When Debra explained the use of accommodations to retain existing staff, Erika shared that one of their employees had recently been diagnosed with MS. They were concerned for their employee and how it would affect the employee's ability to do the job. Without divulging the employee's identity, Erika shared that the employee, who manages the ordering and bookkeeping, struggles with fatigue and muscle weakness in her hands and arms, making it more difficult for her to pull files from the file cabinet and transport them to and from her desk.

Debra pointed out the website for the Job Accommodation Network on the back of her business card and offered to check into it herself and get back to Erika by the next day.

She also suggested that Erika could refer the employee to VR for job retention assistance. Erika seemed pleased and relieved to hear of these resources.

As promised, Debra queried accommodations for Multiple Sclerosis on the Job Accommodation Network and attached what she found to an email message in which she wrote:

Hi Erika,

Thanks again for taking the time to meet with me yesterday. I very much appreciated learning about your business. From my observation of the store and your staff's friendliness, you are well on your way to making a good thing even better!

As promised, I checked with the Job Accommodation Network regarding accommodations for your employee. I've summarized the information below.

There are many ideas to help your employee carry out her job duties. For example, a simple, inexpensive cart on wheels might be the ticket for transporting the files to/from the desk. Perhaps you already have one that would work?

Also, as you'll see, a flexible schedule, such as adjusting the start time or end times of the workday or combining breaks, may be of assistance, too. Sometimes all a person needs is a rest to refocus and regain energy.

Typically, the person best equipped to identify what will work is the person him/herself. A friendly brainstorming session will likely yield ideas that will be spot-on.

Please don't hesitate to contact me should you have any further questions or needs. As our card says, "We're here to help!"

Our best to you,

Debra, VR Counselor