My question involves labor and employment law for the state of: Maryland

I have applied for a lot of jobs in multiple states in the USA via online applications. In almost every one, there is a page with a check box asking if you have a disability. I have some aspects that would allow me to qualify under that description, but they are honestly quite trivial and have no bearing on my ability to work or eligibility for a job. However, I have always entered "Yes" on these under the philosophy that if there are some protections provided, then I might as well have them, since you never know what might happen.

It was previously my understanding that this was just used for federal reporting of background information, or something like that, and that it could not legally be used in determining your candidacy for a job. I found this article while trying to research what, exactly, this checkbox is for, and now I am a little worried that simply by saying "Yes" to this on my applications, I may be inadvertently introducing a potential bias against my applications getting chosen. Can hiring managers discriminate against applicants based on this? Does that actually happen? Other pages I am reading have not clearly answered these questions.

It is also my understanding that you are able to disclose a disability to your employer immediately prior to requesting accommodations. If this is true, then what reason or advantage would you have in disclosing a disability on a job application?