Introduction
In the scenario of the case study, Ms. C, a high school teacher has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and experienced various symptoms of the condition. Furthermore, she is concerned about the potential future influence of the illness on her ability to work. A comprehensive overview of the potential issues and their impact on her work would be a useful guideline for her to adjust her activities accordingly. This essay aims to describe those concerns and note the job accommodations that could be used to help Ms. C carry out her work in a more comfortable manner.
Symptoms and Their Influence
The symptoms of multiple sclerosis that Ms. C has already experienced include difficulty when climbing stairs and occasional vision blurring when reading. Other potential complications “fatigue, loss of coordination, muscle weakness, spasticity, numbness, slurred speech, visual difficulties, paralysis, muscle cramps, bladder or bowel problems, and sexual dysfunction” (“About multiple sclerosis,” n.d., para. 2). Of these, all but the final symptom can present complications in her line of work as a teacher. Speech difficulties, visual impairment, and muscle weakness are the primary concerns, though others can still be troubling.
Muscle weakness has already manifested in the difficulty Ms. C has in climbing stairs, and the vision impairment has been present when grading papers. She has not experienced any speech slurring or spasticity, but if they were to appear, they would impede her ability to teach during lessons. Paralysis would be a hazardous condition, but its manifestations are rare (“About multiple sclerosis,” n.d.). Bladder and bowel problems could be a significant impediment depending on their severity, but they should be manageable in the majority of cases. Fatigue, loss of coordination, and numbness would have a noticeable effect on her lessons as well, but would most likely be possible to overcome and continue teaching.
Possible Accommodations
The current issues experienced by Ms. C are limited to decreased stamina and low vision, which significantly decreases the number of reasonable accommodations. Nevertheless, there is a broad variety of options such as ergonomic equipment, workspace modification, telework, job restructuring, wheelchairs, walkers, magnifiers, and accessible phones (“About multiple sclerosis,” n.d.). Other accommodations may become necessary if the condition progresses, but attempting to predict them and to prepare accordingly is not productive behavior. Furthermore, not all of the tools suggested by the website can be used alongside each other or are necessary.
Ms. C is not currently experiencing problems when walking on level terrain or teaching, and therefore measures such as ergonomic equipment, wheelchairs, or walkers are not necessary at the moment. However, restructuring her job so that her classes take place on as low a floor as possible would be a prudent move and help Ms. C carry out her work more efficiently. The blurring when grading papers is a more complicated matter, as it is unknown what specific variety of vision impairment it represents. A more detailed medical examination may be necessary, and the appropriate magnifying tools or medical interventions should be prescribed based on its results.
Conclusion
Ms. C is already experiencing most of the more common multiple sclerosis symptoms to a minor degree. However, she should stay careful, as most of the potential complications can interfere with her work. Of the accommodations that can assist her work, job restructuring and magnifying tools as prescribed by a more thorough examination may be helpful, with other measures possibly becoming necessary in the future.
References
About multiple sclerosis. (n.d.). Web.