Working with a Chronic Illness

Well, I promised to write weekly and it's been almost two weeks. So, I'll give that New Year's Resolution another try.

What I thought I'd talk about today is employment and how to manage that with a chronic illness. In addition to the fact that I am an employee working successfully with a chronic illness, I have also been working in the disability management field (and specifically ADA coordination) for over a decade. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I was told many years ago that I'd never work again. When I decided to say 'screw it' and try anyway, it propelled me to make a larger career decision to help others with disabilities gain employment. So, with this dual background, I have some experience to share.

First, many of you reading this are already aware that there are legal protections to assist you if you have a chronic disability in the workplace. The two biggies in this are the FMLA/CFRA (Family Medical Leave Act/California Family Rights Act), both of which provide time off for eligible employees to care for their own serious health condition. (It provides other entitlements as well, but for now we're just talking about our own disability.) This is entitled time, which means it can't be denied if you are eligible. The second biggie is the ADA - Americans with Disabilities Act, which in California is coupled with the broader protections of FEHA (Fair Employment and Housing Act). This provides for reasonable accommodations in the workplace to allow individuals with qualified disabilities equal access to perform essential functions of the position.

The most important thing I can say to you is to educate yourself about these laws, about what you're entitled to, and talk with your HR representatives at work. Make sure to have support on your side, whether a friend or union representative. Make sure you understand your rights as well as your responsibilities. Be prepared to suggest solutions and ideas. Also, be aware that finding a reasonable accommodation isn't always possible. However, armed with information, you will be in a much better place. Many companies don't have disability management specialists or ADA coordinators, and I often hear that employees in those organizations are at a great disadvantage many times in trying to get an accommodation. But it's your work life, so find out as much as you can yourself and be as prepared as possible.

A great place to check out that I highly recommend is the Job Accommodation Network (JAN). JAN helps both employees and employers with accommodation ideas for disabilities. Their website is great and something to take some time to peruse.

Another recommendation I have - which is often hard for people to hear - is understand your limitations. What I mean is understand your disability and what will work for you in employment, and be realistic. Seriously. For example, at one time I wanted to be a court reporter. I thought it was a really cool job, good money, and I had an affinity for those cool little machines with the funky keys. I signed up for classes, but upon greater thinking I realized that I can't sit in a courtroom for hours with my bowel and colon issues. This wouldn't be good for me, and I know I could not successfully perform the work. "Um, excuse me judge, I have to pee. NOW. Can you hold up these sentencing proceedings?" Yeah, right. There isn't a reasonable accommodation that would allow me to do the job the way I wanted to, so I opted another career path that I found I really love. Sometimes, looking at other options is the best thing you can do for yourself. If I had decided to continue down the stenographer path, guaranteed it would have created stressful situations for me and frankly been a bad match. That's just not worth it. Life is too short.

So, get educated, understand what you can do, and figure out how to do it.