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Regarding "reasonable accomodations" for PWP or any other disability by major
employers:

I worked for several years in the human resources department of a well-known,
multi-national company.  It was touted as one of the best companies to work
for in America.  HOWEVER - While we did make extensive efforts to find
another job for our hourly employees if they could no longer perform their
old job and if the old job couldn't be modified to accomodate their
disabilities (that was one of my duties, and I worked determinedly and
creatively at it), the same consideration was not shown to managers who
developed a disability.  Basically, if our managers needed anything other
than temporary accomodation, such as for recuperating from a heart attack,
their lives became very difficult.  (Thank goodness exempt employees were
handled by someone else - I would have hated to be responsible for that
situation).  I guess I should add that one of the most difficult restrictions
to accomodate long-term was shortened days, particularly on an as-needed
basis, even for hourly workers.

The offer of "accomodation" you received was typical of the amount of
accomodation you'll get in many big businesses.  I recognized the wording
myself.  I don't mean to be discouraging, but what I heard, with ears
accustomed to hearing those human resource messages, is that that's about the
extent of the accomodation you're likely to get, and if you need more as time
goes on, they'll be easing you out the door.

A fellow employee of mine had Parkinson's and belonged to our support group,
but swore me to secrecy because he knew that would be the end of his career
if it were known.  Basically, a manager or "white collar" worker isn't
permitted to show any weakness.
Of course, I knew how things worked, and would never have mentioned his PD to
anyone.  Eventually, his symptoms became impossible to hide or explain away,
plus the fatigue factor became really debilitating, so he chose to retire
early rather than let himself be "eased out."

I know this isn't what you want to hear, and it's possible it's not
applicable to your business or your situation, but that's been my experience,
for what it's worth.  In spite of the ADA, it's harder than most people
imagine for an employer to make a "reasonable accomodation."

However, I think you did mention working from home via computer a couple of
days a week.  If you haven't suggested that yet to your manager, you might
think through how it would work and have a plan in place, and then present it
to him/her as a solution.  If it's at all do-able, your management team could
possibly find it more palatable than simply having you leave early "as
needed."  If it really seems workable to you but your immediate manager won't
consider it, then it's time to go higher up the ladder.  The head of  your
company's Human Resource Department should be well-versed in ADA regulations,
but many HR people are better at figuring out how to get around regulations
than in how to implement them.

Didn't realize when I started this how negative I was going to end up
sounding.  However, big business is big business.  You'll find some
individuals that will go out of their way to work with you, and then there
are the others.  Hope you know the lay of the land and can figure out which
is which.

Hang in there.  This is a tough time for you.  However, if your employer
turns out to be impossible to work with, life is too short to stick around
and make yourself miserable for the next several years.  If that's how it
works out, there are wonderful things you can do while on disability.  You
can keep busy and contribute in many ways to the world around you, and most
importantly, you can take care of yourself!  Sincerely, Margie Swindler

cg for Dick, 52/15   [log in to unmask]