Identity Obfuscation

The deliberate concealment or misrepresentation of aspects of one's identity to avoid discrimination, harm, or negative consequences from adversarial stakeholders. In disability and accessibility contexts, identity obfuscation may involve hiding a disability from employers, concealing mental health conditions from service providers, or downplaying the severity of a condition. While it can provide short-term protection, obfuscation carries costs including the inability to request needed accommodations and the psychological burden of maintaining concealment.