Learning to live and work with a disability

Ed Barker
Authored by Ed Barker
Posted: Wednesday, October 21, 2020 - 16:39

For those who have recently been diagnosed with a disability, it can be a minefield learning how to cope with everyday tasks, never mind the worries of going back to work. But as long as you’re willing to put in the effort and do the research, it’s more than possible to carry on working and living a full and productive life. But you also need to know what kind of disability and mobility assistance can be requested to ensure you can continue to do so in as straightforward a manner as possible.

Workplace adjustments - Your employee cannot discriminate against your disability and hasn’t been able to since the passing of the Equality Act of 2010. This means they can’t pressure you to resign and they must make every effort to make adjustments that allow for your return to work. This means providing practical aids and equipment to help you and altering the workplace if you have a new mobility scooter to make it more accessible and easier for you to access and get around.

Phased return - You will undoubtedly require a period of time off while you adapt to life with a disability. If you require time off, you can get paid via statutory sick pay, universal credit or employment and support allowance so that you don't fall into financial difficulty. However, your employer might be able to make things even easier for you by creating a phased return to work (flexible, remote and part-time hours, for example) and could also offer time off for treatment and counselling.

Access to help - It’s not only the physical changes that might affect a person who is adapting to live with a disability; they are also likely to be suffering from mental health problems. This means mental health services should always be readily available via HR for these workers. This is also why it's so important to understand the benefits you can have as a result of a disability. For example, veterans often suffer from PTSD and similar mental health issues, which is why it's so important to click here and work out the disability benefits you can be entitled to. 

Work with your employers - If you become disabled, it’s probably going to be a bit of a sea change for your employer too, so work with them and keep a dialogue open. Maybe they could work with you to find you a more suitable role or offload some of your work to other employees?

Looking for something new - Unfortunately, if your previous job involved heavy physical labour then you might realistically not be able to return to your former role. In this case, you should reach out to your local job Centre and arrange an interview with a work coach. They should be able to talk you through your options and help you to retrain in a new career. It might not be what you wanted but you could end up falling into a career that you genuinely love and finding a whole new life for yourself.

Share this