclosure, for example, "I know someone who has Aspergers" versus "outing" someone without permission, "You know our friend Tom? Yeah, he has Aspergers!" Close friends (and anyone restrained by HIPPA in the US) may be trusted to respect someone's feelings about disclosure, but what about teachers, bosses, and other people in similar positions?

Where do the lines get drawn between not restricting freedom of speech and not disclosing someone's diagnosis without consent? This is a more global issue of privacy in the age of information, but it's also a particularly sensitive issue when it comes to diagnosis disclosure.

Dora Raymaker
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