b'reasonableaccommodationforknown Inordertoobtainaccommodationsatdisabilities (e.g. when the applicant/employee work, you have to disclose your disability statushas an obvious disability or has chosen to to your employer. (See the article on page 14inform the employer). to learn more about disclosure.) Once you Undue hardship: An accommodation might have made your employer aware of yourprove to be an undue hardship for the disability status, it is important to have openemployer if its implementation results in a communication with him/her about whatsignificant difficulty or expense to the you need in order to continue to be successfulcompany. The law provides criteria that must in your position. You may have to educatebe met for the company to claim this.your employer about MS along the way to getwhat you need, but be persistent and dont Major life activities: These activities include, hesitate to advocate for yourself. If you ndbut are not limited to, caring for yourself, yourself in need of resources to help withperforming manual tasks, seeing, hearing, education and advocacy in your workplace, thesleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, Job Accommodation Network has MS specicspeaking, breathing, learning, reading, information for employers and consumersconcentrating,thinking,communicating, alike. They can be found on the Internet atand working. askjan.org or reached by telephone at 800- Major bodily functions: These are actions 526-7234.that your body performs automatically, The Family and Medical Leave Actincluding, but not limited to, normal cell The FMLA ensures that eligible employeesgrowth and functions of the immune, who work for covered employers will retaindigestive, urinary, neurological, respiratory,circulatory,endocrine,andreproductive their jobs (the same position or an equivalent)systems. and their group health benets while takingOften, people think the term reasonable up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to recoveraccommodation means costly renovations from a serious medical condition. FMLA hassuch as remodeling bathrooms or installing the added benet of allowing an employee toexpensive equipment. In reality, while those have time away from work to care for a familyaccommodationssometimesneedtobe member who is ill or injured, so this may bemade, most require little or no expense to the helpful for the spouse or family member of aemployer. For example, working from home, person with MS.flexiblescheduling,providingwritten In order to qualify for benets under FMLA,instructions for tasks, utilizing natural lighting employees must have worked at their jobs forinstead of uorescent, installing grab bars in at least one year (no less than 1,250 hoursbathrooms, wearing noise cancelling headsets, within the 12 months preceding the requestedorhavingacoworkerassistasanon-site leave date) and have (or have a family membermentor are all inexpensive accommodations. who has) a serious health condition. A seriousYet, they can allow a person with MS to remain health condition is dened as: an illness, injury,successfully and safely employed and enable impairment, or a course of treatment thatthe employer to keep a valuable member of renders a person unable to perform essentialhis/her team. jobfunctions.Itisimportanttonotethat15 msfocusmagazine.org'