Self-Disclosure Statement

A short first-person text in which a creator, researcher, or performer reveals personal information about their identity, background, training, and motivations for producing a piece of work. Self-disclosure statements are used in academic positionality writing, healthcare communication, online community participation, and — as studied in recent accessibility HCI work — by cultural outsiders producing content rooted in communities they do not belong to (for example, hearing creators making song signing videos for Deaf audiences). Effective SDS balance transparency with privacy, clarify intent, and support audience trust; poorly written SDS can read as self-deprecating, distract from the work, or expose the author to harassment. They are increasingly relevant to platform design, captioning, and creator tooling in accessibility contexts.