My vision problems in the work place....help
 

I have been working two years now and do relatively well, my main complaint is my vision., constant distortin, sometimes double., I was on prednisone , which never helped my vision and neither has mestinon., they both helped my fatigue and facial droopiness. now on my job i discover my supervisor failed to do quite a bit of data entry for a required field and now wants me to enter back six months of this data., I now I cannot physically do this with my ocular mg., can I refuse , they know I have mg., this was not part of my job
when I started or I never would of accepted the position , knowing I could not do that. I have trouble as it is., and now I have glaucoma in one eye and a cataract in another., can they fire me if I refuse?

That would be entirely up to the company I guess. I know at my last job, some employees would have to have accommodations from time to time and they made it so hard for them that they chose to leave. You may want to check out all the options with a labor board and then check the company's policy. But first, you may have to have a heart to heart talk with your supervisor and feel them out and hear what they have to say. It may not matter to them one way or another. Their answer may depend on how far behind they are or how pushed they are to get this done. Don't burn all your bridges before you try. I know in my job, I had to do things that were out of my job description. I got where I could not handle all the stress and extras so I took an early leave. That was before I knew I had MG. I knew something was terribly wrong but did not know what. I tried to talk with my supervisor about the work load and the extras. They knew I was struggling but I still had to tote my own weight regardless of whether it was in my job description or not. I hope you can find some way to get through this. I wish you lots of luck and hope everything turns out for the best in your decision.:) busy

Hi whirlwind123,
What have you told your employer? If your doctor can send them written verification of your visual problems due to MG, I don't think they can fire you due to the Americans with Disabilities Act but I'm no expert so I can't say for sure.

If you already told them about your MG issues and your doctor can verify it, maybe your employer will understand and work with you regarding this.


Shari

From my experience,
sometimes people at work expect you to do what you can't, because they are just not fully aware of your problems, and are overall satisfied with your performance. In a way its a tight rope to walk on, because you want them to concentrate on your abilities and not your disabilities, yet sometimes you have no choice but to stress your disabilities and clarify what you can't (and not only what you can)do. This is not easy, and makes you feel incompetent, but in the long run it is the best thing to do. Refusing to do what you are asked looks as if you don't want to do it, explaining that you can't and why is a better way to go, and much more readily accepted. I do not know if you have an occupational health department there, but it can also be helpful to involve them if possible.

My supervisors are aware of my MG and visual distortions., I intend when they bring this up to me to tell them my vision will not permit me to do this without a problem., and then if necessary I thought I would have my doctor explain this.

There are a few things I would advise you do as you go down this path with your employer. None of these things may be needed in your case - - but if you were to need them and not have them, it would be to your disadvantage.

1) Start a running log (journal) and record EVERY incident surrounding the who, what, where, when of the things you employer is asking you to do

2) Include your response to any/all of these requests

3) Get specifics whenever vagueness exists. (If you can do something one day or one time, it will be assumed that you can do it as a routine task during a workday.) Never assume the employer has your interests at heart. They may - - or they may not.

4) If you give them any medical excuse from your doctor - it must state specifically what you are unable to .......(fill in the blank) do and for how long. And be sure to keep a copy.

5) Be aware that if a doc's note places restrictions on your ability to do various functions ...or if it specifies 'light duty'... in some states that can allow your employer to place you on short term (or long term depending on the wording of the document) disability leave (assuming you are eligible). From an employers perspective, the progression can be short term disability to long term disability to termination. Again it depends on the state and the employer. Some companies are hardball (policy and procedure driven) - others not so much. And, unfortunately, the economy plays into this. Companies are trying to get everything (and more) from employees!

If Ohio is a 'right to work' state, you really should keep good documentation.

Until you know how this is going to play out, just keep good documentation and hope you never need it!

My boss is not a nice person
 

Well my boss is not a nice person., he purposely would like to see me have difficulty as a reason to fire me., its a long story but to make a short story., I am not a cute young thing......and I am not easily intimated......but here we go., the funny thing is this is 6 months work he wants done in 3 weeks because he refused to do it and now his job is on the line., Friday he came into my office which I share and started to tell me aboutthis, not tell me but demand that this me done., the other girl in the office said she would like to help do this do as she is not as busy at the moment., and they already me have me going to another job site to learn other things( they want me to quit I know., they have someone else for my position) I will never quit, they can fire me and itwill be unjust cause) Well he told her no that I need to do it., now you tell me????what does that sound like., I just sat and listened did not say a word., he kept looking at me waiting for me to blow up., and i just sat and smiled., at one point I said hmmmm can you make the spread sheet a little larger easier to read, as with my ocular mg it will be difficult to read especially after a while.,He said yes and did that., he then said this was a priority and sh__ rolls down hill...the other girl once again said why couldn't we both do it and he just basically ignored her. I have alot of things that have to be done on a daily basis so I have made up my mind I will do as much as physically and mentally possible I can do of this project. In the meantime I will call my neuro and ask him how to handle this.
meanwhile...get this I work for a company involved in handling the mentally retarded and getting them work.....isn't that something.....