A new ‘normal’
Today is International Day of People with Disabilities (IDPWD) – an observance day promoted by the United Nations since 1992 and celebrated internationally on 3 December every year.
Royal Mail is committed to placing equality, diversity and respect at the heart of our business and crucially creating a workplace culture where colleagues are not excluded, or made to feel uncomfortable, because of any health impairments.
Today, design project manager, Carole Pearce, who works in Central Operations, has kindly agreed to share her story.
‘I’m sharing my story today to raise awareness of hidden disabilities, which account for 76% of all disabilities,’ said Carole. ‘I hope that this will bust a few myths around hidden disabilities and make people think twice before jumping to conclusions. For example, someone may not be “lazy” simply because they’re using a lift between floors. Having a disability doesn’t mean someone is on the scrap heap.
‘In 2008, I had an operation and contracted an infection, which caused nerve damage on my left side and left me in chronic pain. By this I mean I am in pain all day, every day. It’s only the severity of the pain that changes. The damage left me with minor mobility issues, making stairs, gradients and uneven surfaces more of a challenge.
‘This is an acquired disability, and as such, it has taken me a while to get used to my new “normal” and adjust accordingly. Most people at work have been understanding and supportive. Mike Farmer, who was my line manager during the early days, was very understanding when I needed time off for what seemed to me to be endless hospital, physiotherapy and counselling appointments and allowed me to have these as paid special leave.
‘Reasonable adjustments are not always necessarily expensive or elaborate. The main adjustment made for me was to change my company car early on from a manual to an automatic, which gave me my freedom back. We also worked through the occupational health (OH) provider to see what could be done and they recommended that I minimise my travelling to 2-3 days a week.
‘I also found a chair that was more comfortable to sit on and an old monitor stand to use as a foot rest. When we moved to a new building, the person in charge (PiC), Andy Loader, was key in getting everything transported to the new location for me.
‘With an acquired disability it isn't just work where “reasonable adjustments” need to be made, and people need to be mindful that having such disabilities can affect home life, and mental health stability too.
‘Another of my hidden disabilities is that I have a primary immunodeficiency disease (PI) – a group of more than 300 rare, chronic disorders in which part of the body’s immune system is missing or functions improperly. They are not contagious, but are caused by hereditary genetic defects. The one I have is known as selective immunoglobulin A (IgA) deficiency (SIgAD), which results in my body not being able to fight infections.
‘If I’m having a tough day due to my conditions, the adjustment I have is that my line manager, Francis Williams allows me to get a taxi, rather than using public transport. Apart from that, I just get on with work and life – my conditions are part of me but they don’t define me.’
Improving the experience of colleagues with a disability
Our Disability steering group was established in 2014. The key objective of the group is to improve the experience of disabled colleagues at Royal Mail and provide easy-to-access information and guidance to colleagues who have a disability of any kind.
