Disabled people and working

[BalloonsAndWhistles]

Hope this thread doesn’t get taken down.

Just wondering if anyone else with a disability experiences the same as me, especially if it’s a long term one. Your employer is all ‘we embrace diversity’ ‘we’re a disability confident employer’ etc, all that crap. Yet, when you ask them for something and they actually have to do something they get annoyed, like you’re asking for the world.

I could list so many examples but here’s my latest. My work want us to go to the office once a month and my office is 100 miles away. I can’t go on public transport alone as I have seizures and last time I did many moons ago, I had one and my handbag was stolen. DH also can’t drive me
as he has a broken leg and, frankly, why should he? Anyway, I explained this to my boss and she seemed to act like I was asking for the moon on a stick and said we had to get HR involved. I’d already had HR involved and they said I needed an OH referral to see about getting me excused from the office trips. Boss still insists that HR lady MUST come and meet us even though she’s just going to say the same. I think the boss is just stalling so I’m forced to come to the office day.

I’ve had 20 years of feeling like I’m fighting and I’m weary. People just don’t seem to think you’re disabled unless you’re in a wheelchair, I swear that’s true.

anyone else want to commiserate? 😢

I am having trouble just getting a job in a wheelchair!

Part of it will be my time at home raising my kids but I have done plenty of volunteer work and applying for a variety of jobs.

I have not been offered interviews when I meet the minimum criteria and when I politely ask which part of the criteria I didn't meet I don't receive an answer.

One interview I was asked 'how can you be so confident in that' gesture to my wheelchair!

Another interview the panel ladies reeled backwards in their chairs and said they didn't know I was in a wheelchair. Like it mattered for a basic desk based admin job (turned out this job didn't even exist!)

However my last interview was friendly professional panel, no ablest comments. I didn't get the job but I am sure that I wasn't the best candidate for that role.

So clearly there are some nice companies out there, it is just a matter of finding them!

@BalloonsAndWhistles I would just follow the procedure. Your boss feels they have to involve HR and/or OT before making reasonable adjustments for you.

However I would not attend an office day in the meantime, if it is beyond your capabilities. I am sure your boss realises that they need to wait for the HR and/or OT feedback first before insisting you attend the office.

Might be worth thinking is there any way you could attend the office safely. Could your work pay for a carer to travel with you and an overnight stay at a nearby hotel. So the travel is broken up over two days?

Or could they pay for a private taxi to take you to and from the office?

Speak to Access to Work they fund adjustments like taxi's so that disabled people can remain in or get work,

I'm applying for a new job at the moment. It's the first time since I became disabled so I imagine it will be an eye opener. I don't know when to mention it. I too will need to be 100% remote.

I have a neuromuscular disease and couldn't work for 2 1/2 years following my diagnosis. My employer at the time was really, really supportive.
Last year I was well enough to look for a part time job, and was incredibly fortunate to find another fantastic employer, who are also completely supportive.
So, supportive employers are out there, but it seems it's as much luck as anything else unfortunately.

Also, don't forget Access to Work, which can help. I had taxis funded largely by them when I had to surrender my driving licence. They will also assess and can supply equipment for use in the workplace.

It's such a long way - I think it needs to go back to what your contract was at hiring. There's a big difference if you were hired as fully remote with no clause about going in person, or hired locally but moved away during lockdown.

It also matters why you're going into the office, and whether it's a reasonable adjustment for you not to go in. We have some fully remote teams and have found that team members who never come in can do a great job on individual tasks but often are less effective at collaborative or managerial tasks that need stronger relationships, or understanding wider context/being creative. Your role scope can make a big difference in what is reasonable.

The OH assessment could definitely help, you mention a referral, why hasn't that happened?

@BalloonsAndWhistles

Whether the request is reasonable depends partly on the circumstances of why you live so far? Did you go into the office before covid and move further away thinking wfh was forever? In these circumstances requiring a monthly meeting is reasonable because they aren't responsible for your move, whereas if the company relocated further away during lockdown and now you find yourself unable to reach the office or your disability only started since lockdown/wfh it's quite different. Reasonable adjustments mean just that eg allowing you to work a shorter day that day because you have a longer travel time, it doesn't mean never going into the office when your contract states you have to (and you didn't indicate a problem during the hiring process). It's all in the details. In a past life I had to sort out the adaptations, and it was a balancing act of being fair to the person with disabilities and fair to the rest of the workforce who had to do things they found hard, awkward too or interfered with childcare commitments etc. never easy. Need more context in your case

Definitely pursue an Occy Health assessment. I was very worried about mine, but the doctor was so kind and understanding, and made helpful recommendations for my reasonable adjustments.

Access to work should help with this. Either by funding a taxi or for a support worker to go with you on the journey. Have you made an application for this?

Yes this has all been laid bare in the report that Macmillan had done recently which showed them to be a totally racist and ableist employer, and this despite them being a large charity who constantly harp on abut equality and diversity etc. They promise the earth then don't deliver, like with their mental health for employees - they offer chill out rooms where people can go if they need a break, and eat some chocolate and say they do things to promote good mental health in the workplace, then allow bullying behaviour which systematically destroys peoples mental health. You only have to read the report and their Glassdoors reviews to see how bad it is.

I have different issues than you OP. But with my mental health I just found it better if my manager didn't know. If they did know they felt awkward and like I couldn't do the challenges of the job. All but one manager who did continue to treat me the same.

Hi OP - I second the recommendation that you speak to access to work. They will likely fund your journey for you, you can just apply online. They'll ask for 3 x taxi quotes and medical evidence to back up that you can't walk/drive/use public transport to get to work and then the funding will be backdated to the date you applied. PM me if you have any specific questions about it, I have a lot of direct experience :) I'm sorry your work are being unsupportive

Agree OP. And people always recommend Access to Work. They will not pay for things like taxis if the solution is a work adjustment. Their budget is limited.
My DP needed a parking space right by the office. Only one space there that the very senior manager has. Suggestion by HR was access to work pay for taxis. Access to work said no. Boss had to give up parking space. The boss refused to. This was in the NHS too.

Did you accept the job on the basis that it would be 100% remote? If so, then it’s their responsibility to get you to the office if that’s what they now want.

If you didn’t, and your WFH is part of the lockdown hangover, then I think you’ll need to be a bit more flexible. It’s not unreasonable to expect you to go through HR and have an OT assessment according to whatever procedure your employer has.

Don't have much energy to be articulate today, but there was a good thread recently about this. It's worth reading just the OP's posts, even if you don't read the whole thread.

Hired a disabled woman in lockdown who I now have to fire
www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4522777-Hired-a-disabled-woman-in-lockdown-who-I-now-have-to-fire

In a past life I had to sort out the adaptations, and it was a balancing act of being fair to the person with disabilities and fair to the rest of the workforce who had to do things they found hard, awkward too or interfered with childcare commitments etc.

Disability is a protected characteristic – for very good reason. Having childcare problems, or not being able to afford a new car, aren't.

The requirement to make reasonable adjustments for a person with a disability does not depend on whether someone else on the team is the sort of twat who moans that they too would like what they (wrongly) believe is a "free" car, a parking space near the door, and permission to work from home.

If you have employees who are griping that It's Not Faaaaaair the disabled person gets adjustments they NEED, which whiner would merely LIKE, then your task is to deal with the whiner – not take it out on the disabled person.

I agree with PerkingFaintly.

motogirl, you have a terrible ableist attitude. Work based reasonable adjustments are to make up slightly for the many painful and expensive issues that being disabled brings.

These disability reasonable adjustments should never be linked to other staff's general work issues.

Bearing in mind that a disabled worker can also have issues with child care and car issues etc as well. We are human!