33 msfocusmagazine.org It is sad to say, but it has taken me quite some time to come to grips with the fact that having this disease means I have to stop on occasion to care for myself during a relapse or flare. Fatigue is a fact of life, and some- thing that is neverwell-timed in my schedule. I am still goal-oriented, I just have to reframe how I work toward my goals of my career. If a flare, relapse, or fatigue tries to get me down? I remind myself how lucky am I that I have accommodations that allow me the time to heal, even if it means my work slows to a snail’s pace or stops completely! And the guilt for needing to slow down or stop, and the assumptions by some others? Well, they have a place, and that place is out of my mind. I cannot control what others think, and shame on them for making negative comments that benefit nobody. When it comes down to it, I rememberthatIamentitledtotheseaccommo- dations for a reason, and that using them helps me and the students who still benefit from the education I’m offering, even if I’m doing it from home. Accommodations – Where to Start? Depending on your situation and symptoms, you many require accommodations in your home orworkplace. As a member of the workforce, it is important to understand that it is your legal right to request and receive accommodations, so that you have the same opportunities as people who do not have a chronic illness. Too often, the people who need and deserve these accommodations are either unaware they have the right to request them, or have no idea where to start or what to request. Before you make any requests, you need to know exactly what accommodations you need. Accommodations can range from ramps, to hand railings, to special floor mats, and all the way to speech-to-text software. So, identify instances where your typical routine is disrupted by MS symptoms and start there. This might mean special lighting or magnifiers for people with vision problems, fans or space heaters for those with temperature sensitivity, or even requesting a handicapped parking space if your workplace doesn’t have one. Your symptoms are specific to you, and your accommodations will be as well. Just like with Dr. Haynes-Lawrence, some accommodationswill onlybe needed occasionally, but others will need to be more permanent. The options can be overwhelming. An excellent resource is the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) – askjan.org/disabilities/Multiple-Sclerosis.cfm. Thiswebsite houses information about accommodations foravarietyof different conditions. Their section on MS offers dozens of suggestions based on either specific limitations you may need to overcome, or work-related functions with which you may need assistance. JAN goes a step further, offering lists of items that can be used based on your selection. They even include tips for employers to consider, making JAN a “one stop shop” for accommodation information.